BRIDGE TOO FAR : THE CLASSIC HISTORY OF THE GREATEST AIRBORNE BATTLE OF WORLD WAR II

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Summary: great history with tactical insights
Review: read this book and you'll be an expert in operation market garden having had the opportunity to follow the birth (and death!) of this operation from the very beginning to the end. Well writen and very accurate. A must for WWII history enthusiasts!

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Summary: Operation Market-Garden was a failure from the word go
Review: General Harold Browning called the Battle of Arnhem, code-named Operation Market-Garden, "A bridge too far." He was right. The Germans knew more about it than the Dutch resistance. The movie, with Sean Connery as one of Market- Garden's commanders, General Roy Urquhart of the First Airborne Division, said "We were told seven days! We've been here nine!" The Allies made several mistakes. The most glaring, no pun intended, was the decision to drop paratroopers in broad daylight. On D-Day, they were dropped at night. Next, there was the mistake of not alerting the Dutch resistance. The French resistance was alerted by the reading of a poem. German reinforcements were tied up. Third, complacency. The Allies saw the Germans retreating and figured they could march right up the Rhur Valley into Berlin, and announce to the German people. "Here we are! You're free! Take us to your Fuehrer!" It didn't work that way. The Allies were hoping for another Poland. What they got instead, was the Battle of the Bulge three months later. With Operation Market- Garden, the Allies snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

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Summary: Non-fiction to perfection
Review: I can't say enough about Mr Ryan's works - his histories read like fiction - in other words, highly readable, interesting and easy to follow. They hold up well despite their age. The true personal stories are woven into the work beautifully but unlike some "eyewitness" history books, the overall story is not lost. I have read this book several times and have enjoyed it every time.

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Summary: The best non-fiction book I've ever read
Review: A Bridge Too Far is a page-burner. Be forewarned, if you start this book you will have to budget time to finish it. The true story of the biggest Allied blunder in World War II, Ryan's work is is more gripping and readible than any of Clancy's overblown comic books

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Summary: A very comprehensive portrayal of human courage.
Review: This is one of the most comprehensive and detailed history texts that I have ever read. However, the details are secondary to the first hand accounts of the courage and determination of the airborne troops.

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Summary: So in depth you feel as though you are in control!
Review: Unlike many WWII books, "A Bridge Too Far" leads you into the battle. With the number of 1st hand accounts Mr. Ryan found, we are able to actually feel what MANY men were feeling. Also included are actual battle accounts from high ranking Germans (something not easily found)!

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Summary: Ryan's best book.
Review: Illustrative history from the old school. Collect as many 1st hand eye-witness stories as possible. Boil it down from your dream of 1,000 pages, to a more manageble length and you have one of the best historical documents ever written. Ryan tells us how the first modern war was fought. Combined arms warfare, culture clash between the British and their American cousins, Disputes between high officiers it's all here. Triumph, tragedy, disaster, all are covered in this highly readable book

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Summary: This military book reads like a novell. Go see the movie!
Review: This book should not need an introduction. It's about the American and British (and some Polish) Airborne troops, recapturing the most importan bridges in Holland, suffering enormous casualties. The book is a personal favourite because it has a rare photograph of Lt. Col. Ben Vandervoort, 505, 82nd Airborne Division. He is a distant relative of mine! After reading the book you should see the movie. It's awesome!

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Summary: THE GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTNE ABOUT WAR!
Review: This book is the gripping account of World War Two's most tragic battle and thats the story of the Red Devils(British Paratroopers) at Arnhem. This book covers in wonderful detail of the events of Operation Market-Garden. Ryan writes his masterpiece with hundredes of accounts from te soldiers who were accutally there. This book is packed from cover to cover with stories of heroism, courage,and bravery. Like the story of Col. Frosts small band of tough Red Devils who hold Arnhem for four days against two S.S. Panzer Divisions, or the story of the 82nd Airbornes crossing of te Waal river 2 take Nimejan Bridge in daylight. If I could i would give it a 7 star rating!

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Summary: Not totally accurate
Review: Just like in "the Longest Day" in which the 2nd Ranger is erroneously depicted as failing in their mission, Ryan depicts operation Market/Garden as a total failure since they failed to secure the final bridge. As with "The Longest Day", had Ryan fully reserched this subject, Ryan would have discovered that a major objective of the offensive was to open desperately needed port to shorten the allies' line of supply. As a result of this offensive, the allies attacked northward from their positions which were as far east as Nimigen and opened the port of Antwerp in Belgium. This was an important onjective to the overall European war effort.