Arnhem 1944: Operation Market Garden (Praeger Illustrated Military History) [Hardcover]

Stephen Badsey (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 027598284X | ISBN-13: 978-0275982843 | Publication Date: February 2004 | Edition: 1

"Market Garden" was one of the most audacious, and controversial, operations of World War II. If Montgomery's plan - described in this book - had succeeded, the war could have been ended in 1944. But the attack failed disastrously and British paratroopers were cut off for nine days. Of the 10,000 men involved, less than 2000 came out. The author looks at the combatants closely, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, and explains the difefrent phases of the battle.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Highly visual guides to history's greatest conflicts, detailing the command strategies, tactics, and experiences of the opposing forces throughout each campaign, and concluding with a guide to the battlefields today. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Stephen Badsey is a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst who is highly respected in his field. He has written about subjects as diverse as Hitler, war correspondents in the Crimea and modern fighter aircraft. His expert knowledge and passion for his subject are clearly demonstrated in this fascinating look at the failed attack at Arnhem. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers; 1 edition (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 027598284X
• ISBN-13: 978-0275982843
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,837,977 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid, concise account of the battle. Excellent graphics., August 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Arnhem 1944: Operation 'Market Garden' (Campaign) (Paperback)

This is a brief but vivid and concise account of "Market Garden," better known as "A Bridge Too Far" or better perhaps "Too Far From The Bridge." A good primer for larger studies. The graphics are a highlight: detailed topological maps in color of the Arnhem Bridge area, Oosterbeek and Nijmegen including troop dispositions to the level of streets and houses; detailed colored sketches of uniformed Allied paratroopers and of German and Allied tanks involved in the battle.

27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than "A Bridge too Far", August 13, 2000

By 

Sam Damon Jr. (Fort Bragg, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arnhem 1944: Operation 'Market Garden' (Campaign) (Paperback)

This might be "heresy" but the point of history is to learn something; this book does something that all the many other books on Arnhem fail to do; it arrives at the truth. Most other books bitterly complain about how the British 3-D Airborne forces were dropped too far from the bridge, or how if provided better transportation means like light armored fighting vehicles (my view) and folding bikes, or if the 2-D forces had been more vigorous they could have linked up, gotten to the Rhine River bridge and the battle would have been "won". But this book sets the record straight.

When a portion of the British Airborne marched towards Arnhem, they could have taken the ferry but did not (not in their orders)and went past the railroad bridge that was blown up. Had they had better "situational awareness" they could have taken and kept the ferry. But this book goes a step further---so what?

The point of penetrating into Arnhem was to get across the Rhine river and run wild in the German industrial regions and smash war machinery and deprive the enemy with the means to continue fighting. But to do a "Sherman march" like this, these areas had to be undefended. That opportunity simply was not there. The Germans had compressed their lines of supply/communication and were defending in depth. So if we had kept the bridge or the ferry across the Rhine, we would have only been stopped on the other side by the Germans. THAT----is what is not understood by most people especially after seeing the superb but not quite accurate film, "A Bridge too Far" by Cornelius Ryan. Those that label Operation Market-Garden as a "failure" fail themselves to realize that what it sought--a collapse of the enemy from the inside---was not possible against a nation on a desperate total war footing, so such negative labeling is unjustified.

I'm all in favor of Airborne units receiving light AFVs in order to effect off-set DZ insertions, if there was a "time machine" I'd go back and have Hamilcar gliders deliver Bren gun APCs and Locust M22/Tetrarch light tanks that existed at the time. I'd have some of Gavin's 82d Airborne drop directly onto the south of Arnhem bridge to support the British 1st Airborne driving across from the north in the Bren gun carriers/Locust/Tetrarch light tanks. I'd had Patton temporarily in charge of the 2-D dash up to Arnhem bridge. He'd have better, medium-sived tanks and aPCs that could swim themselves across and not need bridges in the first place. But at the end of the day, we'd be stopped on the far side of the bridge or the river bank by the Germans, a 50 mile penetration, definately worth doing, but a STRATEGIC AIM of driving unhindered into Germany to collapse their infrastructure was not possible at that time. This book explains this like no other work, and places it in a must-read category--if you don't read it you simply will not understand the battle and will be subject to the cliches' and labeling. When you understand this, you will remove your disappointment in the leaders at that time for not pursuing further. The truth is XXX Corps could have punched its way through to Arnhem bridge but the Commanders knew that there was no strategic vaccum behind it to exploit that would justify the human costs. A lot of hard fighting stood ahead of the Allies at this point.

Airborne!

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read with A Bridge too Far, August 19, 2005

By 

Hoke (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Arnhem 1944: Operation 'Market Garden' (Campaign) (Paperback)

I used this book and the movie A Bridge Too Far to prepare for a staff ride (military field trip) on very short notice. Our guide a retired Colonel, military writer, and WWII expert actually asked the Brigade Commander why a lowly Specialist knew more about this battle than any of his staff officers.

This book give you the nuts and bolts of the planning and execution of Operation Market Garden. It is an excellent companion to the movie A Bridge Too Far which does an astounding job of portraying the operation on screen.

Operation Market Garden was Montey's grand assault into Arnhem, Holland (The Netherlands). It was a grand Ground and Airborne campaign that was only trumped by its massive failure. After reading this book and studying a little bit about the overall operation you will come to understand how ineffective airborne troops are as a main offensive weapon.

Another lesson to be learned from this assault by both military leaders and business leaders is that all the planning in the world can not make a bad idea work.