Product Description

After Normandy, the most spectacular Allied offensive of World War II was Operation Market Garden, which saw three divisions of paratroopers dropped behind German lines, to be joined by massive armoured columns breaking through the front. The ultimate object was to seize a crossing over the Rhine to outflank the heartland of the Third Reich and force a quick end to the war. The Operation utterly failed, of course, as the 1st British Airborne was practically wiped out, the American 82nd and 101st Aiborne Divisions became tied down in vicious combat for months, and the vaunted armoured columns were foiled at every turn by improvisational German defences. In many circles the battle has become known as Hitler's last victory. In this work, many years in the making, Professor Bennett puts forward for the first time a complete, balanced and comprehensive account of the British, American, Polish, Canadian and German actions, as well as the strategic background of the Operation. He shows, for example, that rather than a bridgehead over the Rhine, Montgomery's ultimate aim was to flank the Ruhr industrial area from the north. The book also deals as never before with the key role of all three Corps of British Second Army, not just Horrocks central XXX Corps. For the first time, we learn the dramatic, untold story of how a single company of Canadian engineers achieved the evacuation of 1st Airborne s survivors back across the Rhine when all other efforts had failed. Also revealed is the scandal of how Polish General Sosabowski was humiliated, insulted and dismissed by the mendacious hostility of the British military authorities. And the book shows, too, how the Operation would have failed at the outset but for the brilliant soldiery of the two American airborne divisions who overcame a variety of odds to achieve their objectives. Respectfully nodding to A Bridge Too Far and other excellent works on Market Garden, the author has interviewed survivors, walked the ground, and performed prodigious archival research to increase our understanding of the battle. From the actions of the lowliest soldier to the highest commander, Allied and German, the entire operation is brought to life, with the author s expert analysis unveiling new insights at every step.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80205 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Review
Interesting commentaries... A good read... --Soldier. 11/2008

... the operation is recounted in a highly readable style, with the author s analysis unveiling new insights at every step. --Britain At War Magazine. 11/2008

Customer Reviews

A Real Let Down
I bought this book with great expectations but it delivered little.

Pros :

- interesting perspectives on the 82nd Airborne and 1st Airborne, 43rd Wessex Division lethargy, the significant Canadian Engineers contribution and the betrayal of the Poles.

Cons :

- appalling maps, jumbled photos, inconsistent commentary and analysis, poor prose, and without being too nerdy, calling Major Robert Cain VC of 2nd Battalion South Staffs, Major Robert McCain. Ouch!

Has to be read but it is frustrating. Buy the latest Lloyd Clark piece, Arnhem, its much better,and written with more passion.

A Difficult Read
Whilst there is an interesting breadth to this book in covering aspects of the Market Garden operation not found elsewhere, it is spoiled by poor composition and a clumsy writing style. To follow the complex movements and actions of the various units described should have required a plethora of clear and good quality maps. There are only two in the whole book, printed on such a dark background as to be almost illegible. I found them useless and ended up studying the maps in other books to try to make sense of the unfolding drama. The narrative jumps around, not just from unit and location but in time too, which is both confusing and irritating. The author is a Montgomery-basher and Horrocks the XXX Corps commander also comes in for a few brickbats. However, this prejudice often appears to be more presumptive rather than founded on any evidence. At first I thought the criticisms betrayed an Anglophobe approach but then I realised they were actually political in nature and delivered from a Left wing perspective. This book really deserves only two stars but the third star is to acknowledge that I was glad to read it, even if it was a frustrating and at times tedious exercise. A fascinating account is hidden within the tortured and convoluted text, with more about the actions on the flanks of the XXX Corps advance than in other studies. The fighting around Arnhem also gets some interesting and innovative perspectives, covering many facets ignored or omitted by other writers. The author's final verdict is replete with hindsight and tends to calculate out the hefty chunks of chance ever crucial in warfare. Recommended, with a caveat, only to those brave souls willing to soak up anything on Market Garden. For those wishing to explore the operation for the first time there are better books available; this one may confuse rather than illuminate.