Monday 25 September 1944, D-Day + 8

British 1st Airborne Division
The 4th Dorset of the 130th Infantry Brigade, 43rd Wessex Division, attempted to cross the river but failed. The Allies decided to withdraw the whole 1st British Airborne Division starting with the forces on the north site of the 'perimeter' and ending with those on the south side. Around 2200 the retreat began under the code name 'Berlin'. On the river bank, Canadian and British engineers waited for the troops to arrive. The engineers crossed the river many times to help worn-out soldiers get away. The British XXX Corps tried to hide the evacuation with an artillery barrage. The operation brought 2,200 men across the river to safety. On Tuesday morning, the evacuation was stopped by heavy German gunfire. Some men tried to swim to the other side, some succeeded, some drowned. Around 300 men couldn't be saved and surrendered. With the end of this operation came the end of the battle of Arnhem…. and the end of Operation Market Garden.

U.S. 101st Airborne Division
The corridor still was severed at Koevering. The 506th Regiment and 44th Tank Regiment attacked, but thanks to their artillery, the Germans withstood the attack. The corridor had to be opened again, even though the main target of Operation Market Garden, Arnhem, was now out of reach. The Allies continued their attacks. Paratroops attacked from the south while the British 50th Division also launched an attack. Most of the Germans were defeated. On the 26th of September, after two days, the German forces were overrun and the road cleared of mines. The corridor was open again. From that day on, XXX Corps no longer advanced towards Arnhem. Nijmegen was now the new front line in the Netherlands.

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