Review
Operation Market-Garden was Field-Marshal Montgomery's plan to end the war by Christmas 1944. On September 17, 1944 three Allied airborne divisions descended on Holland to seize strategic river crossings. By land, the 2nd British Army launched an armored thrust to link up with each airborne unit. Arnhem Bridge, 64 miles deep into Nazi occupied territory, was assigned to the 1st British Airborne Division. German defense was fierce everywhere, but what waited for the British paratroopers were two of Hitler's elite SS Panzer Divisions, refitting in the Arnhem area (and which were undetected by British Intelligence). Montgomery estimated the 1st Airborne would fight alone for two days until relieved. But in fact, the British held out for nine days of bitter fighting against tanks and mechanized infantry -- with poor radio communications, short of supplies and ammunition, and no fighter-bomber support -- only to retreat in the end, because the XXX Corps failed to reach Arnhem. Of the 10,000 officers and men that landed near Arnhem, 2,300 returned to friendly lines, and 6,000 became prisoners of war. Arnhem: Britain's Infamous Airborne Assault Of WW II, is the story of these gallant paratroopers who went a bridge too far and proved themselves to be the toughest soldiers in the British Army. Arnhem is a necessary acquisition for all military studies collections and no World War II European theatre reference shelf can be considered complete without it. -- Midwest Book Review
