Operation Varsity: The Allied airborne assault across the Rhine

Operation Varsity on 24 March 1945 placed British and American airborne forces east of the Rhine in support of the Allied ground crossing. It was the last major Allied airborne operation of the European war. Its scale is striking, but its significance lies in the close link between the airborne landing and Operation Plunder’s advance across the river.

Why the airborne force landed east of the Rhine

Allied planners wanted to seize ground around Hamminkeln and Wesel, disrupt German artillery and reinforcements, and speed the link-up with ground troops. The U.S. Army’s official history, The Last Offensive, recounts the sequence and the cost of the attack. The landing zones were placed near the crossing rather than deep behind the lines, reflecting the need to relieve airborne troops quickly.

The landing and the German response

The British 6th Airborne and U.S. 17th Airborne Divisions landed by parachute and glider in daylight. German anti-aircraft fire and ground resistance inflicted serious losses, while some troops and equipment landed away from intended zones. Nevertheless, the airborne forces seized key objectives and joined the advancing ground formations. The large airlift was a logistical achievement and a reminder that an airborne landing remains vulnerable during descent and assembly.

Military assessment

Varsity was successful in its immediate support of the crossing, but historians have debated whether its gains justified the casualties and the number of aircraft committed so late in the war. A fair assessment must compare what airborne troops secured with what ground forces might have achieved alone under the same conditions. The operation shows the value of precise timing, local air superiority and rapid relief, alongside the persistent danger of putting lightly equipped troops into defended terrain.