What do you think?
Rate this book
Arnhem 1944: The Airborne Battle
Arnhem was meant to end the war in Europe. The Germans were in retreat from Normandy and seemed to be beaten. Three airborne divisions were to seize the bridges across the great rivers of Holland and unleash the Allied armies into Germany. The Battle of Arnhem was a turning-point in the war, a gamble by Montgomery, using three airborne divisions to capture a series of bridges across the wide rivers that separated a powerful mobile army from the plains of northern Germany. If the bridges had been captured and held, and the ground forces had been able to relieve the airborne forces, then there would have been a good chance of ending the war before Christmas 1944.
It all went wrong. The initial operation was successful, the bridges taken by the Americans were relieved by ground troops, but these troops could not reach Arnhem quickly enough. In the meantime, only a small part of the 1st British Airborne Division had reached the Arnhem Bridge. Most of the remainder of the airborne force was held up on the outskirts of the town by German units that turned out to be far stronger than expected – a major intelligence failure. After nine days of fighting, the survivors of the division were withdrawn across the Rhine and it was not until many months later that ground forces captured Arnhem.
Using the technique he has perfected over twenty-five years of military study, blending meticulous research based on original documents with the personal experiences of more than 500 participants, Martin Middlebrook describes the Battle of Arnhem from start to finish, from one end of that complicated battlefield to the other. On this fiftieth anniversary, he offers a masterly summary of what went wrong in the last major defeat in battle suffered by the British Army.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 1994
62 people are currently reading
369 people want to read
About the author
Martin Middlebrook
42 books62 followersMartin Middlebrook was a British military historian and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Appointed Knight of the Order of the Belgian Crown in 2004.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 12, 2018
Some men don’t want to talk about it, others can’t stop talking about it. Martin Middlebrook has listened to the latter before age silenced their tongues. He tells the tale of Arnhem in the words of 500 men who were there, obtained both through interview and correspondence. Add to this their reminiscences about the fallen and the material already available in print, most famously the memoirs of Urquhart and Sosabowski* to double the amount of voices. Together, this gives him a considerably larger data pool to work with than for his debut The First Day on the Somme. Once again, the protagonists are British: the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions do not share the spotlight here.
He also brings twenty years’ experience to the page to good effect. His sentiments while walking the fields of Picardy were central to Somme and a string of ten picked individuals gave us a feel for the ground in 1916, but it was hard to make themselves heard above the din of millions and the net effect was rather chaotic.
With Arnhem , chaos is still present, but this time it is part of the plan. Two main features of Market Garden were the isolation of lightly armed airborne units (most prominently the 2nd Parachute Battalion at the Arnhem road bridge) and the piecemeal reinforcements by air. This isolation came partly from the original battle plan, with three airborne holding autonomous perimeters around the Rhine bridges until linked by the advance of XXX Corps. The deployment of the 1st British Airborne Division was successfully contested by German Kampfgruppe. Their opponents had learned that airborne assaults depended upon the first strike for success; the best tactical response was an equally rapid disruption.
The resulting dispersal of companies dictates the structure of the book. Where possible we see the airborne assault grind down on a day-to-day basis, but sometimes we stay in the slit trenches for days on end, with no insight as to how the battle develops down the road.
It is a maxim of military historiography (and if it isn’t, I totally call dips!) that “a good battle history needs 100 pages to get started” and Middlebrook is not far off the mark. He briefs us on the plan for twin operations MARKET and GARDEN with an eye for their potential strategic rewards. Here, he approaches the level of Lloyd Clark. The limitations/inherent risks of the airborne assault become a lot less deliberate when the flight plan is taken into account. With his analysis of the British OOB, he has written a chapter that will continue to serve me well, no matter how many of the 500+ books on the subject come my way. He is especially strong on the types of aircraft used and the variety of support troops involved, with a nod of respect towards the RAF personnel. They suffered 40% of the casualties during airlifts and supply drops, but in the movie they’re just those idiots who get a paratrooper killed to retrieve a wrongly dropped container full of spare berets – that iconic trivia gets explained near the end.
Once the book is airborne, the writer retires wholly behind the curtain and the combatants take center stage. He only emergences to side with them in the aftermath, where most grew to agree with Montgomery’s quote in years to come, it will be a great thing for a man to be able to say: 'I fought at Arnhem' . It is an unsurpassed British talent to turn defeats into their finest moments, but a universal human need to take pride in battles fought.
On the other hand ... the knee reflex to condemn the MARKET GARDEN plan can't be surpressed : between instant doubts among the commanders (Sosabowski...) distant drop zones, ignored intelligence on two armoured outfits combined with the known German talent for ad hoc counter-attacks and the continous penny-dripping of companies into the Arnhem road bridge objective area... I'll never understand 100% why this thing was greenlighted !
Is this the best Arnhem book? Not sure, a lot has been written since the early ‘90s. Is it one of the best? Probably. It’s so good it becomes a shame that Middlebrook didn’t tackle the exploits of Horrocks’ XXX Corps on Hell’s Highway as well and/or the American airborne operations.
He also brings twenty years’ experience to the page to good effect. His sentiments while walking the fields of Picardy were central to Somme and a string of ten picked individuals gave us a feel for the ground in 1916, but it was hard to make themselves heard above the din of millions and the net effect was rather chaotic.
With Arnhem , chaos is still present, but this time it is part of the plan. Two main features of Market Garden were the isolation of lightly armed airborne units (most prominently the 2nd Parachute Battalion at the Arnhem road bridge) and the piecemeal reinforcements by air. This isolation came partly from the original battle plan, with three airborne holding autonomous perimeters around the Rhine bridges until linked by the advance of XXX Corps. The deployment of the 1st British Airborne Division was successfully contested by German Kampfgruppe. Their opponents had learned that airborne assaults depended upon the first strike for success; the best tactical response was an equally rapid disruption.
The resulting dispersal of companies dictates the structure of the book. Where possible we see the airborne assault grind down on a day-to-day basis, but sometimes we stay in the slit trenches for days on end, with no insight as to how the battle develops down the road.
It is a maxim of military historiography (and if it isn’t, I totally call dips!) that “a good battle history needs 100 pages to get started” and Middlebrook is not far off the mark. He briefs us on the plan for twin operations MARKET and GARDEN with an eye for their potential strategic rewards. Here, he approaches the level of Lloyd Clark. The limitations/inherent risks of the airborne assault become a lot less deliberate when the flight plan is taken into account. With his analysis of the British OOB, he has written a chapter that will continue to serve me well, no matter how many of the 500+ books on the subject come my way. He is especially strong on the types of aircraft used and the variety of support troops involved, with a nod of respect towards the RAF personnel. They suffered 40% of the casualties during airlifts and supply drops, but in the movie they’re just those idiots who get a paratrooper killed to retrieve a wrongly dropped container full of spare berets – that iconic trivia gets explained near the end.
Once the book is airborne, the writer retires wholly behind the curtain and the combatants take center stage. He only emergences to side with them in the aftermath, where most grew to agree with Montgomery’s quote in years to come, it will be a great thing for a man to be able to say: 'I fought at Arnhem' . It is an unsurpassed British talent to turn defeats into their finest moments, but a universal human need to take pride in battles fought.
On the other hand ... the knee reflex to condemn the MARKET GARDEN plan can't be surpressed : between instant doubts among the commanders (Sosabowski...) distant drop zones, ignored intelligence on two armoured outfits combined with the known German talent for ad hoc counter-attacks and the continous penny-dripping of companies into the Arnhem road bridge objective area... I'll never understand 100% why this thing was greenlighted !
Is this the best Arnhem book? Not sure, a lot has been written since the early ‘90s. Is it one of the best? Probably. It’s so good it becomes a shame that Middlebrook didn’t tackle the exploits of Horrocks’ XXX Corps on Hell’s Highway as well and/or the American airborne operations.
April 25, 2017
Having read many books about the American side of Operation Market Garden, I was intrigued to read about the British side of things. Martin Middlebrook has done a fantastic job of recreating the chaos, savagery, heroism and tragedy of the attempt by the British and Polish airborne troops to secure the Arnhem road bridge over the Rhine River.
The plan was for the troops to seize the bridge and be reinforced within three days. Instead, they fought for nine days and were virtually wiped out, suffering heavy casualties and losing incredibly large amounts of troops to capture by the Germans. The book is filled with personal accounts by British and Polish troops who were at Arnhem, as well as Dutch civilians who had the war dropped on their doorstep. There are many fantastic maps showing the progress of the battle, and some great pictures also. The aftermath of the battle is discussed as well and offers some interesting thoughts on how history could be very different if things had gone better for the British.
It's a wonderful book and helped fill a void in my personal knowledge of the battle. You'll find it a worthy addition to your library for sure.
The plan was for the troops to seize the bridge and be reinforced within three days. Instead, they fought for nine days and were virtually wiped out, suffering heavy casualties and losing incredibly large amounts of troops to capture by the Germans. The book is filled with personal accounts by British and Polish troops who were at Arnhem, as well as Dutch civilians who had the war dropped on their doorstep. There are many fantastic maps showing the progress of the battle, and some great pictures also. The aftermath of the battle is discussed as well and offers some interesting thoughts on how history could be very different if things had gone better for the British.
It's a wonderful book and helped fill a void in my personal knowledge of the battle. You'll find it a worthy addition to your library for sure.
April 8, 2017
This book only concentrates on the British and Polish areas of operation during Operation Market Garden, the most ill-fated airborne operation during WW2. Ill-fated, true, or at least for the British 1st Airborne Division who never became relieved from the slowly-advancing XXX Corps, for reasons we can muse on; either for the constant cutting of the highway leading to Arnhem by Germans so close to their border - the Market Garden plan called for a single 'spear thrust' towards the Rhine, or and what Martin Middlebrook suggests the lack of urgency in taking the other bridges prior to the Arnhem Bridge. Whatever reason for the late arrival of the British Second Army and XXX Corps, the planning for the British 1st Airborne Division was mired in incompetence, not understanding mainly that two Panzer Divisions were resting exactly in the Arnhem area, even after intelligence officers being told by the Dutch Resistance as well as photo-recon evidence warned them so. I guess the best analogy to be used regarding the British airdrop would be similar to 'disturbing a hornets nest', to put it mildly.
Whilst success seemed positive for the first day or so, with the 2nd Battalion under John Frost taking Arnhem Bridge, the Germans reacted in force, cutting off the bridge defenders from any support or relief, despite considerable effort with the remaining airborne troops attempting to break-through; they suffered badly, eventually being forced back into what became the Oosterbeek perimeter. When lightly armed airborne troops have to take on the elite of the Wehrmacht with Tiger tanks, then things can only go wrong and get very messy indeed. Martin Middlebrook uses a whole load of eye-witness accounts, not just from the surviving British troops who were alive at the time he wrote the book (1993), but also from the Dutch civilians too who had to endure their town being devastated from the war-zone it became. Many acts of bravery are told here, not just from the troopers on the ground, but also from the resupply drops, whose supply canisters mostly ended up in German-held areas as well as the extreme bravery of the air-transport squadrons in trying to make their drops under intense anti-aircraft fire - the Germans were expecting them. Many, meaning hundreds of their personnel died or became prisoner; this chapter alone dealing with the supply drops was very informative, as I knew so little about it prior to reading this book and just how brave it must have been to fly into intense small arms and flak barrages at such a low altitude.
Compared to Cornelius Ryans 'A Bridge to Far' (a film was based on it), which still includes eye-witness accounts and covered the whole of Operation Market Garden, Martin Middlebrooks book focus' exclusively on the British airborne operation, with as I mentioned, a chapter on the resupply drops, a chapter on the Polish drop several days later (which cost the 1st Polish Independent Airlanding Brigade their Commander afterwards, a possible scapegoating by the British), and a great appendix detailing Arnhem and its surrounds today. Oosterbeek and Arnhem today are littered with memorials and war-graves, just giving testament to what happened for nine days in September 1944 and the sacrifices made, both of the British troops and the innocent Dutch civilians caught up in probably Montgomerys greatest blunder of the whole war.
Whilst success seemed positive for the first day or so, with the 2nd Battalion under John Frost taking Arnhem Bridge, the Germans reacted in force, cutting off the bridge defenders from any support or relief, despite considerable effort with the remaining airborne troops attempting to break-through; they suffered badly, eventually being forced back into what became the Oosterbeek perimeter. When lightly armed airborne troops have to take on the elite of the Wehrmacht with Tiger tanks, then things can only go wrong and get very messy indeed. Martin Middlebrook uses a whole load of eye-witness accounts, not just from the surviving British troops who were alive at the time he wrote the book (1993), but also from the Dutch civilians too who had to endure their town being devastated from the war-zone it became. Many acts of bravery are told here, not just from the troopers on the ground, but also from the resupply drops, whose supply canisters mostly ended up in German-held areas as well as the extreme bravery of the air-transport squadrons in trying to make their drops under intense anti-aircraft fire - the Germans were expecting them. Many, meaning hundreds of their personnel died or became prisoner; this chapter alone dealing with the supply drops was very informative, as I knew so little about it prior to reading this book and just how brave it must have been to fly into intense small arms and flak barrages at such a low altitude.
Compared to Cornelius Ryans 'A Bridge to Far' (a film was based on it), which still includes eye-witness accounts and covered the whole of Operation Market Garden, Martin Middlebrooks book focus' exclusively on the British airborne operation, with as I mentioned, a chapter on the resupply drops, a chapter on the Polish drop several days later (which cost the 1st Polish Independent Airlanding Brigade their Commander afterwards, a possible scapegoating by the British), and a great appendix detailing Arnhem and its surrounds today. Oosterbeek and Arnhem today are littered with memorials and war-graves, just giving testament to what happened for nine days in September 1944 and the sacrifices made, both of the British troops and the innocent Dutch civilians caught up in probably Montgomerys greatest blunder of the whole war.
October 31, 2025
A military history nerds complete guide to the battle for Arnhem bridge. The depth of detail and the great collection of quotes from those that were there brings to life the battle and those who fought in the unyielding chaos that unfolded. After reading this anyone can take an unwitting companion on a 9 day tour of the battlefield, barraging them with the full story until their resistance breaks and they too become enthralled in the story.
February 7, 2022
I don’t give many 5 star reviews but this detailed account, structured in an innovative way, provides fascinating insight into the complexities of the mission, the flaws in the planning and execution and it thoroughly deserves the rating.
The many anecdotes and factual accounts enrich this account of a period of WW2 in which so many are interested. I really enjoyed the way the events are broken down, it really helped my understanding of the parallel actions that were undertaken
Highly recommended
The many anecdotes and factual accounts enrich this account of a period of WW2 in which so many are interested. I really enjoyed the way the events are broken down, it really helped my understanding of the parallel actions that were undertaken
Highly recommended
April 24, 2016
zeer compleet overzicht van de acties bij de slag om arnhem. Inclusief goede overzichtskaartjes.
June 10, 2019
I really like Middlebrook's work. I will eventually read all his books.
This one is about the airborne battle in Arnhem. This is not about operation Market Garden, just about Arnhem. This is a very detailed account of the action there, told to a large extent by the people who participated. Middlebrook was meticulous in assembling this book; doing extensive research, conducting interviews, collecting written accounts, visiting the battlefield. I'm sure it was like assembling a giant jigsaw puzzle with an idea what the final picture will look like but not having that picture and where you have to collect the pieces from hundreds of places.
This is not one person's view of the battle, not a unit history. It is a tapestry made from the accounts of hundreds of individuals. Mostly from British soldiers and airment; not many sources from the German side, but many accounts from the civilians.
Includes photos, excellent maps, index, and a very short bibliography (as this work is based on primary sources).
This one is about the airborne battle in Arnhem. This is not about operation Market Garden, just about Arnhem. This is a very detailed account of the action there, told to a large extent by the people who participated. Middlebrook was meticulous in assembling this book; doing extensive research, conducting interviews, collecting written accounts, visiting the battlefield. I'm sure it was like assembling a giant jigsaw puzzle with an idea what the final picture will look like but not having that picture and where you have to collect the pieces from hundreds of places.
This is not one person's view of the battle, not a unit history. It is a tapestry made from the accounts of hundreds of individuals. Mostly from British soldiers and airment; not many sources from the German side, but many accounts from the civilians.
Includes photos, excellent maps, index, and a very short bibliography (as this work is based on primary sources).
April 10, 2024
This is an excellent study of the British and Polish airborne forces action in Arnhem. It deals with each area of action within the battle, drawing heavily on eyewitness testament from allied servicemen and Dutch citizens to paint a compelling picture of bravery in the midst of a failed assault. I found it gave me a much fuller understanding of the why's of Arnhem. Definitely recommended for those interested in military history.
June 17, 2018
Factual with good interviews
I have read every book on Market garden and this one has a great balance between all the war diary research , and interviews or quotes from those that fought. The input from those that were there bring their story alive , one of true courage and determination in the direst of situations . Thoroughly recommend.
I have read every book on Market garden and this one has a great balance between all the war diary research , and interviews or quotes from those that fought. The input from those that were there bring their story alive , one of true courage and determination in the direst of situations . Thoroughly recommend.
Read
August 20, 2024An absolute necessity if you're looking for mote info about this battle. Many 1st hand accounts and snippets of info that I had no clue about before. Other books either gloss over info in this book or don't reference it at all. This is definitely the go to book regarding the defense of the Arhmen area!
April 30, 2021
A epic, extremely well researched book on the battle of Arnhem. I doubt there is a better book that provides more detailed information than this one.
The book really puts you at the heart of the battle covering every aspect.
Its a great book and definitely recommend.
The book really puts you at the heart of the battle covering every aspect.
Its a great book and definitely recommend.
October 7, 2023
Excellent book about a controversial battle
Excellent book from many different points of view. Very compelling stories from those who were there. This was not General Montgomery s finest hour. Yet General Montgomery was overall a fine commander.
Excellent book from many different points of view. Very compelling stories from those who were there. This was not General Montgomery s finest hour. Yet General Montgomery was overall a fine commander.
November 2, 2016
Detailed
Excellent detail of the Allied air drop at Arhem follows units in the air and on the ground throughout a frustrating operation.
Excellent detail of the Allied air drop at Arhem follows units in the air and on the ground throughout a frustrating operation.
April 30, 2020
A must read for those interested in the airborne actions. Arnhem 1944 covers the battle fro British, Polish, Dutch and German perspectives. Many first person accounts.
September 24, 2022
Wow! The detail. Pills no punches. The military action that inspired me to become a Historian. Brilliant!!
February 19, 2015
The tragic story of the British 1st Airborne Divison's battle at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden.
Poor planning, the failure to drop closer to the Arnhem bridge and the British XXX Corps lack of urgency doomed the 1st Airborne. Colonel John Frost when freed from a German POW camp by a unit of Patton's Third Army wrote: "All ranks of this Army, when they saw our Red Berets, would say, 'Arnhem. Aye. We'd have gotten through. Yes, Sir. We'd have gotten through' - I couldn't help believing that they would have."
This excellent book did not shy away from the controversy surrounding Polish General Sosabowski's comments at the Valburg conference and rightly found the British treatment of him and his valiant Brigade shameful. Well worth reading for those who love military history.
Poor planning, the failure to drop closer to the Arnhem bridge and the British XXX Corps lack of urgency doomed the 1st Airborne. Colonel John Frost when freed from a German POW camp by a unit of Patton's Third Army wrote: "All ranks of this Army, when they saw our Red Berets, would say, 'Arnhem. Aye. We'd have gotten through. Yes, Sir. We'd have gotten through' - I couldn't help believing that they would have."
This excellent book did not shy away from the controversy surrounding Polish General Sosabowski's comments at the Valburg conference and rightly found the British treatment of him and his valiant Brigade shameful. Well worth reading for those who love military history.
August 25, 2014
Like all of Martin Middlebrook's books, this one, although somewhat dry, is very readable, and full of little known, interesting facts behind the big story. For instance he goes into detail explaining how the glider operations worked. Although numerous gliders broke loose from their tow lines, most of them managed to make emergency landings safely. He relates how the crew in one tow plane looked on in horror as the glider they were towing simply broke up in mid air. In spite of incidents like this, the large majority landed safely in their target zone.
I highly recommend this book, like all of the others by this author.
I highly recommend this book, like all of the others by this author.
August 22, 2012
A very well researched and informative book about the British and Polish airborne operations during the Market Garden campaign. I've read a lot of different books about the campaign, but this one added to my knowledge of it by going into interesting details about the origins and histories of the various batallions.
The only thing I don't entirely agree with is his overall conclusions, since its debatable as to whether a sucessful M-G campaign would have lead to a complete collapse of the German military machine before the end of 1944, whereas the author implies that it was certainty.
The only thing I don't entirely agree with is his overall conclusions, since its debatable as to whether a sucessful M-G campaign would have lead to a complete collapse of the German military machine before the end of 1944, whereas the author implies that it was certainty.
March 12, 2015
Everything you ever wanted to know about Market Garden and more...more than I wanted to know, for sure! It was mostly very interesting though. There were many anecdotes taken from diaries and letters written by those participating in the operation. The operation was doomed from the start, though; poor planning, a lack of proper leadership, and a lack of communication. Makes me wonder how we ever won World War II...
February 1, 2016
I absolutely loved this. Middlebrook has a style and efficiency that draws you in. His comprehensive and we'll detailed writings are probably the best that I have read, regarding Arnhem (and I must've read over 50 different titles).
There are numerous first hand accounts of the battle, many of which I had never previously come across.
There are numerous first hand accounts of the battle, many of which I had never previously come across.
December 15, 2015
A very comprehensive account of the airborne part of operation market garden. I was immediately gripped by the detailed accounts. Unimaginable bravery, suffering, savagery and tragedy are present in equal parts. The author does a great job of detailing the strategic and tactical actions which ultimately lead to the operation's failure.
March 27, 2013
Perfect treatment from the best military history author. What more is there to say?
July 15, 2016
Courageous
A very comprehensive and authentic account of a courageous attempt by courageous individuals despite poor intelligence and planning research brilliant.
A very comprehensive and authentic account of a courageous attempt by courageous individuals despite poor intelligence and planning research brilliant.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews