All-day bombardment

British guns bombarded the German positions throughout the day, and American paratroopers and British Grenadier Guards edged into the suburbs of Nijmegen. The bombardment knocked out the key 88mm flak guns that provided the main defence of the bridge approach routes. In the afternoon a battalion of US paratroopers raced forward with canvas assault boats and set course for the northern bank of the Waal. German mortars and 20mm flak guns raked the boats, killing or wounding half the Americans, but they kept going through the maelstrom. Once ashore, they scattered the few old men and boy soldiers holding the rear end of the bridge. As the river assault was under way, a squadron of British tanks rushed the southern edge of the bridge. Several tanks fell to Panzerfaust fire from the Waffen-SS men. The tanks just kept moving and, within minutes, were up on the bridge, machine-gunning the Frundsberg engineers who were still placing demolition charges. Harmel immediately ordered the bridge to be blown. The engineer officer kept pressing the detonation switch. Nothing happened. Artillery fire had damaged the initiation cable; Nijmegen bridge was in British hands.

2 Para at Arnhem

On Arnhem bridge itself, meanwhile, 2 Para was on its last legs, and Lieutenant-Colonel Johnny Frost surrendered during the morning of 21 September. They had no idea XXX Corps tanks were only 17km (10.5 miles) away. Thus ended an epic battle.

Harzer's troops continued to press back the eastern flank of the British force east of Arnhem. He ordered his kampfgruppe to form small penetration teams, each led by a couple of StuG IIIs, to push forward into the British lines. In addition, more guns were brought up to blast the British. South of the Rhine, a brigade of Polish paratroopers was dropped just behind the Frundsberg's "stop line". With customary promptness, Harmel reorganized his small kampfgruppen to contain the new landing. A battalion of sailors was thrown in to hold the Poles, and 16 88mm flak guns were positioned to cover the road from Nijmegen. Batteries of Nebelwerfers were brought up to stop the Poles massing for infantry attacks. Every attempt to break through his line was rebuffed with heavy losses.

The 1st Airborne Division continued to hold out in the face of continuous German attacks. During the night of 23/24 September, 45 army King Tiger tanks arrived to help Bittrich. He sent 30 south to help Harmel stop the Guards Armoured Division, and the rest turned westwards towards the Oosterbeek Kessel. By 25 September, some 110 German guns were ringing Oosterbeek, bombarding the British trenches.

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