The Battle of Overloon- The Battle In The Shadow - PzC 10 Market Garden '44

Southeast of Nijmegen, Sept 30 1944. Historical American Attack. Briefing: "On 30 September, the 7th Armored Division under Maj. Gen. Lindsay McD. Silvester had reached jump-off positions southeast of Oploo and was prepared to launch the main drive aimed at clearing the west bank of the Maas. Having rushed north straight out of the battle line along the Moselle River near Metz, General Silvester had found little time in which to reorganize his troops and replace combat losses. Immediate objectives of the 7th Armored Division were the towns of Vortum, close along the Maas, and Overloon, near the northeastern edge of the Peel Marshes. Hoping to break the main crust of resistance at these points, General Silvester intended then to sweep quickly south and bypass expected centers of resistance like Venray and Venlo. The hardened fallschirmjeagers of KG Walther and the remnants of the crack 107th Panzer Brigade had no plans of letting go of the Maas bridgehead and offered stiff resistance for the days and weeks to come." History: The Battle of Overloon (also known as the 'Battle In The Shadow' because it is historically overshadowed by the battle at Arnhem and 'The Forgotten Battle' by the Dutch, as it was unknown by most people) took place during September and October 1944 between a German division armed with the newest Panther tanks, and first the 7th American Armored Division which was defeated after meeting unexpected heavy resistance, followed by the 11th British Armored Division which defeated the German division at the villages of Overloon and Venray in the Netherlands - both villages were completely destroyed in the battle. The Battle of Overloon was the only tank battle of the Second World War fought in the Netherlands.