British 1st Parachute Division1st Airborne Division), commonly known as the Red Devils, was formed in 1941. The unit gained the status of an elite, which was due to several reasons: SAS soldiers (who made up its 1st parachute battalion) had a significant share in its creation, the soldiers of the formation underwent very demanding training, and were also characterized by high combat qualities. The initiative of its creation came from the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, impressed by the German achievements in Crete in 1941, and its first commander was General Frederick AM Browning. The first operations conducted by the divisions of the division were raids in the areas of German-occupied France and Norway. In 1942, part of the unit was transferred to North Africa, where it fought in Tunisia. Brigade ofThe 1st Parachute Division was also used during the landing in Sicily in July 1943 and on the Apennine – also in 1943. Interestingly, the division did not take part in the Normandy landings in June 1944, but was used in the unsuccessful Market-Garden operation in September of the same year. In the course of the operation, she suffered very high losses. The unit was disbanded in November 1945.

Operation Market Gardenwas played from September 17-26, 1944 in today’s Netherlands. About 85.00 people were involved in the operation on the Allied side, including the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, under the command of General Stanisaw Sosabowski. It is worth adding, however, that the number of soldiers involved in the operation is sometimes estimated and given in various ways. German forces directly and indirectly involved in the operation are also only estimated at between 70,000 and 100,000 people. The main initiator of this operation was the British Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, who sought to seize the bridges in the Netherlands leading to the industrial heart of Germany – the Ruhr Area – and enter the Third Reich from the north, thus ending World War II as soon as possible. The key to the success of the operation, in particular, was the rapid capture of the undamaged Rhine bridges. The operation was burdened with considerable risk from the very beginning and assumed a small margin of error. Opponents appeared even among British officers. However, Montgomery convinced the Supreme Allied Commander in the Western European theater of war – General DD Eisenhower – to do so, which marked the start of the operation. Despite initial successes, the operation ended in a complete defeat (contrary to what was later said) by Montgomery and high losses for the Allies. The symbol of the defeat of the entire operation was, first of all, the Battle of Arnhem (September 17-25), which ended with the retreat of the elite British 1st Parachute Division, which in the course of this battle was almost completely destroyed by the German army.