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Arnhem (Great Battles)
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Product Description
In September, 1944, in Arnhem, Holland, what was to have been a brilliant battle-a battle meant to hasten an end to the war-instead turned into an epic tragedy. Nine-thousand men of the First British Airborne division parachuted into the countryside, behind German lines, with a mission: to capture and hold the bridge over the Rhine ahead of the advancing British Second Army. But the result was disastrous: the men faced constant bombardment. Nine days later, after some of the fiercest street fighting of the war, only 2,000 of the paratroopers managed to escape to safety.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2030475 in Books
- Published on: 2003-08-28
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 192 pages
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Christopher Hibbert was educated at Radley and Oxford. He served as an infantry officer during the war, was twice wounded and was awarded the Military Cross in 1945. Described by Professor J.H. Plumb as 'a writer of the highest ability', he is, in the words of The Times Educational Supplement 'perhaps the most gifted popular historian we have.' He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and an Hon. D. Litt of Leicester University.
Customer Reviews
Meticulous Research Into British Battle.
"Arnhem" by Christopher Hibbert. Phoenix Paperbacks, New York 1998.
This book was originally written in 1962, which predates the 1974 book, "A Bridge Too Far" by Cornelius Ryan. Ryan's book is about the defeat of the Allies in Operation Market Garden. Hibbert's book is about the defeat of the British at the bridge in Arnhem.
In my opinion, Christopher Hibbert has written a meticulous history from the British point of view, so much so that the author lionizes Field Marshall Montgomery. Later books, including Ryan's, point out the inconsistencies in Montgomery's plans for Operation Market Garden, 1944. The author, Hibbert, however, would almost have you believe that the failure of Market Garden was due to General Eisenhower's decision to spread the logistics around so that General Bradley and General Patton received too many supplies with the result that Montgomery's forces did not receive enough. At least that's what I get from reading the book.
Then, Hibbert mentions but does not give enough emphasis, in my opinion, to some of the mistakes that Montgomery made. For example, on page 45 (paperback), the author mentions that the Dutch resistance reported that there were two SS Panzer Divisions near the proposed drop zone at Arnhem. Further, the major, who was the aerial photograph analyst, was brow-beaten into quiet, so photos showing the Nazi armor were ignored.
Having said all this, bear in mind that this review is not intended to cast any aspersions on the superlative efforts of the British forces. All in all, this book gives you many, many details abut the heroism of the British forces at Arnhem.
Arnhem Lite
While not as wordy as works by Ryan and Middlebrook, this is a great small book that details the battle waged by the heroic 1st Airborne Division.
I would reccomend on that basis alone.
