<Li> 2nd Parachute Brigade </Li> <Ul> <Li> Hasty </Li> <Li> Rugby </Li> <Li> Manna </Li> </Ul> <P> The Battle of Arnhem was a major battle of the Second World War fought in and around the Dutch towns of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17--26 September 1944 . </P> <P> After sweeping through France and Belgium in the summer of 1944, after the Battle of Normandy, the Allies were poised to enter the Netherlands . Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, commanding the Anglo - Canadian 21st Army Group, favoured a single thrust north over the branches of the Lower Rhine River, allowing the British Second Army to bypass the Siegfried Line and attack the Ruhr . To this end, the Allies launched Operation Market Garden on 17 September 1944 . Allied Airborne troops were dropped in the Netherlands to secure key bridges and towns along the Allied axis of advance . Farthest north, the British 1st Airborne Division, supported by men of the Glider Pilot Regiment and the 1st Polish Parachute Brigade, landed at Arnhem to secure bridges across the Nederrijn . Initially expecting a walkover, British XXX Corps planned to reach the British airborne forces in two to three days . </P>

Where did the battle of arnhem take place