Operation Market Garden focussed on Walcheren Island?

September 1944: WI Operation Market Garden ignored the "bridge too far" at Arnhem?
Instead, British paratroopers focused on clearing German defenders from Walcheren Island ... defending the approaches to the port of Antwerp?
 
Before Market Garden Monty considered using the airborne troops against Walcheren, but Brereton rejected this, asserting that the terrain was very unsuitable and the flak sure to be intense.
 
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September 1944: WI Operation Market Garden ignored the "bridge too far" at Arnhem?
Instead, British paratroopers focused on clearing German defenders from Walcheren Island ... defending the approaches to the port of Antwerp?

The point of MARKET-GARDEN was to enable the leading elements of 21st Army Group to get across the Neder Rijn and around the Westwall for immediate decisive movement into Germany. That requires taking the Arnhem bridge; if won't even be attempted, there's no point to the Nijmegen and Eindhoven drops.

Attacking Walcheren (and South Beveland) is clearing up bypassed forces because they interfere with logistical buildup for later operations. Which is tantamount to accepting that the current offensive is spent and no immediate further advances are possible, much less a decisive move into Germany. At that time, SHAEF was still looking for big opportunities, not for consolidation.
 
Split the difference? The paratroopers were chomping at the bit for some action so give them a slightly earlier operation that drops them around Woensdrecht at the base of the peninsula and on South Beveland west of the canal. They dig in, also sending some troops to take North Beveland, and wait for the heavy units to come up from Antwerp to reinforce them. That would be roughly two weeks before our timeline's Operation Market Garden started so it would cost you say a week or two delay, compensated for by facing much fewer troops from van Zangen's 15th Army that were evacuated from the Breskens pocket when you launch it.
 
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