Book Review: A Bridge Too Far

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Book Review: A Bridge Too Far
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Many, many years ago, I watched the movie A Bridge Too Far. Just the other night, I watched the movie again. This time, I have more understanding of the battle after reading the Band of Brothers series and reading Cornelius Ryan’s book that inspired the movie, A Bridge Too Far. Ryan’s book helped to fill in a number of answers I had while watching the movie.


During the 50th anniversary of Operation Market-Garden, my wife and I stood along Hell’s Highway watching vehicle after vehicle drive by. Each of these WWII vehicles carried soldiers who fought in this famous battle. We watched in admiration and awe for four hours of bumper to bumper traffic. It gave us a glimpse of the traffic jam that occurred during the operation.

Since that time, I have toured different parts of the battlefield as I traveled throughout Holland. Each time, I gain a better appreciation of what transpired. I am confident that the next time I visit this battlefield I will be able to get my bearings. There are now specific places that I want to see, places that Ryan describes.

A Bridge Too Far is 492 pages long and full of detail. He spent seven years writing the book and interviewed hundreds of participants in the battle from military to civilians and even underground resisters. He interviewed Dutch, Polish, German, English, and Americans.

Operation Market-Garden

Ryan has broken A Bridge Too Far down into five parts: Retreat, Plan, the Attack, the Siege, and Der Hexenhessel.

The overall plan was to make a push from Belgium into Holland to Arnhem by seizing and securing a series of bridges. This was a 64-mile trek into enemy occupied territory along a narrow roadway. Airborne operations would jump in and seize the bridges and a ground attack would move in mass to secure the final objective. A number of obstacles slowed the progress to failure.

Retreat

A Bridge Too Far began by looking at the chaos in the German ranks during July and August. German soldiers were rapidly leaving Holland in retreat. Hitler sent Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt to the area to reestablish order. Rundstedt requested additional forces because he expected an Allied attack to occur. There was a belief that Patton would lead an attack in the Saarland. However, Montgomery wanted a push on the Ruhr valley.

During this time, there was a slowing of Allied operations due to logistics issues. The Allies needed to open the harbors at Antwerp. This allowed for a build-up by both forces. A key change during this time was Panzer Divisions were sent to Arnhem for rest and relaxation as well as a refit. This had a serious impact on the battle.

Planning

The plan was put together in great haste. One thing was certain, virtually everyone was uncomfortable with the plan. Both the airborne and ground forces did not like the distance to travel and the time to do it in. For the English paratroopers, the 1st Airborne Division, they had dropzones far from their objective. For both the 1st Airborne Division and the 82nd Airborne Division, they only landed on one side of the bridges they were responsible for. Ideally, one would want to take both sides of the bridge at the same time.

Attack

The attack began on Sunday, 17 September 1944. For the most part, the initial airborne drops landed near their dropzones or on them. Serious problems occurred because the divisions did not land in full strength or with all their equipment. The forces were all outgunned. The Germans had artillery and the Allied artillery had not yet broken through. Because of inadequate communications, the forces on the ground could not effectively direct support aircraft. The Allies also faced other problems. The ground units could not quickly punch a hole through the German lines. Being restricted to a single road meant they were targets like an arcade game. Through miscommunications, the bridge at Nijmegen was not seized on the first day.

Siege

One of the most gripping parts of the book focused on the siege at the Arnhem bridgehead. The 1st Airborne Division was successful in capturing the northern bridgehead but only with a fraction of the force dropped in. Part of the division had to also secure the dropzones for the second-day drop. Both forces were quickly surrounded. For nine days, these units were under relentless withering fire. As their strength decreased, the German strength increased. The Germans were pouring reinforcements into the battle.

After delay after delay, the Polish troops finally entered the battle. But because the Germans had gotten their hands on the Operation Market-Garden plans, the dropzone turned into a killing field.

Der Hexenhessel

The 82nd Airborne had finally seized the Nijmegen bridge and a path to Arnhem was available. The problem was that the Germans had built up strength in the area and the path was not suitable for tank operations, the Allies had to find a way around. They clawed and scratched for every mile. In the end, they were not quick enough and the soldiers at the Arnhem bridgehead had to surrender. The rest of the 1st Airborne Division troops, less the wound, escaped across the river.

Sunk Cost Fallacy

As everyone is well aware, Operation Market-Garden was a failure in terms of securing the bridges in Arnhem and 17,000 casualties. I believe after reading the book that the failure was based on the “sunk cost fallacy. Emotions led the decision making rather than the data.

Egos and External Pressure

Based on what I have read, egos and external pressure dictated the plan. Montgomery exerted pressure to be the lead dog. There was also pressure exerted to get the airborne units involved in the fight.

Information

There was a considerable amount of information available indicating that the Germans were in the area in force. The Dutch underground continuously passed information regarding troop strength and identity. However, it was decided that the Dutch underground was compromised and they should not be trusted. Instead of facing infantile and aged soldiers, the English paratroopers faced crack SS Panzer Divisions.

Timeline

When the Allied forces dropped into Normandy, they spent six months planning the operation. Operation Market-Garden was a larger operation, yet, the planning phase was only a long week. They believed they could benefit from the planning from canceled missions. However, each mission is different and should be planned accordingly.

Equipment

A couple of the major issues of the battle related to equipment, primarily, lack of supplies. There were not enough planes available to drop all needed men and equipment on the same day and time. The subsequent drops were scheduled to occur over the next two days. Weather hampered the drops and caused further delays. Weather prevented needed reinforcements. Additionally, much of the supplies landed in German hands. Another issue, one that has plagued armies since the beginning of time, has been communications. The English paratroopers were out of communications with everyone for much of the battle. Apparently, the radios issued did not have the right crystals and there was not enough time to test them before the attack.

Dutch

I have to also throw the Dutch in as an obstacle to success. The Dutch love to party. Having been an occupied nation for years would have been frustrating. The Dutch came out in mass at the first sign of a potential liberator. As a result, they blocked forces from reaching their objectives. Nonetheless, the English and Americans loved hanging out with the Dutch. I am just saying that liberation could have come quicker if the Dutch waited for the “all clear sign first.

I found Ryan’s account of Operation Market-Garden to be a thorough depiction of this famous battle. It was a powerful story with many lessons. One cannot help but admire the tenacity of those involved in this fight. If you get a chance and enjoy WWII history, I recommend you read A Bridge Too Far.

Additional Reading

This image is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. – www.archives.gov / https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/photos/images/ww2-109.jpg

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