A bridge too far: operational overreach and military failure

Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan

In "A Bridge Too Far," Cornelius Ryan details the battle of Arnhem, which was perhaps one of the most dramatic battles of the Second World War. Although, the story of the battle has been told before, Ryan's narrated tale is gloriously compelling and personal. Ryan brings a large cast of characters into his story, including military commanders, common foot soldiers, strategists from American and British intelligence, and Dutch civilians. He retells on paper the sequences of the operation and creates a page-turning suspenseful epic of terror and heroism.

During the battle of Arnhem in 1944, the Allies endured twice as many casualties as D-Day in its effort to bring an end to the war. The battle took place during a three-week period in September, known as 'Operation Market-Garden' when American and British airborne forces were dropped behind German lines during daylight hours to capture the bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem. However, although the operation was the largest and most daring airborne battle of the war, it proved to be ill-fated and ended in defeat (Ryan 1995).

Ryan begins and ends his tale in the small town of Driel. The Germans had been routed from France and were withdrawing from Holland, leaving the Dutch wondering if the Allied troops were coming at all (Ryan 1995). The Germans were disorganized in their retreat, however, by the time of the Allied landings, they were stabilized and attacked the paratroopers from the British 1st Airborne Division, United States 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, and the Polish 1st Airborne Brigade, without desist. British General Brian Horrocks' special troops had two days to cover sixty-four miles to Arnhem, a daring feat unlikely of success (Ryan 1995). Moreover, the command of all Allied ground forces was given to British General Montgomery, a brilliant man and military officer, however, ambitious and known for his arrogance (Ryan 1995). Montgomery's commission as commander over the Allied ground forces was regarded with disdain by the rest of the coalition. Garden was the ground element of the operation while Market was the airborne element. The intention of the operation was to drop the paratroopers and supplies for the ground forces that were in France and then cross into Germany (Ryan 1995).