A Bridge Too Far: The Classic History of the Greatest Battle of World War II [Paperback]

Cornelius Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1995

THE CLASSIC ACCOUNT OF ONE OF THE MOST DRAMATIC BATTLES OF WORLD WAR II

A Bridge Too Far is Cornelius Ryan's masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshalled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as many casualties as D-Day.

In this compelling work of history, Ryan narrates the Allied effort to end the war in Europe in 1944 by dropping the combined airborne forces of the American and British armies behind German lines to capture the crucial bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem. Focusing on a vast cast of characters -- from Dutch civilians to British and American strategists to common soldiers and commanders -- Ryan brings to life one of the most daring and ill-fated operations of the war. A Bridge Too Far superbly recreates the terror and suspense, the heroism and tragedy of this epic operation, which ended in bitter defeat for the Allies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Marking the 50th anniversary of events leading up to the end of WWII are these two reissued historical works from the late war correspondent, author of The Longest Day.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Published in 1974 and 1966, respectively, these comprise the second and third legs of Ryan's World War II trilogy begun with 1959's The Longest Day (Classic Returns, 4/15/94). Bridge examines the Allies' failed plan to open a venue into Germany, while The Last Battle profiles the growing tensions among the ranks of both the Allied and the Axis powers toward the conclusion of the European war. LJ's reviewers praised Ryan, finding his analysis "exciting and fast paced" (LJ 8/74) and "the tensions of the period are there on each page" (LJ 3/1/66).
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (May 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684803305
• ISBN-13: 978-0684803302
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (91 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > History > Europe > Netherlands
  • #67 in Books > History > Europe > Western

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb First Person Approach to Operation Market Garden, July 30, 2000

By 

Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Bridge Too Far: The Classic History of the Greatest Battle of World War II (Paperback)

Famed author Cornelius Ryan has a unique and appealing way of telling a story that makes his books quite unique, and this huge best seller is no exception. He lets the disastrous story of the wrong-headed Allied decision to risk an immense day-light paratrooper drop with "thunderclap surprise" (catching the Germans with their proverbial pants down) for the first time in the European campaign unfold as an ill-conceived effort to capture a series of bridges critical to a fast and successful prosecution of the Allied thrust into the heart of Germany.

This tale retelling the Allied miscalculation of potential German resistance and the speed with which they could proceed up the one road needed to support the airdropped forces is a riveting tale. Its total cost in terms of human life and unnecessary destruction is a cautionary lesson for history. Like his other books, this is a story told at every level, but concentrating on the faithful recollections of the actual participants in the action. Thus, the reader is wept into the action as we get a voyeur's view of the moment-to-moment development of the story as it unfolds in all its horrific detail.

There is a cornucopia of information presented here, and Ryan's approach is scrupulously faithful to the facts, all of them, regardless of the source. Therefore, there is a great deal of attention paid to the recollections and experiences of the German armed forces and noncombatants as well as the Allied invaders. Unlike some other efforts on this subject, there is no apparent effort here to color the results and make the Allies more circumspect and less provocative in making and activating their ill-conceived plans. One gets the sense on reading this book that this is the whole story as best Ryan could determine it, and he makes an extraordinary effort to include as much relevant information by way of using both recollection and contextual data to bolster a comprehensive picture of the battles as they unfolded in the air, and then more fatefully on the ground.

Ryan was one of a handful of masterful storytellers and historians who emerged from the Second World War. Like John Toland, William Shirer, and a number of notable others, Ryan illuminated the human stories of war and destruction, and brought these otherwise unbelievable and incomprehensible experiences home to an entire generation of otherwise bewildered citizens. This is one of the best of the efforts, shining the light of truth on a still controversial and provocative Allied action that could have expedited the end of the war, but instead resulted in large scale death and destruction.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monty's big gamble comes up craps at a high cost, December 25, 2001

By 

Mannie Liscum (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Bridge Too Far: The Classic History of the Greatest Battle of World War II (Paperback)

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.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars C. Ryan's WWII Masterpeice, November 30, 2004

By 

Bill Wilson "The Present is History in the Ma... (St. Louis, Mo U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Bridge Too Far: The Classic History of the Greatest Battle of World War II (Paperback)

There is not a more accurate retelling of operation Market-Garden anywhere. This part of the second world war is often overlooked as it lies in the shadow of D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. Cornelius Ryan has magnificent first hand sources telling their part in the Great operation and their personal views on what happened. There are view points of Nazi Tank Officers, British Paratroop colonels, 101st airborne commanders, and the fearless members of the dutch underground. It is neatly written, covering every detail, no matter how small, from background, to planning, to the drop, through the rough streets of Arnhem, down the road with General Horrocks and the Irish Tank guard, the 101st's struggle with the Son bridge, German general Harzer's rushed yet unexpected panzer corps, and all the way to the last bridge; the Bridge too far. It has enough interesting and little known facts to keep the history buffs satisfied, while keeping avid readers on the edge of their seat.