Arnhem is 457 pages long. Beevor organized the 28 chapters by date and major battle area starting with chapter seven. The first six chapters covered the planning for Operation Market Garden. The last three chapters detailed what occurred once the allied combatants left the Arnhem area. Arnhem also included fifty-one images and detailed maps. The other elements I found to be useful were the glossary, map legends, and table of military ranks.
The level of research for this book is inspiring. The book is packed with both footnotes and endnotes. I found the thorough index to be quite beneficial as I used it to cross-reference events through the book.
I felt that the book was well balanced between what Germans, allied forces, and civilians were doing and thinking at each step of the operation. While a lot of the information was similar to what Ryan wrote in his book, there were enough small details to make Arnhem worth reading. Beevor shared more behind the scenes information such as what British soldiers were thinking and doing when they were captured.
The part of the book that was both new and fascinating was what happened to the Dutch after the British abandoned the Arnhem area. Beevor detailed the horrors of war. The Germans were so offended that the Dutch were excited about a possible liberation, the Germans created a humanitarian crisis. They evacuated Arnhem and surrounding areas. They put 120,000 Dutch on the streets as refugees. The Germans then destroyed, looted, and burned the city of Arnhem.
Because the exiled Dutch government encouraged and supported a railroad strike, the Germans retaliated by blocking food shipments to the western portion of the Netherlands. This is known as the Hunger Winter resulting in 22,000 additional deaths.
After reading this book, the book reinforces my belief that this was an ill-planned operation to satisfy one general’s ego. Many men were lost because they did not initiate airborne operations from the continent rather than from England. The weather over England was different than Holland and delayed reinforcing on-ground elements. The drop zones were too far from the objectives. Additionally, the single road that the armor elements had to navigate was a disaster in the making. Beevor also pointed out that the Dutch resistance and intelligence were not used. Finally, the Dutch in their eagerness to be liberated delayed their liberation.
It is important to learn from our history. As I read the last chapters, I could not help but think about the humanitarian crisis on the United States’ southern border. After reading Arnhem, I could easily see how hard it would be to fight an armed force. The Germans quickly executed anyone who offered resistance. In the end, 120,000 people were displaced. Are similar things happening in this area of the world? Are we responding correctly?
If you like World War II history, you will enjoy reading Arnhem.
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