Christopher (seadragontampa) - , reviewed on 6/26/2014 + 19 more book reviews

Alright, I'm a World War II buff when it come to books and as a former paratrooper drawn to stories of my fellow airborne brethren. Admittedly any book that covers Operation Market Garden is going to be compared to A Bridge Too Far which I read so many years ago.

With that being said I have to say this was a very good book. It did not examine Market Garden in isolation in the totality of the war at the time. Clark includes the ongoing self-promotion of Montgomery who was trying to trying to win the war all by himself by using American troops and supplies. Clark knows that the definitive history of the operation is the fore mention book so he does not try to reinvent the wheel. He examines the battle not only in the historical sense but the personal sense. There is a very liberal sprinkling of first hand narratives throughout the book. This draws in the reader in driving how just how much this battle, just as all others, is not emotionless point in history worth study or entertainment.

Well Clark excels beyond A Bridge Too Far is how he ties it into the conduct of the rest of the war and specifically Operation Plunder Varsity. Clark details how the Allies were smart in quickly examining what went right and what went wrong in Market Garden. Those costly lessons were applied to the next great airborne drop to seize and secure the east bank of the Rhine.

This is a great book for any avid World War II reader or military history in general. This is also a book that should be read by today's military leaders from squad to combatant command. Its lessons of not taking into account what can go wrong are just as critical today as they were when overlooked then. Its also a great example of highly motivated small groups of troops can do.

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