Magnificent,devastating chronicle on Arnhem campaign

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	• Bridge Too Far Ryan Pocket, 1984 average customer review:based on 69 reviews
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highly recommended

Beware of Montgomery and his ilk

Monty could not have done this alone, surely Winnie the Pooh was not far behind this scheme. Hats off to Ryan who takes few prisoners but more of an explicit insinuation is in order.
By the way, what happened to the 20 million Russians on the way to Berlin ? Anybody interested ? What happened to 5 million Ukrainians slaughtered in 1943-44 ? Well let's leave it to their writers, if they're lucky they might be translated into English, then again, it's been such a long time, no ?

Magnificent,devastating chronicle on Arnhem campaign

Ryan's brilliantly recapitulates the the biggest airborne operation in the history of war[Operation Market Garden].Unfortunately for the Allies the operation ended in a fiasco.With that Montgomery's bold plan of ending war in Europe by 1944 lay in ruins.Reasons for this costly debacle still continues to be debated by historians.I am inclined to the view that Market Garden failed due to conceit ,arrogance of Allied planners.It should be noted various intelligence inputs[reconnaissance photos,reports from Dutch resistance,Ultra decrypts]indicating the presence of crack, battle-hardened German IInd SS panzer corps in Arnhem area was either pooh-pooed or ignored by Allied planners.Bulk of British Ist airborne division which managed to land west of Arnhem were pinned down by SS armour.Only 2nd battalion under Col John Frost managed to reach northern end of Arnhem bridge.They continued to hold out repelling fierce German attacks.The proposed link-up with Gen Brian Horrocks XXXth corps ,advancing from the Belgian-Dutch border,failed due to stubborn defence conducted by German Army Group B under Von Model.After heavy fighting Germans managed to break the resistance of Frost's gallant battalion.To conclude scores of soldiers, due to faulty planning ,were needlessly sacrificed.And it shows how cruel war can be.The ordeal of Dutch civilians caught in the cross-fire has been highlighted by the author.The book is made more interesting by author's emphasis on individual soldier's experience of combat.The book contains series of good battle maps which helps the reader to comprehend the course of campaign better.Unquestionably this the best book on World War II that I have read.

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Best Account of Market Garden

If you are looking for the best overall story of Operation Market Garden, then this is the book. It is hard to come up with something to say since this book is such a classic of World War 2, even inspiring the all-star movie in the late 70's. I would also recommend Rober Urquhart's "Arnhem" and Donald Burgett's "Screaming Eagle in Holland" to give more field level views of the battle, both of which only strengthen "A Bridge Too Far".

Monty's big gamble comes up craps at a high cost

Like Stephen Ambrose's books, I found Mr. Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far" hard to put down. Ryan has style in the way he weaves a story, especially one as complicated as that of Operation Market Garden. During the first few days of Market and the beginning of Garden the Germans generally believed that the British and Ami's were staging some big rouse - clearly an airborne drop of that size and magnitude could not have been planned by Montgomery, it was too daring, he was known to be (overly) cautious. But it was Monty's baby. It took Monty a lot of maneuvering to convince SHAEF and Eisenhower to make the dash for the Rhine (and Berlin as Monty's true objective). It had panache and daring and if everything that could have gone wrong hadn't it may have just been the end of the war. As it played out it was a huge set back for the Allies, and given the failure to clean up the Germans around Antwerp because troops were diverted to Garden, one could say that Hurtgen and The Bulge were direct fallouts from Market-Garden's failures. Military objectives aside Market-Garden was an amazing testament to the men who fought it, especially those lonely British airborne troops who held out so admirably in Arnhem. Mr. Ryan does their sacrifices justice with this work. A Bridge Too Far is a must read for all serious students of WWII and should be read by anyone interested in great battles.

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Ryan's Masterwork

This was Cornelius Ryan's last work which was published in his lifetime and his best. 'A Bridge Too Far' is the best account of Market-Garden ever written. And, just like his prior two works, 'The Longest Day' and 'The Last Battle' Ryan takes more of an interest in what happened to the people who experienced the greatest airborne operation of the war and its terrible aftermath.

I always gathered that 'A Bridge Too Far' is a monument to human courage and that Ryan used Market-Garden as his canvas to make his eloquent point.

The book starts of with the little town of Driel (as well as ends there) and we see the drama open and unfold as the Germans, having been routed from Normandy and France altogether, are withdrawing from Holland in chaotic fashion. The Dutch begin to wonder if the Allies are coming. The Germans eventually stabilize their lines in time to receive the landings. When the paratroopers finally land, they are in the fight for their lives as the Germans attack them ceaselessly.

You will read with wonderment at the bravery of the Dutch who aid both liberators and occupiers with humanity, the valor of the troopers of Julian Cook's battalion as they cross the Waal River in rickety boats under heavy German fire, the magnificent stand of John Frost's battalion at Arnhem Bridge, the steadfast determination of Roy Urquhart's Red Devils, the dedication of the troops of Bittrich's II Panzer Korps in protecting what they believed was the direst threat to their homes.

I can't praise this book highly enough. It completes an epic trilogy Mr. Ryan started with the Longest Day. It's tragic, but never weepy, it never engages in 'could have, should have' discussions, but let's the story do the talking (a sign of first rate reporting).

This is the finest monument of Market-Garden we are ever likely to have.

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