The Battle of Arnhem

July 15, 2018
A critical study of the last major German victory of World War II, one occasioned by a spectacular failure on the part of the Allies.The story of Operation Market Garden, a paratroop-led campaign to seize bridges on the Rhine River between the Netherlands and Germany, has been often told, notably by former war correspondent Cornelius Ryan in his bestselling 1974 book A Bridge Too Far. Beevor (Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge, 2015, etc.), though well-accomplished as a historian of WWII in Europe, doesn't quite have Ryan's storytelling chops, but he spins some fine anecdotally driven stories along with the rather drier recitations of battle order and generals' memoirs. One story, told at just the right level of detail, is how German and British soldiers, at a temporary standstill before the massive Wehrmacht counterattack, came to accommodations about not firing on each other while drawing supplies, causing one officer to marvel, "what a wonderful nation we are for standing in queues." The author adds that German rations, by all accounts, were pretty nasty, all horsemeat sausages and harder than hardtack. As such, American paratroopers stranded behind the lines had to forage, living for a time off turnips. This isn't a history of wartime food, though; instead, Beevor's greatest contribution is in laying out an unmistakably clear chain of responsibility for an Allied failure that gave Germany breathing room for many months to come. At heart, that responsibility falls on a British and American leadership that could never quite mesh--and, when Dwight Eisenhower, even though outranked by a star, took command over his counterpart Bernard Montgomery, the British field marshal pretty well ignored orders and did as he wished. "General Eisenhower, until the very end of his life, could not get over the way Montgomery was never able to admit that he had been responsible for anything going wrong," writes Beevor--though Montgomery's failure cost thousands of lives.A vivid, deeply researched history of an episode that proved the shortfalls inherent in coalition campaigns, to say nothing of raging martial egos.

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Starred review from August 6, 2018
This is destined to be a World War II military history classic. Historian Beevor (Ardennes 1944) draws on archives, memoirs and existing scholarship to produce a top-notch WWII battle history of the Market Garden Operation, giving equal emphasis to the American airborne landings, the XXX Corps armored attack, and the British 1st Airborne Division battle for the Arnhem bridge. Excel-
lent maps make the action easy to follow, and the author’s clear, quick prose makes for fascinating, informative reading. Beevor seamlessly transitions from the soldier perspective in the trenches to the perspective of the generals commanding in their headquarters, and balances the points of view of all the participants, including the Germans and Dutch civilians. He does not shy from the controversy surrounding this bold but ultimately unsuccessful allied offensive operation; why the operation failed and who was responsible are some of the central questions of the book. Though he breaks little new ground, Beevor clarifies the consensus argument that the operation’s failure was due to fundamental flaws in planning and puts forth well-supported opinions. Beevor’s superb latest offering, in keeping with his established record of excellence, is a must-read for the general military history enthusiast and the WWII history expert. Agent: Robin Straus, Robin Straus Agency.

August 1, 2018

Beevor (D-Day: The Battle for Normandy) details how in 1944, with Normandy behind them, the Allies planned to continue the offensive against Germany. British commander Bernard Montgomery, smarting from his replacement by U.S. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower as commander in chief of the land forces, sought a campaign to direct attention back to the north where he was firmly in control. His solution was an aerial assault on the bridges leading to the Lower Rhine, opening access to the Ruhr and evading Germany's Siegfried Line. The campaign was misconceived from the start. No one involved understood the limitations of glider/paratroop combat nor how unsuited the marshy Dutch polders were for a tank advance once the paratroopers had landed. The ensuing nine-day battle (September 17-25) ended in an Allied drawback, leaving Dutch forces defenseless. Montgomery isn't the only general to come off badly in this account but, in the end, neither he nor his subordinates accepted blame for defeat, passing it onto others. VERDICT Casual history readers should expect a steep learning curve. Best suited for military history enthusiasts.--David Keymer, Cleveland

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2018

Internationally best-selling author Beevor claims Samuel Johnson, Pritzker, and Wolfson History honors for his penetrating coverage of World War II, so don't miss his study of Operation Market Garden, in which the American 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions and the British 1st Airborne Division sought to end the war by capturing the bridges leading to the Lower Rhine. Alas, the gambit failed, and the Dutch suffered heavy reprisals after "The Last German Victory," as defending German general Kurt Student called it.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.