The fighting north of the Rhine in September had forced the 1st British Airborne division to withdraw, leaving several thousand men behind. Several hundred of these were able to evade capture and go into hiding with the assistance of the Dutch Resistance. Initially the men hoped to be able to wait for the British 2nd Army to resume its advance and thus rescue them, but when it became clear that the Allies would not cross the Rhine that year the men decided to escape back to Allied territory. The first escape operation (Pegasus I) was a success, but a second operation (Pegasus II) was compromised and failed. Despite this, the Resistance continued to help the evaders and many more men were able to escape in small groups over the winter.