Product Description

An insightful and gripping account of the largest airborne operation in history.

In September 1944, the river Rhine was a serious barrier to the advancing Allied armies in the West who were intent on charging Berlin and ending the war. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery decided to utilise the First Allied Airborne Army consisting of British, American and Polish troops. Codenamed Operation Market Garden, 40,000 paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines while ground forces linked to relieve them. But, due to bad weather and German resistance, the operation failed. In March 1945, asecond attempt was planned: Operation Varsity Plunder. This time the plan worked. Despite extremely heavy fighting, they cracked the German line.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35873 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review

'Among the thousands of books devoted to Second World War history only a small minority can claim to appeal to a wide audience. But through Lloyd Clark's narrative skill, ARNHEM is surely one of them'

'Well stocked with dramatic personal accounts and much military detail'

'This is an insightful and gripping account of what is widely considered the greatest airborne battle in history'

About the Author

Senior Lecturer at the Dept of War Studies, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Lloyd Clark is one of the UK's leading military historians. He has written several books, has lectured all over the world, is a frequent guide to battlefields on four continents and has worked extensively on radio and TV as both historical adviser and interviewee.

Customer Reviews

Superb Account
I bought this book having read the excellent review in the Daily Telegraph and was not disappointed. I have read several books about Arnhem, but none have the readability of this one. Yes, I know all about 'A Bridge Too Far', but it's outdated and not a little confusing in places. This book by Clark blends the latest scholarship with the thrill of a great story briliantly told. It is not, it should be said, just about Arnhem (although that battle takes up half of the book) but is about British and American airborne warfare more generally. It includes an excellent chapter on the selection, training and character of airborne troops, and ends with three chapters on the Rhine Crossing in March 1945 which involved two airborne divisions. This, therefore, is a book for those intersted in the Second World War, those fascinated by 1944-45 in Europe and those who devour anything about the airborne method. To top it all off, it is so well written that you just drink it down. The main characters are wonderfully described, you really get to understand the soldier in action and the battle scenes just leap off the page. I'm not a historian, but it looks to me that all of this is backed by an incredible amount of research and lots of interviews. In summary, a great book. Buy it and you won't be disappointed.

A fresh perspective on a well documented campaign
Like the previous reviewer, I enjoyed this work immensely and it made more compelling reading than the other work I read at the same time, 'A Magnificent Disaster' (sorry, harsh but fair).

I would recommend this book to anyone with a serious or passing interest in the two Operations covered.

Pros:

- Great maps and excellent pictures, some being quite new to publication

- Great coverage of Operation Plunder Varsity, if a little short

- Fresh perspective on command decisions and the Commanders

- Liked the focus on Arnhem but the linkages through to other elements of the Operation worked very well

- Found the author to be very balanced and objective rather than just taking one side or the other, as is the case with many other books on this topic.

Cons:

- Would have liked a bit more coverage of Op Plunder Varsity !

Overall an excellent read and one definitely for the book collection of anyone interester in WW2 military history.

An excellent page turner..
This is simply a superb book. It is pacey and full of brutal, gritty reality of the violence of war and especially the struggle of Operation Market Garden. It has motivated me to continue to read and research more on this vital phase of WWII - read this book, you will not be disappointed.