Product Description

On the afternoon of 17 September 1944, Lieutenant Joseph Enthammer, a Wehrmacht artillery officer based in Arnhem, gazed up to the clear skies, hardly believing what he saw. White 'snowflakes' appeared to hang in the air. 'That cannot be' he thought. 'It never snows in September! They must be parachutists!' They were. He was witnessing the first wave of the British parachute assault on Arnhem. The war had reached the Reich. The blow moreover had come as a total surprise. The Allies had expected operation Market-Garden to bring the collapse of the Wehrmacht in the West and shorten World War 2. But the Germans resolved to fight. This ground-breaking military study uniquely chronicles this period of the war through the eyes of the ordinary German soldier and analyses the reasons for the eventual outcome. A major work of military history, this new paperback edition is certain to stimulate renewed debate about one of the most controversial operations of World War 2.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28431 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

About the Author
Robert Kershaw joined the Parachute Regiment in 1972 after graduating in History at Reading University, reaching the rank of Colonel. In between Regimental service he attended the Fuhrungsakademie - the German Staff College - at Hamburg and later spent a number of years with NATO and the Bundeswehr. He has seen active service during a number of tours of Northern Ireland, with the US VII Corps during the Gulf War and in Bosnia.

Customer Reviews

The German Viewpoint
This is probably the best account of the German side of Operation Market Garden in English. The author, a British Parachute regiment officer, used German sources while he was based in Germany to find out what happened from the other side of the hill. It is a fascinating account and dispels some of the myths about the battle, especially the controversy over whether there were really two full panzer divisions in the area when the Operation took place. He uses German ration returns and maintenance reports to show what was there for definite and uses his military knowledge to fill in the few gaps with reasonable guesses. In all he paints a different picture to the popular histories.

If you are seriously interested in Market Garden then you must buy this book, it is an invaluable resource.

Blows away the Arnhem myths
An absolute must for informing yourself about this famous battle. Kershaw was a British Army officer stationed in West Germany, charged with tactically assessing the German ability to reform and resist an overwhelming allied airborne attack on the strategically vital Rhine bridges.

The lessons for such a battle in 1980s NATO planning are obvious, and Kershaw's is a spellbinding account which is detailed but never dry. The German ability to improvise units and fight with great determination so very quickly gave the lightly armed airborne units a sever mauling.

Also chilling is the description of the Dutch SS units who fought hard as their cause seemed at its very nadir...

Outstanding military history which seems to confirm Max Hasting's findings in 'Overlord' about some allied unit's hesitance and lack of drive: who wants to be the last 'Citizen Soldier' to die to liberate Europe?

Paperback edition
I bought this book 18 months ago and was really pleased of the content either written(I use it for reference with my WW2 forums) or the numerous pictures and maps/recon pictures by allied planes.These documents really helped the reader to go through this fantastic book.
While in a library yesterday,I've noticed Mr Kershaw's book was now available in paperback edition.I have nothing against paperback.Same content ,cheaper price so why not?
Well unfortunately while I was flicking through I've noticed most of the pictures and maps are missing.
It's a shame really and I would recommend the hardback edition for this reason only.
My 3 stars rating is not for the content but for the laziness of the publisher.