Operation Deadstick 1944, but was delayed and then cancelled. The plans were adapted, and became Operation Market Garden. This operation would involve three airborne divisions, however the "coup-de-main" assault plans were not carried out. Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, of the Royal Air Force, praised the pilots involved saying the operation included the "most outstanding flying achievements of the war". Of the 181 men (139 infantry, 30 engineers and 12 pilots) of 'D' Company involved in the capture of the bridges, two were killed and an additional fourteen wounded. The 7th Battalion's losses during the defence of the bridges amounted to 18
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