17,000 Allied Troops Landed Behind German Lines

In early March 1945, Allied armies advanced across a broad front toward the Rhine River, the last great natural obstacle between them and the heart of Nazi Germany. The river's strong currents and steep banks, together with the certainty that the German army would demolish the bridges across it, made an amphibious crossing appear to Allied planners both necessary and perilous. British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery persuaded Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, the Allied supreme commander, to authorize an airborne operation just east of the Rhine to seize key terrain, disrupt German defense, and prevent German reinforcements from reaching the front. With the benefit of a simultaneous air drop, Montgomery expected his ground forces to cross the Rhine rapidly, link up with the airborne troops and achieve a decisive breakout.