Books in Brief: A Bridge Too Far

A Bridge Too Far, by Cornelius Ryan (Simon & Schuster, 670 pp., illus., $12.50). September 1944. The Allied drive against Hitler’s Western Wall is bogged down for want of supplies that lag behind the breakout at Normandy. Intelligence forecasts an imminent Nazi collapse. A single strategic thrust might do the job. Patton’s Third Army seems the likely choice. Yet Eisenhower reluctantly gambles upon a bizarre operation proposed by the cautious Montgomery. “Market-Garden” will penetrate 75 miles into occupied Holland with a surprise airborne drop of three and a half Allied divisions. Objective: the seizure of five river crossings to be used within 48 hours by the British Second Army’s armored dash through a narrow corridor to Arnhem and the Rhine. Once across, Monty’s force will flank the Siegfried Line, invade the Ruhr, and spearhead the race for Berlin. The fate of the largest airborne operation of the war depends upon precision and luck. Both are lacking. British paratroops are dropped at Arnhem amidst two Panzer divisions. British tanks are delayed. Allied air support is limited by weather, but the Germans are not. Montgomery’s masterstroke becomes a grim matter of survival. The toll exceeds 17,000. Ryan’s compelling account makes for uncomfortable reading, and it should be a required text for staff officers.

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Alan Miller

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A Bridge Too Far, by Cornelius Ryan (Simon & Schuster, 670 pp., illus., $12.50). September 1944. The Allied drive against Hitler’s Western Wall is bogged down for want of supplies that lag behind the breakout at Normandy. Intelligence forecasts an imminent Nazi collapse. A single strategic thrust might do the job. Patton’s Third Army seems the likely choice. Yet Eisenhower reluctantly gambles upon a bizarre operation proposed by the cautious Montgomery. “Market-Garden” will penetrate 75 miles into occupied Holland with a surprise airborne drop of three and a half Allied divisions. Objective: the seizure of five river crossings to be used within 48 hours by the British Second Army’s armored dash through a narrow corridor to Arnhem and the Rhine. Once across, Monty’s force will flank the Siegfried Line, invade the Ruhr, and spearhead the race for Berlin. The fate of the largest airborne operation of the war depends upon precision and luck. Both are lacking. British paratroops are dropped at Arnhem amidst two Panzer divisions. British tanks are delayed. Allied air support is limited by weather, but the Germans are not. Montgomery’s masterstroke becomes a grim matter of survival. The toll exceeds 17,000. Ryan’s compelling account makes for uncomfortable reading, and it should be a required text for staff officers.