Market Garden – the seven P’s

Piss Poor Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Amazed to read that the “lift table’s” used my Boy Browning and Miles Dempsey (UK) has been calculated on a two glider to one tow aircraft basis. As no liason had previously taken place with USA troop carrier command prior to a meeting some three days before the projected launch date the comments of Major General Williams came as a devistating blow. Given the range payload of the tug and glider combinations only one glider per tow aircraft could be managed. This meant delivery of the force would take up to three days in acceptable weather conditions. Browning and Dempsey had used lift table’s agreed upon for operation Comet; Montgomery had prior warning of the overall picture when advised of the need to move airborne forces onto the continent to allow acceptable range performance. I think without serious analysis of the decisions taken by Williams the operation should have at least been modified at this stage; on balance the number of airborne ops which had been planned prior to MG and then cancelled must have given commanders a overly optimistic view of the ability of the air force to get them to Arnhem. Perhaps an air bridge too far?