History /
The heroic jump of the 1st Polish Independent Paratrooper Brigade [81]
they were actually ordered to return to base
Interesting read Harry, but I can find no information about such order in the link you've pasted. Tried to look elsewhere through google and couldn't find anything about retreat orders ignored by Poles.
They were dropped in a particularly hot region and were ordered to cross the river Rhine which under the circumstances at hand proved really hard or nearly impossible as the link you've posted suggests.
Were you talking about this ( as the supposed not following orders to retreat ):
Major-General Sosabowski had surveyed the scene prior to the British arrival, and he correctly believed that, although the German strength was considerable on the far bank, it was mostly concentrated in the immediate area occupied by the 1st Airborne. He therefore proposed a major crossing, involving the whole of the...
or this
Major-General Thomas had a plan of his own. He proposed that one of his own units, the 4th Battalion The Dorsetshire Regiment, should cross directly opposite the high ground of the Westerbouwing Restaurant at the south-western end of the Oosterbeek Perimeter; an area that was now firmly under German control.
or this
The 1st Polish Parachute Brigade Group had performed as well as circumstances had allowed them in Operation Market Garden, but in its aftermath the British commanders conspired to make them a scapegoat for the failure. Montgomery wrote to the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, reporting "Polish Para Brigade fought...
Anyways, all at all it seems the whole market garden operation was badly planned. I can't see anything "heroic" about the jump of Polish paratroopers, they did the jump and were pretty much pinned down through the whole battle beside loosing soldiers while crossing the river and parashooting down into the drop point. I'm kind of sad because of Sosabowski who I think was a good soldier and a good general and got treated like that after coming back to his country when for instance American generals got all the glamour and admiration.
I've also found this link:
rememberseptember44.com/rs44.htm
it has got pretty interesting maps of the operation, unit movements and so on.
