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

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.