A Bridge Too Far (Paperback)

Veterans of other brutal engagements such as Anzio and Omaha Beach attested that the fighting they experienced in Arnhem, Nijmegen and elsewhere was the most ferocious and sustained they had ever seen. These personal views of the troops merely confirm Ryan's own excellent and harrowing decriptions of the desperate and relentless fighting.

The human cost of the Operation was appalling which, since this was due largely to some really dreadful oversights made by the Allies in the planning of the operation, makes the astronomic casualty rate - and the superhuman courage of the ultimately doomed servicemen - all the more distressing.

Ryan's book is very comprehensive and expertly researched, often exclusively from the very Commanders involved in the Operation (right to the very top!). The story unfolds at pace and Ryan keeps the reader completely abreast of all the events and the situations facing all the hopeless and strewn units (as they happen simultaneously throughout the region) in a masterful way. You can feel the futility and frustration of the besieged units growing with every delay of the armoured column and every German reinforcement. Whilst maintaining this strategic overview of the implications of what was happening on the ground - and what wasn't happening back on the airfields of England and back with XXX Corps - there is room in Ryan's book for every bit of detail.

The passages describing individual skirmishes and assaults are minutely detailed and expertly described, including not only the action but also the bizarre snapshots of images and thoughts, the quirky behaviour and especially the grim humour. If you want to read about Market Garden then 'A Bridge Too Far' is a must. If you're interested in military history or accounts of the courage, resolve and success of fighting men then read this and remember them.

Ryan does an excellent job of setting the stage and goes into great detail as to why Eisenhower and Monty pushed for this particular attack over other options (most notably Patton's thrust at the Saar). He also brings the story alive through his use of 1st person accounts by the people who actually fought the battle. This was a hugely complex military operation, and Ryan presents the story in a very clear way.

I ticked the rating down just a bit for a few reasons. The maps that Ryan provides, while excellent, are too few. For instance, maps that detailed the postions around the Arnhem and Nijemgen bidges are not presented; they would have been a huge help in understanding two of the key battles. Also, maps detailing the drop zones and relative positions of the British and German forces each day would have been most useful. It became a bit difficult to understand what was happening around Arnhem in the final two days of the battle, and maps would have helped.

My other gripe is that Ryan occasionally looses people in the story. For instance, I was a bit unsure what General Browning (The British commander) was up to for most of the battle. Pictures of some of the equipment (like gliders and such) would have also been fun. However, perhaps this would be a bit too Tom Clancyish...

Those minor points aside, the book is excellent. I thought it better presented than "The Longest Day"