In 1939, Hotel de Tafelberg was appointed as an emergency hospital for the local population in case of war. When the allied landings took place, the town doctor of Oosterbeek, Gerrit van Manen, made sure that there were enough beds and medical staff at the Tafelberg. However, most of their patients were not civilians from Oosterbeek, but allied soldiers. 

On Monday September 18, Van Maanen was accompanied by two medical officers of the British troops. They set up the Tafelberg as an operating point. During the first 48 hours of their stay, the officers carried out more than 60 operations. On Thursday 21 September, it was no longer possible to operate in the operation rooms. Due to continuous shootings, the ceilings of the rooms collapsed, but there were still plenty of wounded who needed help. In order to be able to operate, stretchers were placed on the billiard tables and served as operating tables. 

On Sunday 24 September, about 1,200 wounded men were inside the perimeter. Chief Medical Officer, Colonel Graeme Warrack, managed to negotiate a short truce with the German troops to evacuate the wounded. For a few hours, it was possible to move the severely wounded soldiers from the Tafelberg and Hotel Schoonoord by jeep and stretcher to the St. Elisabeths Gasthuis and a hospital in Apeldoorn. However, this meant that these wounded soldiers were automatically made prisoners of war. The heavily injured soldiers at the medical posts elsewhere within the perimeter were not allowed to be evacuated. They had to remain there until the end of the battle.