In 1943, he was promoted to commanding general of the 2nd Parachute Corps, which he led in the west on the invasion front and later at Cleves and in the Klever Reichswald.

His unit participated in the Battle of Nijmegen during Operation Market Garden (September 1944), but was halted on the Groesbeek Heights by dug-in American paratroopers, and thus unable to stop the Allies from taking the city and the strategically important bridges across the river Waal.

Meindl immediately advised High Command that the bridgehead ought to be evacuated but was unable to secure Hitler's agreement to this until the evening of 9 March.

In the intervening four days Meindl had already organized the evacuation of the bridgehead and was therefore able to bring away the remains of seven divisions and two panzer units with most of their equipment; in his words, "all that would float came back again".

Oberst Nicolaus von Below, Hitler's Luftwaffe adjutant, had sent a teleprinter message to the commanding general of the Fallschirmarmee Generaloberst Kurt Student, requesting a statement for this nomination.

This list, which was intended to be presented to Karl Dönitz, contained twelve names of pending nominations which had been submitted via the chain of command.