A Bridge Too Far (Coronet Books)

by Cornelius Ryan

Paperback, 1994

Status

Available

Call number

940.54

Genres

Publication

Teach Yourself (1994), Paperback

Description

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)

User reviews

LibraryThing member SeriousGrace

Like The Longest Day before it, A Bridge Too Far reads like a novel at times. It isn't a dry regurgitation of names, dates, places and statistics. Like The Longest Day the reader gets to know key players in a personal, almost intimate manner. They become more than names of historical significance.

The violent battles become real with the ugly sights and sounds of war. This is largely in part due to Ryan's first hand interviews with witnesses: the veterans and townspeople alike; anyone right in the thick of the action. What sets Ryan's books apart is that he was given exclusive access to documents that others had only heard about. The confirms and clarifies the history books.
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.

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LibraryThing member jcbrunner

Having watched the movie version countless times. I deferred reading the book for far too long. It is a great reading experience about a campaign doomed from the start. The Allies, overwhelmed by their successful breakout from Normandy, failed to develop their logistics to sustain their operations.

Instead of liberating the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, the Allies dreamed of a Rhine crossing, which as the book title implies was "a bridge too far" and a step too soon. The Allied command had these shiny unused airborne divisions, it wanted to use. Use them, even abuse them, they did. The British Airborne division charged with capturing and holding the Arnhem bridge paid the hardest for their leader's sloppy planning and lack of curiosity. The main point of failure, however, did not concern the airborne operations but the nonchalant way the extremely difficult lateral movement of the ground forces over a single exposed road was treated. No leeway or plan B existed, setting the operation up for failure. The reeling Germans gladly exploited the Allied mistake which wrecked the airborne divisions and postponed the liberation of the Netherlands until the war was nearly over.

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.

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LibraryThing member delta351

I thought this book was magnificent. I was originally thrown off by the details of the civilians involved in the battle. Just wanted the military action. After a while, i began to like it a bit more. Mr Ryan does a good job covering the campaign from the squad level to theater level, and I really

like the stories of the common soldier.

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LibraryThing member Wprecht

This is the classic account of the battle for Arnhem and should be the starting point for any study of that period. This is a well written and easily accessable account of the battle. It is a bit pro-British, but you would expect that from a UK author who was a war corespondent during the

war.

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.

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LibraryThing member meegeekai

Great book, I believe better then the Longest Day. Read about 10 years ago, but bought this copy to read again. Ryan takes his lumps from a lot of historians, but he was the first WW2 historian to break out, as it were. By the way, the movie is really good, again better then Longest Day.

LibraryThing member Abhishek23

A war has so much to teach, if only you are willing to learn.

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

injured not counting the several thousands who were taken POW. Although casualties were on both sides it was the allied group who suffered a major dent in their morals.

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.

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LibraryThing member DrBrewhaha

This book details the attempted war-ending operation immediately following the landings at Normandy. The operation was known as Market (the airborne piece) Garden (the land and air-support piece) and was both larger and more costly than Normandy. The operation was to basically move north through

Holland, cross the Rhine at Arnhem, and enter the highly productive Ruhr Valley in Germany thus crippling the Reich. The problem with crossing Holland was that many, many bridges which crosses various rivers and canals had to be taken in tact so that the ground troops could reinforce the paratroopers. The belief was that the German forces were weak throughout Holland and would offer little resistance. However, this was only one of many miscalculations made by Montgomery et al. In short, the operation failed to achieve it's ultimate goal of providing the Allies with a highway into Germany.

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.

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LibraryThing member Chris.Graham

This book will open your eyes to the reality, horror and tragedy of war (and conflicts of any kind).

Read it and weep for the souls who died, but especially weep for those who did not.

LibraryThing member Karlstar

This is one of the best history books I have ever read. It covers in extensive, interesting detail and precision Operation Market-Garden, the massive armor and paratroop attack in Holland in 1944. The operation was an ambitious attempt to bypass the German front lines and swing around the Siegfried

line in 2 days. The book details the events before the attack, the plans for the attack, and the results. Over 400 people were interviewed for the book as well as extensive research. It is thorough, comprehensive and well written. As it was written in 1974, the author had the great advantage of being able to personally interview many of the principals who survived. It was interesting to read and did a great job.

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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend

A taut, well written piece of military history that does spend part of its time dealing with the civilian cost of the fighting. It is justly included on many lists of war popularization.
Like many military defeats, the battle was 75% successful.

LibraryThing member LibraryCin

This is about Project Market Garden, a battle during WWII in Holland where the Allies were meant to capture some bridges. It didn’t happen.

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

D-Day). I am blaming this on the audio. I think it’s tough subject matter for audio, anyway, so I probably shouldn’t have tried it in this format, but I did. Unfortunately, I found the narrator very monotone, so to be honest, I just missed the majority of what was going on. It didn’t hold my attention, so I wasn’t paying attention. I do not like rating this so low, but given how much of it I “missed”, I just can’t give it a higher rating.

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LibraryThing member scottcholstad

A true classic. Love the movie too.

LibraryThing member bowlees

Well-received account of the attempt to force entry into Germany in 1944. Allied airborne forces landed Holland, making for the Rhine bridges. The British Airborne effort was shattered by counter-attacking German forces, forcing them to retreat from the bridge at Arnhem. Tragic and heroic, the

battle of Arnhem has become a touchstone for the British Army.

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LibraryThing member jcvogan1

A tremendous book. Wonderful movement between the big picture and the personal details. The details of personal experiences in war are worth reading again and again.

LibraryThing member zot79

This is the rugged, true and tragic history of Operation: Marketgarden. Mr. Ryan does a grand job of introducing us to the men involved in this operation, from the generals down to the cooks. The only trouble is that this is the largest operation of World War II and there are just too darn many of

them to keep straight. So you just have to slog forward (somewhat like they did) and trust in the author. With that in mind, you are treated to the grand sweep of the plan, the infeasibility of key parts of it and the personal cost and valor involved in attempting it. Good maps and photos, too.

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