Customer Reviews

A Bridge Too Far

5 star:		(72)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I shall assume that everyone reading this review has seen the movie made of this book: with an all-star cast including Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Robert Redford among many others, it's rather hard to miss. I was expecting to find all sorts of inaccuracies in the movie exposed in this book. But while there indeed were a few inaccuracies, the movie is surprisingly true to the book, down to verbatim accounts herein, such as Major Cook (played by Redford in the movie) and his 82nd airborne troopers crossing the Waal to seize the other side of the bridge at Nijmegen with rifles as oars, under heavy Jerry mortar fire, synchronising the rowing to "Hail Mary-full of Grace-Hail Mary-full of Grace."- One might add that it's the only fully successful Allied action one finds here. More importantly, the movie does capture the spirit of the operation as a whole, especially the valiant tenacity of the airborne troops. And, if you thought the movie was too bloody, you will only be convinced that it didn't show the gore and confusion of war as fully as it might have.

Despite some reservations - to which I shall get around in due course - this book is a sorely needed one. Market-Garden is carefully swept under the carpet in both British and American accounts of the war, as is the "hedgerow war" fought after D-Day. In fact, when I first saw the movie (at age 11 or 12), I thought it was some sort of fiction!

As one born and educated in England, I can't help but seeing Monty's fiasco here as an act in what the Brits at the time (Monty and Churchill especially) saw as a tragedy: The crumbling British Empire. Also, there's Monty's peculiar situation. It's very hard to convey to Americans. But Eisenhower understood it, and put it better than I can in a taped interview with Ryan:

" Look, people have told me about his boyhood, and when you have a contest between Eton and Harrow on one side and some of the lesser schools on the other, some of the juniors coming into the army felt sort of inferior. The man, all his life, had been trying to prove that he was somebody."

American readers are likely to have skimmed this section relating to Monty's upbringing. Simply put, he was not - in the rigid class system of the day, and of this day to a lesser extent - what was considered "top-drawer." He had not attended Eton or Harrow or even Winchester (where I attended) but as a junior officer of the Army from the (borderline lower) middle-class who had not been at university at all but had come straight out of Sandhurst - something like Westpoint, without the prestige - he was up against it from the start. By "it" I mean the whole structure of British society. Thus, a second lieutenant with the right pedigree might say something like this to an old school chum, "A brilliant military man, Monty, but not really our sort." Still, I am not a Monty apologist. And Eisenhower was indubitably spot-on in calling Monty a "psychopath" by the time this truly psychopathic operation was concocted.

My reservations about the book concern a bit of dishonest sensationalism in the book - the comparison with Stephen Ambrose made by other reviewers is apt, but at least Ryan carefully documented his sources and didn't plagiarise. For one, the subtitle of the book is absurd -"The Greatest Battle of WWII"- Come now, we have Midway, Stalingrad, Monty's own El Alamein and The Battle of the Bulge to consider. Also, Ryan mentions time and again the greater Allied losses during Market Garden - around 20,000 - than those on D-Day - he's careful to specify "the 24-hour period"- of around 12,000. He casually neglects to mention the 60,000 Allied troops lost in the hedgerow country of Normandy between the establishment of beachheads and the breakout into open countryside.

The most riveting section of Ryan's book is the last, Part Five, "Der Hexenkessel" (The Witches' Cauldron) - which speaks for itself, and I won't harry the reader who has persevered in reading the review thus far with any more of my own words. Instead, these spoken by the almost unbelievably valiant Captain Mackay as he watched the troops withdraw should suffice:

"As I continued to watch I hated everyone. I hated whoever was responsible for this and I hated the army for its indecision and I thought of the waste of life and of a fine division dumped down the drain. And for what?"

One can see why the operation is kept out of the history books.

This book is a powerful and well documented account of Operation Marker Garden. Mr. Ryan gives a vivid desciption and analysis of why Monty's ambitious plan failed. He covers both sides of the story (Allies and Axis) at such great lengths that you almost feel as if you are right in the middle of the action yourself.

The most compelling part of Mr. Ryan's book is his perspective of this disaster from the individual soldier level, both officer and enlisted. The drama that resulted from this opeartion, especially in Arnhem, will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens in the end.

I definitely recommend this book for anyone who has read Mr. Ryan's other books (The Longest Day, The Last Battle), or has an interest in WWII, and airborne operations. The movie that was made based on this book is also a classic.

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".

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!

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.

This book is definitely one of the most unbiased and informative records of this tremendous battle. I have noticed in the other reviews that readers have paralled this piece of writing along with Ambrose. Now, I also like Ambrose, yet I have found there is a definite nationalistic slant to his prose and he can be over critical of the British leadership during the later stages of WW2. Mr. Ryans book, however, presents a fair estimation of Montgomery's failures and also provides an educated reasoning of the relationship between Monty and his peers.

The book also presents excellent historical accounts from every perspective - British, American, German and Dutch. The British paratroopers hold out in Arnhem is an unparalled account of bravery and ranks right up there with the Alamo - Fantastic stuff and a worthy read.

This ranks among the top accounts of any battle of WWII, and certainly is one of Cornelius Ryan's best works. Ranging in scope from the actions of Dutch civilians to SHAEF (The Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force), "A Bridge Too Far" is both a classic work of history and an exciting story of action and suspense on the grandest of stages.
P.S.- Unlike "The Longest Day", Ryan's account of D-Day, this book is not out of date, and is highly accurate.