Operation Market Garden Framed Photograph - Signed by Wild Bill Guarnere

• Additional Details
• Ages: 8 and up
• Dimensions: 13" L x 16" W x 1" H
• Weight: 3 lbs

Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in World War II on September 17-25, 1944. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time. The objective of Operation Market Garden was to secure bridges across the rivers in Holland so that the Allied army could advance rapidly northwards and turn right into the lowlands of Germany, hereby skirting around the Siegfried line, the German defense line. If all carried out as planned it should have ended the war by Christmas 1944.

The 101st Airborne, including William “Wild Bill” Guarnere, was assigned five bridges just north of the German defensive lines northwest of Eindhoven. The parachute drop was in daylight resulting in well targeted and controlled drops into the designated drop zones. The 101st captured all but one bridge, the one at Son, which was destroyed with explosives by the German defenders as the airborne units approached the bridge.

This photograph is personally signed by William “Wild Bill” Guarnere, a member of the Band of Brothers, Easy Company in the 101st Airborne. One of the things that helped Guarnere during Operation Market Garden was his parachute training. In December 1942, each man in the 101st had to make five qualifying jumps in order to receive the coveted Jump wings. Guarnere succeeded and was now officially a Paratrooper, which was the proudest moment of his young life, and remains one of the crowning achievements in his entire life.

Certificate of Authenticity included