Reveals the
truth behind the failure of Operation Market Garden • Thorough coverage of the
role of the British Second Army
After Normandy, the most spectacular Allied
offensive of World War II was Operation Market Garden, which saw three divisions
of paratroopers dropped behind German lines, to be joined by massive armoured
columns breaking through the front. The ultimate object was to seize a crossing
over the Rhine to outflank the heart of the
Third Reich and force a quick end to the war. The Operation utterly failed, of
course, as the 1st British Airborne was practically wiped out, the American 82nd
and 101st Airborne Divisions became tied down in vicious combat for months, and
the vaunted armoured columns were foiled at every turn by improvisational German
defences. In many circles the battle has become known as “Hitler’s last
victory.” In this work, many years in the making, Professor Bennett puts forward
for the first time a complete, balanced and comprehensive account of the
British, American, Polish, Canadian and German actions, as well as the strategic
background of the Operation. He shows, for example, that rather than a
bridgehead over the Rhine, Montgomery’s ultimate
aim was to flank the Ruhr industrial area from
the north. The book also deals as never before with the key role of all three
Corps of British Second Army. For the first time, we learn the dramatic, untold
story of how a single company of Canadian engineers achieved the evacuation of
1st Airborne’s survivors back across the Rhine
when all other efforts had failed. Respectfully nodding to A Bridge Too Far and
other excellent works on Market Garden, the author has interviewed survivors,
walked the ground, and performed prodigious archival research to increase our
understanding of the battle. From the actions of the lowliest soldier to the
highest commander, Allied and German, the entire operation is brought to life,
with the author’s expert analysis unveiling new insights at every
step.
