Parachutists jump over Dutch heath to mark WWII operation

September 17, 2019, was the 75th anniversary of the start of Operation Market Garden, a daring Allied effort to drop behind German lines in the Netherlands.

The operation was meant to bring a quick end to World War II, but it was foiled by stronger-than-expected German resistance.

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GINKEL HEATH, Netherlands (AP) — Parachutes glowing gold and white against clear blue skies, hundreds of paratroopers floated to the ground in the eastern Netherlands on Saturday to mark the 75th anniversary of a daring but ultimately unsuccessful mission that Allied commanders hoped would bring a swift end to World War II.

Operation Market Garden dropped nearly 35,000 paratroopers deep behind enemy lines in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. After landing, the troops were to capture and secure key roads and bridges so Allied forces massed in Belgium could pour into Germany's industrial heartland.

Recreating the mass drops of September 1944, military aircraft flew low over Ginkel Heath on Saturday and current military parachutists leaped out. Thousands of spectators watched and applauded the soldiers once they were on the ground.