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Summary: Triumph and Tragedy in Holland
Review: A Bridge Too Far, Cornelius Ryan's third and final World War II epic, is a gripping and moving account of the ill-fated attempt by the Allies to vault over the Rhine River and into Germany before Christmas 1944. As in his two previous works, The Longest Day (1959) and The Last Battle (1966), Ryan relies on clear and crisp narrative, painstaking research, and hundreds of anecdotes from Allied, Dutch and German participants.As the Germans retreated from France and Belgium in the late summer of 1944, the victorious Allies found themselves in a dilemma created by their own success. With most of the Channel ports either still in German hands or damaged too extensively to be of any use, the American, British, and Canadian armies outran their supply lines. Gas, fuel, and munitions had to be driven from the Normandy beaches to the front line, which in some places was 400 miles distant. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, desperately needed to capture the Belgian port of Antwerp, Europe's largest. Another serious problem facing the Allies was British General (later Field Marshal) Bernard L. Montgomery. Montgomery - or Monty, as he was known to the public - was Britain's most popular general as a result of his victory over German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel at El Alamein. Because Montgomery was considered a master of the "set-piece battle," Eisenhower had appointed him as the chief ground commander of the Allied forces for the duration of the Normandy campaign, with the understanding that Ike would then assume direct command on September 1, 1944. Despite the mixed performance of Montgomery in Normandy (his British-Canadian forces had taken Caen - a D-Day objective - only after a month's worth of battles), the British general was reluctant to give up the ground forces command. Although a brilliant officer, Monty was also aloof and arrogant...and ambitious. He did not seem to understand that the Americans were fast becoming the predominant force in Western Europe, while Britain had reached the limit of her available manpower. He insisted - with the support of some of his superiors in Whitehall - that he be given command of all Allied ground forces, something that was militarily and politically unacceptable to the other partners of the coalition. Montgomery also proposed a decisive "full-blooded thrust" to cross the Rhine River and take the Ruhr valley, Germany's industrial heartland. He proposed that Eisenhower give him command of forty divisions (pointedly excluding his American rival, Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. and his Third Army) to achieve this. Eisenhower refused. But on Sept. 4, 1944, the British Second Army captured the port city of Antwerp. Soon after that, German V-2 rockets launched from Nazi-occupied Holland fell on London. This gave Montgomery a chance to propose a contingency plan that might, just might, lead to a bridgehead over the Rhine - and even into Germany itself. Thus Operation Market-Garden was conceived. Market-Garden was to be what is known as a combined-arms vertical envelopment. Market, the airborne element, involved the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, the British 1st Airborne Division, and the Polish 1st Airborne Brigade. They were to be dropped - in history's largest airborne operation - in daylight onto a series of drop and landing zones near a series of bridges which linked a single highway from Eindhoven in the south to Arnhem on the Lower Rhine. Garden, the ground element, consisted of British Gen. Brian Horrocks' XXX Corps, a powerful armored force which was expected to make the 64-mile drive to Arnhem in two days. Ironically, this admittedly daring plan was the brainchild of one of the Allies' most cautious generals. Ryan's book - later adapted by William Goldman into a screenplay for a not-too-popular movie version - describes the chain of events and tragic errors that culminated in Market-Garden's ultimate failure. A Bridge Too Far is full of episodes of skill and bravery on all fronts, but also exposes the failures of intelligence and tactical mistakes on both sides. Even 29 years after it was first published, this book remains one of the most moving and fascinating accounts about a mostly forgotten battle.
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Summary: Engrossing and well written!
Review: I enjoyed this book a great deal. It details the events surrounding Operation Market Garden, a fierce Western Theatre WWII battle. It was a daring plan and not without great risk. The idea: to drop a huge number of British & American paratroopers and supplies throughout Holland along the river to capture and secure bridges for the remaining ground forces waiting in France to eventually cross over into Germany. Ultimately, numerous casualities were to be had on both sides. There were some surpirses (as many in Holland thought that the German army had been whipped and the war was going to come to a quick finish). Allied forces were surprised as well when the scattered German army regrouped to meet them at the border to prevent them from conquering their Fatherland. If you like war stories you will find this book to be well written and completely engrossing. Mr Ryan was one of the inspirations behind those great WWII books written by Steven Ambrose. If you like his work you should read this book as well. I give it a solid four stars.
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Summary: Ryan's Masterwork
Review: 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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Summary: Beware of Montgomery and his ilk
Review: 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 ?
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Summary: Best Account of Market Garden
Review: 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".
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Summary: Monty's big gamble comes up craps at a high cost
Review: 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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Summary: Magnificent,devastating chronicle on Arnhem campaign
Review: 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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Summary: Indeed a Bridge Too Far
Review: A very well documented book. The best and worst of man, courage and tragidy. I would feel guilty when I put the book down because I was leaving those men in that situation until the next time I could read it. Very well done.
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Summary: Being there
Review: Ryan's account of Operation Market Garden actually makes you feel you are there. The sounds , smells and reality of battle are present in every page. I have gained respect for both sides in the conflict as Ryan has described there courage and resourcefulness in a non bais review of the operation. Being a British National now living in the area the book has opened up an historical significance of the courage , defeat , and victory , experienced by both sides including the Dutch people who played an important role. This is a must for any Allied Airbourne or Waffen SS enthusiasts.
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Summary: Fantastic
Review: This is a superb piece of work. The amount of time the author must have put into the research is nothing short of amazing. I think the best way to describe the operation was stated by Ryan himself. Operation Market Garden was a second world war Gollipoli. This is the second book I have read of his and I highly recommend this and all books by Cornelius Ryan
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