Thanks to the movie 'A Bridge Too Far', most military enthusiasts are aware of the Operation 'Market Garden', the effort to gain a bridgehead across the northern Rhine in the late summer of 1944. Surprisingly, the movie is quite accurate in most respects, but as always, there was more going on behind the scenes that one often gets in a film.

I think that most will agree that 'Market Garden' was an ill conceived, ill planned and poorly carried out operation that was basically intended to massage the ego of Bernard Montgomery, the man who thought up the idea and then left it to others to work out the details. All in an extremely short time. When one adds in the unwillingness of the British to heed warnings and proof of a greater German concentration of units than originally thought or hoped, then the outcome was pretty much pre-ordained.

Author David Bennet has gone to great lengths to provide an in-depth look at this operation and provide a total story of Operation Market Garden. The book does not just cover the British XXX corps but the other British and American units, along with the thoughts of their commanders on the entire operation. The author has interviewed as many survivors as he could, has visited the sites of battle and dug through the archives of both sides to get as much information as possible.

The result is a superbly written book on one of the greater Allied disasters of a the war. An operation that should have never been planned, never put into motion and did little more than waste Allied manpower and resources that could have been put to better use. For example, at this same time, Patton's 3rd Army would have been easily able to cross the Rhine in the south if given the materials that went to Montgomery, yet he had to stop and dig in for lack of supplies.

The book also covers the shameful treatment of Polish General Sosabowski, as well as the involvement of the Canadians in this operation. There are several interesting appendices and a most complete bibliography, making this probably the finest work on the subject yet done. It is a book that you will find both informative and entertaining. One that I give my highest recommendation for a superb read.

August 2008

Review book courtesy of  Casemate Publishing, where you can order your copy of this and many other superb books.

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