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The operation would involve four airborne divisions. The paratroopers would land in the area by gliders, or they would parachute into the target zones. Some 50,000 troops were involved, and they would also be supplied with some light artillery. There were American, British, and Polish units involved in the massive airdrops. The ‘Garden’ part of the plan would involve several British Armored Divisions moving into the Netherlands to link up with the paratroopers and defend the bridges from any German counterattack. According to Montgomery, for the strategy to have worked, it depended on two things, the quick capture of all the bridges by the Allies and the ground forces linking with the paratroopers within days.<ref>Montgomery, p. 118</ref>

[[File:Sherman_tanks_of_the_Irish_Guards_Group.jpg|thumbnail|left|275px|Irish Guard Sherman tanks advance on September 17, 1944, during Operation Market Garden]]

Operation Market Garden began on the 17th of September 1944. It was a coordinated action by American, British a Polish Airborne, and mainly British forces. The operation began with heavy air raids to weaken any resistance. The paratroopers began landing at 13.00hrs around targets in the Netherlands, chiefly Eindhoven, Arnhem, and Nijmegen.<ref> Devlin, Gerard M.. ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0860510689/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0860510689&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=649bb9080e6f13f739965427274aedcb Paratrooper: The Saga Of Parachute And Glider Combat Troops During World War II]'' Robson Books, NY, 1979), p. 117</ref>. The paratroopers had the advantage of surprise, and they achieved their objectives. The Germans had been taken completely by surprise. The initial phase of the operation was a total success. It had been feared that the Germans would blow up the bridges, which would mean that the plan would have to be aborted. The rapid capture of the bridges meant that the ground forces would be able to reach the landing zones and support the paratroopers.<ref>Devlin, p. 119</ref>