Suche books:   





IT NEVER SNOWS IN SEPTEMBER: The German View of Market Garden and the Battle of Arnhem September 1944
Robert Kershaw

Ian Allan Publishing, 2005 - 364 pages

average customer review:based on 18 reviews
view larger image
 for more information click here

   highly recommended  highly recommended





it never snows in septemberexcellent

excellent view of the WWII market garden campaign from the german side of the battle. it provides a whole new perpective of this battle not covered in other books or publications.




Eine Brücke auch weit

While Robert Kershaw's "It Never Snows in September" doesn't read like C. Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far", it is a wonderful complement and serious study. Kershaw's book details the Battle for Arnhem and associated actions of the Allies Operation Market-Garden from the German perspective. As such this book is in many way the mirror image of Ryan's book, told from the Allied side of the fence. Where "A Bridge Too Far" is wonderful literature on its own right, independent of its value as a historical work, "It Never Snows" is a more difficult read from a pure reading pleasure standpoint but is a WONDERFUL historical treatise. Kershaw uses both historical documents and first hand accounts from interviews of surviving German soldiers to weave an intricate story of the German's surprise to Market and subsequent response to Market and Garden that ultimately stop dead the push Monty thought could go all the way to the Ruhr and beyond to Berlin. While there are no real surprises in terms of the battle perspectives themselves the vantage point provided from looking back at the Allies rather than the traditional way (we Americans) look out at the Axis armies is very refreshing. Another aspect of "It Never Snows" that makes it a really nice piece of work is its thorough documentation of the 2nd SS Panzer Corps' role that was critical to the German blunting of Market-Garden. "It Never Snows" is possible one of the most thorough studies of the 2nd SS (aside from Michael Reynold's "Sons of the Reich") out there that is also enjoyable to read.

Certainly "It Never Snows In September" is not written a la Ryan or Ambrose - so if you need your history slick and stylish this is probably not for you - but it is readable and fun to read. Kershaw is a military man by training not a writer like Ryan or Ambrose and given that fact "It Never Snows" is actually a quite good read. It's not simple a dry treatise of facts, there is heart and sole. If you want to know more about Market-Garden and the Battle of Arnhem, and want to have fun learning about it, I suggest combining "A Bridge Too Far" and "It Never Snows in September" as a tag-team. These two books alone will give you your fix and them some. "It Never Snows" is currently out of print and getting a copy will cost you (unless you can find one in a library somewhere) but it's worth every cent!!!


 for more information click here









 for more information click here


An excellent history...

For anyone interested in a comprehensive understanding of how the Market Garden campaign was fought by the German forces, this book is essential. It provides a thorough analysis of the units that fought the battle, their individual strengths and compositions, in addition to the roles they played in the actions at Arnhem, Nijmegen, and other sectors of fighting.
Kershaw's book is concise and objective. He clearly illustrates the actions fought, and draws sound conclusions on how and why German successes were achieved, as well as failiures. It is one of the best chronicles of battle at the Kampfgruppe level that this reader has encountered.
Numerous personal recollections are drawn upon, enlivening the academic recital of operational details. It is also supported by a generous selection of maps and photos that complement the text.
Detailed and very readable at the same time, it must rank among the foremost works on the battle for the crucial bridges targeted in Market Garden.


 for more information click here






The one book on Market Garden you must have

Blow by Blow , Maps, Orbats,comentary by those that where there.
After reading this book I felt at first as if I had lost a Family Member.
It shows the British Airbourne to be a Fragile Human thing torn to bits frame by frame in front of my eyes , tear filled I was unable to close them. My own myths where shatered ,they were mere human beings not the gods I had always admired.I went the standard route Denile (nazi propaganda)Anger (so many brave young men and a Division gone)In the End I came to realise that in truth The first Airbourne stood higer shined all the Brighter for that very Fragility. The German reactions should be seen as one of the greatest acts of command and controll ever excersised on a modern Battlefield. Stop reading this and buy the book.....


 for more information click here


Fantastic Presentation of the German Viewpoint

The difficulty with reading Ryan's "A Bridge to Far" or Middlebrook's "Arnhem" (both excellent books) is you don't get the full sense of what's happening on the other side. It wouldn't matter so much in histories of many other battles, but Operation Market-Garden was notable for its confusion. As a result, the understanding of the whole story particularily benefits from the German viewpoint.

Kershaw takes a logical method of breaking the battle down into pieces, and has added new insights to each section of the battle. Some parts are slightly sketchier than others, but I suppose that's due to the lack of available information. The book also has several series of photographs, though Kershaw takes the somewhat annoying tack of describing each photograph in the text as well -- one picture is worth a thousand words. Lastly, the author disputes the theory that the British 1st Airborne would have held the Arnhem bridge if they had landed closer to it.


 for more information click here


reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4



On the afternoon of 17 September 1944 Lieutenant Enthammer, a Wehrmacht artillery officer based in Arnhem, gazed up at the clear skies, hardly believing what he saw. White 'snowflakes' appeared to hang in the air. 'That cannot be,' he thought. 'It never snows in September! They must be parachutists!' They were. He was witnessing the first wave of the British parachute assault on Arnhem. The war was approaching the Reich. The blow, moreover, had come as a complete surprise. The Allies expected Operation Market Garden, of which the assault at Arnhem was the last link in a chain that stretched far to the south, to bring the collapse of the Wehrmacht in the west and shorten the war. But the Germans, however, had other ideas and resolved to fight, bringing days of some of the most bitter fighting on the campaign after the initial onslaught in June 1944. Based on extensive research, It Never Snows in September uniquely chronicles that struggle through the eyes of the German soldier and analyses the reasons for the eventual outcome. This major history - widely praised when first published in hardback - is now available in paperback for the first time in response to popular demand as the 60th anniversary of the battle approaches.


 for more information click here



hot or not?    What's your opinion?     Write a review and share your thoughts!



recommendations

Cool Esoterica that I recommend
WWII Books




september

A Weekend in September
September Idea Book: A Creative Idea Book for the Elementary Teacher
The September Society (Charles Lenox Mysteries)
New York September 11
September



market

Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
October Sky (The Coalwood Series #1)
The Count of Monte Cristo (Tor Classics)
Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, Book 1)



arnhem

Aboriginal Austrailians: Spirit of Arnhem Land
ARNHEM
Arnhem 1944 (Battles & Campaigns)
ARNHEM - THE BRIDGE (Battleground Europe Market Garden)
Art from the Land: Dialogues With the Kluge-Ruhe Collection of ...



search for books
it never snows, arnhem, battle, garden, german, market, never, september


Impressum / about us


Suche books: