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The battle of Normandy ended as the Allied armies crossed the Seine at the end of August 1944, a month after Operation Cobra had broken the stalemate. The Allies harried the retreating Germans, who left their tanks and heavy weapons south of the Seine, and by mid-September the Allies were coming up against the defences of Germany itself, the impressive Westwall. As far as the Allies were concerned, the Germans were beaten. The scent of immediate victory was in the air, the only question was where to apply the coup de grace. Logistics demanded that this should be a single thrust rather than Eisenhower’s broad front approach. Montgomery―the architect of victory in Normandy―proposed a daring plan to circumvent the Westwall, thrust towards Berlin, and make use of the newly created 1st Allied Airborne Army. The plan was simple: use the Paratroopers to hold key bridges along a single route along which British XXX Corps would make an advance that would be “rapid and violent, and without regard to what is happening on the flanks.” US 101st Airborne would land north of Eindhoven; 82nd Airborne at Nijmegen; British 1st Airborne at Arnhem―the so-called “bridge too far.” Unfortunately, the plan was flawed, the execution imperfect, and the Germans far from beaten. In spite of the audacious actions of the Paratroopers who would cover themselves with glory, Operation Market Garden showed that the German ground forces would still provide the Allies with stiff opposition in the West. And then, in 1977, A Bridge Too Far came out. With levels of realism that wouldn’t be approached for twenty years, the movie produced a view of the battle that subverted reality and permeated public perception. Just as George C. Scott produced the definitive Patton, so A Bridge Too Far provided an unnuanced view of the battles that historians have battled to correct ever since. As with its companion volumes on D-Day, the Bocage, and the Ardennes battlefields, this book provides a balanced, up-to-date view of the operation making full use of modern research. With over 500 illustrations including many maps, aerial and then and now photography, it will provide the reader with an easy-to-read, up-to-date examination of each part of the operation, benefitting from on-the-ground research by Tom Timmermans, who lives in Eindhoven.

Reviews

This range of battlefield histories from Casemate is, quite simply, the best of their kind around today. ― War History Online 21/12/2018

They provide an excellent overview of the battle enhanced by annotated contemporary and modern photographs… ― Military Historical Society Bulletin

This is very much a complete look at Operation Market Garden, the photos and maps show how the battle panned out, and the modern photos show in some cases how little things have changed. If you are interested in WWII history, then this book is a must. For the military modeller the wealth of contemporary photos gives a very good idea of how the vehicles and troops looked at this time. As with companion books on the Normandy & Ardennes Battles the

Authors provided a balanced and up to date look at this important if ultimately unsuccessful battle of WWII. ― Britmodeller.com

… extremely well presented and features some excellent maps. If you are about to launch into OMG and you are looking for a good chronological guide that offers a sound campaign overview, this will do that job for you. ― Despatches 02/05/2019

For the historian, maybe the fan of the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’ and especially for the battlefield visitor who wants to visit the area, then this would be an excellent book to have with you on your trip. ― Military Model Scene

While there’s plenty of text describing what’s going on it’s the copious use of photos that makes it easy to dip in and out of. ― The Armourer 21/02/2019

This is one of the those titles that Casemate do so well: a combination of experienced authors and an excellent mix of photographs and maps. ― Miniature Wargames – Chris Jarvis

Simon Forty has worked in military and history publishing as editor and author for over 40 years. Following in his father’s footsteps he concentrates on highly illustrated books that combine historic material with modern photography, much of it by long-time collaborator Leo Marriott.

Tom Timmermans lives and works in the south of the Netherlands. An enthusiastic historian of WW2 subjects, he is the brains behind battledetective.com.