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(2) Oosterbeek

Fighting in Oosterbeek grew bitter after eight days of protracted trench warfare and continuous bombardments. British forces and Dutch civilians were on a razor’s edge, with more wounded and dead than there were fighting men left alive, against Wehrmacht forces that seemed to have no limit. Axis armour and infantry entered Oosterbeek every hour, leaving the defenders no choice but to hatch a final, daring escape across the Lower Rhine under the cover of night. At the turn of midnight, British forces evacuated, leaving only volunteers behind to continue the illusion of defence. Even after a failed liberation, a promise was made to try once more: “we brought death and destruction for which you have never blamed us…”