17th Airborne Division (United States) Standish on 12 August 1944 before departing Boston Port of Embarkation on 20 August 1944. The 17th Airborne Division arrived in the United Kingdom on 26 August. Once in Britain the division was attached to U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps, under Major General Matthew Ridgway, which commanded all American airborne formations, and which in turn became part of the First Allied Airborne Army when it was formed on 21 August, under the command of Lieutenant General Lewis H. Brereton. Although attached to XVIII Airborne Corps, the division was not chosen to participate in Operation Market Garden, a large-scale airborne operation intended
1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) Infantry Division, the US 101st Airborne Division, and the 1st Polish Parachute Brigade landing at Rambouillet St Arnoult, to close the gap between Orléans and Paris. Operation "Axehead", using the same force, was to seize the bridges over the River Seine in support of 21st Army Group. Operation "Boxer", with the same force, was to seize Boulogne and assault V1 flying bomb sites. Near the end of the month, Operation "Linnet", with the same units as before, was formulated to seize crossings over the Escaut. Operation "Infatuate", drawn up in early September, involved the entire I Airborne Corps landing in