A R N H E M . THE P E N D U L U M SWINGS B A C K

Awaiting the next assault on the

Sperrlinie

on the Dreyenseweg.

The pendulum had swung back for thefinal time in Arnhem. Neither reinforce-ment nor resupply on the British sidewould influence the final outcome of thebattle. SS-Lieutenant-Colonel LudwigSpindler's Sperrlinie, or blocking line, hadprovided the focus for the defence ofArnhem. It was now to provide the startline for an inevitable advance upon Ooster-beek. A watershed had been reached, indis-cernible to both sides. The British high tidehad been reached, it could now only ebb,back towards Oosterbeek.

the trees, and began to dig in around thevicinity of the start line. None of the lightlyarmed airborne troops had reckoned uponresistance with this sort of firepower;moreover, it had been skilfully deployed.These were not line-of-communicationtroops; numerous seasoned SS-troopershad already been taken prisoner. Informa-tion concerning the push against theArnhem road bridge had not beenencouraging. Moreover, it was becomingincreasingly apparent, even to private sol-diers, that they were not going to breakthrough at this point. What next?

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