Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #258609 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Synopsis
In the second of his two Battleground guides to the epic struggle put up by the British and Polish paratroopers at Arnhem, Frank Steer concentrates on the battle in the town itself and particularly for the vital bridge. Seized at a comparatively early stage, the bridge became the focus for prolonged and vicious fighting. Cut off from further reinforcement by the furious Germans, the small garrison, led by the redoubtable Colonel John Frost, waged an increasingly desperate struggle for survival against overwhelming odds, hoping against hope that 30 Corps would arrive in time. As is well known they did not. The fact that this battle was lost and the bold aims of Market Garden were not fully achieved in no way diminished the extent of the achievement of the Paras. Indeed it has added to their glory.

Customer Reviews

So much more than a tour guide
With the 60th Anniversary rapidly advancing and the increased possibility of people taken time out to visit the battleground then I would highly recommend this book. Frank Steer, who I believe runs an excellent tour of this famous battle ground, mixes history and tour guide in perfect balance. The history narrative is well informed and breezy while the guide part is well illustrated.

The book gives so much more though than just an account of a battle and the location of the relevant monument or museum. It looks at who, what, why, when and where. It goes into details about the background to the battle, the plan, the men and the equipment used.

As the title suggests this guide concentrates mainly on the battle too and at the Arnhem bridge and paints, at times great detail, a vivid picture of what happened, when and where. There is a "sister book" to this which in the same manner covers the battle at the Landing Ground and Oosterbeek, I would recommend buying both and get the complete picture of this heroic struggle.

A great guide to a great battle
Market Garden the Bridge Arnhem Frank Steer

I have never read a duff Battleground book by Leo Cooper Pen & Sword Ltd. They are short and concise this one being only 144 pages. It covers the bridge and is intended to be an overview of events and be a guide to those who want to visit the area.

It covers the battle fought between 17th and 26th September 1944. I learnt that Arnhem can be got to from Calais in four hours. I would not of thought of driving and would have taken the ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland.

In the aftermath John Frost and the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment came out of it as a hero as he got to the bridge and held it and of course the bridge is now named after him. It is always interesting as to who history reckons got it wrong. Neither Urquhart nor Browning received any more promotion so they were the scapegoats along with the Polish general. there were too many problems.

It is easy with the benefit of hindsight to see what went wrong and the armchair generals have loads of opinions.It starts with a history of a parachute troops and previous drops. It is split into airborne forces development, Oosterbeek to the edge of Arnhem, the battles by the hospital, the bridge and the aftermath. Even though I have seen a Bridge too Far a few times some of it is fictionalised and made more dramatic and you do not realise the significance of certain events and particularly the holdups of the 2nd Army and the crossing of the Waal by the US Rangers. If all these events had succeeded the result might have been different. The Allies came within a few miles of relieving the bridge but eventually had to withdraw across the Rhine.

This is a great guide with plenty of photos both then and now and anecdotes of the action from the participants.

The saddest and most moving part of the book is in the ending when they say the most poignant moment is each Sunday near September 17th some 1000 Dutch children enter cover off a grave or two graves each and at a word from a Dutch pastor bend and silently lay a bunch of flowers on each grave. A commitment of eternal thanks to the men who come from the sky to try and liberate their country and who now lie at peace in its soil. It is hard to avoid tears.

An excellent book and I will be using it when I go to Arnhem in the near future.