VOLUME 1 covers the mounting of the operation and the crucial first two days of the battle. The story opens with the planning and preparation of the double undertaking — of ‘Market’ by the newly created First Allied Airborne Army in the UK and ‘Garden’ by the British Second Army on the Belgian-Dutch border. The scene then switches to describe the German military situation in the Netherlands on the eve of battle. The massive initial airborne landings of September 17, 1944, are then recounted. The break-out battle by the Guards Armoured Division, spearhead of the ground army, is likewise illustrated with an unprecedented wealth of photographs. The second day of the operation, September 18, sees the Guards reaching the 101st Airborne at Eindhoven, making their first contact with the airborne army.

PART I: OPERATION ­‘MARKET-GARDEN’ The Creation of First Allied Airborne Army • The Planning of Operation ‘Market-Garden’ • The Battle of the Belgian Canals • Second Army prepares for ­Operation ‘Garden’  The German Situation in the Netherlands. PART II: THE FIRST DAY Preliminary Bombing ­Operations • The Pathfinders • The 101st ­Airborne Division • The 82nd Airborne Division • The 1st Airborne Division • The XXX Corps Break-Out • PART III: LOSS OF ­MOMENTUM The 101st Airborne Division takes Eindhoven • The First Link-Up: XXX Corps reaches Eindhoven • 101st Airborne Division: The Second Lift • 82nd Airborne Division: The Second Lift • Bomber Resupply for the ­American Divisions • 1st Airborne Division, ­September 18 (D+1) • Index for Volume 1