A Drop Too Many [Hardcover]

John Frost (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1994

At Arnhem, the British 2nd Parachute Regiment held the north end of the key road bridge over the Rhine not for 24 hours for which it was equipped, but for 3 days and 4 nights. Commanded by the author, they beat off repeated armored and infantry assaults by far greater numbers, until forced out of the ruined and burning positions by losses, lack of ammunition, and the failure of the whole Arnhem operation.

Their sacrifice stands as one of the most heroic defenses of all time. General Frost's story is, in effect, that of the battalion. His tale starts with the Iraq Levies and goes on the major airborne operations in which he took part Bruneval, Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, Arnhem and continues with his experiences as a prisoner and the reconstruction of the battalion after the German surrender. Though written with modesty and humor, the book is shot through with the fire and determination of the fighting solider, and throws important new light on many controversies, not only those of Arnhem. This book is a major contribution to the literature of the last war.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

10 b/w photos --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

John D. Frost remained in the British Army after the war, rising to the rank of major general. He died in 1993. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 271 pages
• Publisher: Combined Books (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850523915
• ISBN-13: 978-0850523911
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,937,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, March 11, 2000

By 

Todd (Hartsville, SC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Drop Too Many (Hardcover)

I hope others interested in World War II history will stumble upon this book like I did.

Although brief, A Drop Too Many tells the exploits of Lt-Col. John Frost during World War II. Frost describes how he became one of the first company commanders of the 1st Airborne Division, Britains first parachute unit.

He describes, with crisp British precision, about actions in Tunisia, Sicily and France and most importantly his regiment's tragic role in Operation Market Garden. It is here that the book shines, and where Frost's name (as well as the 1st Airborne) will live on forever.

A Drop Too Many is an excellent companion to Cornelius Ryan's A Bridge Too Far. I recommend reading Ryan's work first, before A Drop Too Far. This will give unfamiliar readers a view of the "big picture."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Of the Airborne Warriors, February 15, 2011

By 

K. Schneider (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Drop Too Many: A Paratrooper at Arnhem (Stackpole Military History Series) (Paperback)

I have always "loved" first person accounts. MG John D Frost has done that and more. It is written with a very great understanding of what combat is like and how a man in charge reacts.

MG Frost fought in almost every major comabt theather in WW2. It is an excellent read and should be read by any one intrested in military history. And those in the "Airborne" world should read it for it's first person account of real airborne commander

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written but misses mark, November 29, 2009

By 

Jon R. Dalmas "RandyD" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Drop Too Many: A Paratrooper at Arnhem (Stackpole Military History Series) (Paperback)

A very well written book, but not really the book I expected. John Frost uses more than half the book to describe previous actions, such as his mission to capture a German radar set in France. It's a very good account of the first uses of British paratroopers, and some of the failures. Frost goes into good detail, thoroughly documenting his experience. However, it misses the immediacy that many memiors have of those in combat. Many times Frost spent his time directing battles rather than fighting them. The worse part is that Frost spends little time on the reason I bought the book, which was Operation Market-Garden and the Battle of Arnhem. I expected more time spent on that battle, so to me the book was a little disappointing. For those interested in reading personal accounts about Market-Garden after reading A Bridge Too Far, I would highly recommend Geoffrey Powell's "Men at Arnhem" or Donald Burgett's "The Road To Arnhem". Both are excellent accounts that I would rank about this one.