In Sept I'm going on an organised tour to Arnhem,could forum members advise on a few good books to read on the subject. Regards Doug.
Martin Middlebrook's "Arnhem 1944" (Penguin) is very good, although it does not cover the American landings or XXX Corps in any detail.
Battleground Europe have a few good books on Market Garden Market Garden- Hell's Highway Market Garden- Nijmegen Market Garden- The Island Market Garden- The bridge (I think) Market Garden- The landing ground (I'm not sure of the title) Hope this is of some help.
As there are so many 'pure history' reference books and some very good books following the battles from the perspective of the different units who took part in Market Garden, may I suggest you get hold of a copy of "It never snows in September" by Robert J. Kershaw (ISBN 1 885119 31 3), which tells the story fron the German side. It's a facinating story with plenty of photos and maps to illustrate it. What makes it such a good read, I believe, has a lot to do with the author. He studied history at University, joined the Parachute Regiment and as a fluent German speaker was chosen to attend the German Staff Officers Course in Hamburg, serving for a total of four years with the German army. Historian, British Para and serving with the modern German army.... what better qualifications could you get to understand and describe their side of the story, and the book shows it. If I ever HAD to make a 'must have' list of books, this one would be on it.
Try these for starters: Arnhem, by Maj. Gen. Sir Robert Urquhart and Wilfred Greatorex Race For the Rhine Bridges, by Alexander McKee The Evaders, by Leo Heaps A Drop Too Many, by Maj. Gen. Sir John Frost Arnhem, by Christopher Hibbert The Holts’ Battlefield Guide to Operation Market-Garden, by Tonie and Valmai Holt A Bridge Too Far, by Cornelius Ryan Citizen Soldiers, by Stephen Ambrose Band of Brothers, by Stephen Ambrose Rendezvous With Destiny, by Leonard Northwood and Charles Rapport On To Berlin, by Lt. Gen. James M. Gavin Ridgway’s Paratroopers, by Clay Blair, Jr. Montgomery in Europe, by David Lamb Monty: The Final Years of the Field Marshal, by Nigel Hamilton And there’s a new book, “It Never Snows In September,” the German side of the battle, whose author’s name escapes me.
Surely there are Arnhem men still around? their recollections would be much more truthful than books. Book s are written by copying other authors writings thus; all the errors get repeated time and again.This has happened so many times over the last 60 years that a lot of what is written today, is more the figments of an imagination and has only a tenuous link with what really happened. I read books where Canadians land on British beaches and find that there is no mention at all of the British forces that landed. Much of it is Fairy tales, for it bears little relation to what actually did happen. Sapperbrian
Surely there are Arnhem men still around? their recollections would be much more truthful than books. Arnhem Spearhead - A private Solidiers Story by James Sims. IWM
one more good book When Dragons Flew byStuart Eastwood/Charles Gray/ Alan GreenISBN 1 85794 048 2 Silver Link Publishing 1994. Story of the Border Regt WW2 contains 80 pages of Market Garden and the most famous photo of a mortar platoon in WW2. THE AIRBOURNE PRAYER May the defence of the most high be around us and within us, in our going out and the coming in, in our rising up and our coming down, all our days and all our nights untill dawn when the sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings for the peoples of the world through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
