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Title: Arnhem 1944: Operation 'Market Garden' (Campaign, No 24) by Stephen Badsey, David G. Chandler ISBN: 1-85532-302-8 Publisher: Osprey Pub Co Pub. Date: May, 1993 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Misses the Point
Comment: Arnhem 1944: Operation 'Market Garden' (Campaign, No 24) by Stephen Badsey is a better than adequate description of the nuts and bolts of Operation Market Garden. The maps are informative and the prose do give one a better than basic knowledge of the military movements and counter movements. If one is simply looking for a narrative of troop movements then this is an excellent book.
Where the book fails is in the discussion of the multitude of errors that went into the planning and excution of the Operation. It was a campaign that was begun as much as a result of Montgomery's desire to be the one to win the war and not be bested by the Americans and Patton, as by military necessity. Once began, the British ignored the advise of the local resistance, utilized tactics that played into the strength of the Nazi resisters, and were too ambitious. This is not to mention the intelligence failures that convinced the Allies that they would be facing second rate worn out units.
All in all, Market Garden is a case study of what should not be done. Not only did it lead to the needless deaths, but it took vital resources away from the Patton's Third Army where they could have been put to better use and resulted in ending the war sooner.
Rating: 5
Summary: Cogent, Balanced and illuminating
Comment: This book is a fine suppliment to the Movie version of the operation. With the excellent maps, which are included, it clarifies the entire campaign. It should be reviewed in concert with the film. Many details are included which are available to the British author and which tend to explain the action and outcome. It is enjoyab;e reading and quite informative to someone who has not delved deeply into the details of the operation.
Recommended for all who have a perepheral interest in the subject, as well as one who is already quite knowlegeble of it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Better than "A Bridge too Far"
Comment: This might be "heresy" but the point of history is to learn something; this book does something that all the many other books on Arnhem fail to do; it arrives at the truth. Most other books bitterly complain about how the British 3-D Airborne forces were dropped too far from the bridge, or how if provided better transportation means like light armored fighting vehicles (my view) and folding bikes, or if the 2-D forces had been more vigorous they could have linked up, gotten to the Rhine River bridge and the battle would have been "won". But this book sets the record straight.
When a portion of the British Airborne marched towards Arnhem, they could have taken the ferry but did not (not in their orders)and went past the railroad bridge that was blown up. Had they had better "situational awareness" they could have taken and kept the ferry. But this book goes a step further---so what?
The point of penetrating into Arnhem was to get across the Rhine river and run wild in the German industrial regions and smash war machinery and deprive the enemy with the means to continue fighting. But to do a "Sherman march" like this, these areas had to be undefended. That opportunity simply was not there. The Germans had compressed their lines of supply/communication and were defending in depth. So if we had kept the bridge or the ferry across the Rhine, we would have only been stopped on the other side by the Germans. THAT----is what is not understood by most people especially after seeing the superb but not quite accurate film, "A Bridge too Far" by Cornelius Ryan. Those that label Operation Market-Garden as a "failure" fail themselves to realize that what it sought--a collapse of the enemy from the inside---was not possible against a nation on a desperate total war footing, so such negative labeling is unjustified.
I'm all in favor of Airborne units receiving light AFVs in order to effect off-set DZ insertions, if there was a "time machine" I'd go back and have Hamilcar gliders deliver Bren gun APCs and Locust M22/Tetrarch light tanks that existed at the time. I'd have some of Gavin's 82d Airborne drop directly onto the south of Arnhem bridge to support the British 1st Airborne driving across from the north in the Bren gun carriers/Locust/Tetrarch light tanks. I'd had Patton temporarily in charge of the 2-D dash up to Arnhem bridge. He'd have better, medium-sived tanks and aPCs that could swim themselves across and not need bridges in the first place. But at the end of the day, we'd be stopped on the far side of the bridge or the river bank by the Germans, a 50 mile penetration, definately worth doing, but a STRATEGIC AIM of driving unhindered into Germany to collapse their infrastructure was not possible at that time. This book explains this like no other work, and places it in a must-read category--if you don't read it you simply will not understand the battle and will be subject to the cliches' and labeling. When you understand this, you will remove your disappointment in the leaders at that time for not pursuing further. The truth is XXX Corps could have punched its way through to Arnhem bridge but the Commanders knew that there was no strategic vaccum behind it to exploit that would justify the human costs. A lot of hard fighting stood ahead of the Allies at this point.
Airborne!
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Title: Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble in the West (Campaign Series, No. 5) by James R. Arnold ISBN: 0850459591 Publisher: Osprey Pub Co Pub. Date: September, 1998 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Bagration 1944: The Destruction of Army Group Centre (Osprey Campaign Series, No 42) by Steven J. Zaloga ISBN: 1855324784 Publisher: Osprey Pub Co Pub. Date: January, 1996 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: The Rhineland 1945: The Last Killing Ground in the West (Campaign Series, 74) by Ken Ford ISBN: 1855329999 Publisher: Osprey Pub Co Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Kursk 1943: Tide Turns in the East (Osprey Military Campaign Series, No 16) by Mark Healy ISBN: 1855322110 Publisher: Osprey Pub Co Pub. Date: May, 1993 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: Lorraine 1944 : Patton Vs Manteuffel (Campaign Series, 75) by Stephen J. Zaloga, Tony Bryan, Steven J. Zaloga, Lee Johnson ISBN: 1841760897 Publisher: Osprey Pub Co Pub. Date: August, 2000 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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