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History. Military. Nonfiction. HTML: The classic account of one of the most dramatic battles of World War II A Bridge Too Far is Cornelius Ryan's masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshaled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as many casualties as D-day. In this compelling work of history, Ryan narrates the Allied effort to end the war in Europe in 1944 by dropping the combined airborne forces of the American and British armies behind German lines to capture the crucial bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem. Focusing on a vast cast of characters�??from Dutch civilians to British and American strategists to common soldiers and commanders�??Ryan brings to life one of the most daring and ill-fated operations of the war. A Bridge Too Far superbly recreates the terror, suspense, heroism, and tragedy of this epic operation, which ended in bitter defeat for the Allies… (more)
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A Bridge Too Far details the failed Market-Garden Operation. Their mission was to seize five major bridges in Belgium, France and Germany. Market was the "from air" attack and Garden was the ground portion of the offensive. After many weather related delays the operation lasted from September 17th to the 24th, 1944. This imaginative battle plan was supposed to be the Allied answer to end the war. Only it didn't turn out that way.
As an aside, it's easy to see how Ryan's books all transitioned easily to the big screen.
Born a British subject before Ireland's independence, Ryan spent WWII as a war correspondent. After the war, he settled in the United States and became a citizen. Author of the equally famous "The Longest Day", he died shortly after the completion of this book in 1974, never having a chance to see the film. Ryan's campaign accounts have a bit of a sport reporting flair, showing both sides in a too noble a light. While he does describe some of the hellish aspects of war, he quickly moves on to the boys' accomplishments, underplaying the horrors of war (which makes it perfect for Hollywood). Highly recommended.
Honestly, I read through this in high school and that has been a while. I was reading Kershaw’s book It Never Snows In September when I saw this on the clearance shelf at Books a Million and decided to pick it up for a reread (and also just to have in my library; it is a classic). This copy is a reprint edition released for the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII but it appears be printed directly from the 1974 original.
I promise a more in depth review when I get to reading it again.
This book gives a detailed account of the allies invasion of Holland under the operation 'Market Garden'. Operation 'Market Garden', which was a major debacle on the allied side, costing thousands of soldiers their life and thousands were
It was very disheartening to learn the ordeal which the Dutch citizenry had endured amidst this invasion. The suffering of the soldiers and the sacrifices they made were even more horrendous than the war itself. Even through the suffering, the gallant effort put by the soldiers are very commendable even after this many years of battle.
Cornelius Ryan has done a commendable job in capturing the very essence of the whole operation. The author has done a very meticulous research and hasn't spared any detail in the description of the aftermath of the bloody war.
The author does a great job of telling the story, which invariably includes many names and places, in such a way that the book can be a real page turner. He tells a good story and paints a good picture. Not only does he recount the story of the operation but he brings the book to life by including many personal stories. An excellent read and and excellent addition to anyone's personal library.
Read it and weep for the souls who died, but especially weep for those who did not.
Like many military defeats, the battle was 75% successful.
I feel terrible rating this so low. The only other book I’ve read by this author, I rated 5 stars and have recommended it multiple times (his book on