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A Street in Arnhem: The Agony of Occupation and Liberation
In this long-awaited book, Robert Kershaw follows up his best-selling account of Operation Market Garden It Never Snows in September to focus on the experiences of Dutch civilians and British and German soldiers in one street while fighting to survive at the heart of one of the most intense battles of World War II. He tells the story from the perspective of what could be seen or heard from the Utrechtseweg, a road that runs seven kilometers from the Arnhem railway station west to Oosterbeek.This stretch of road saw virtually every major event during the fighting for Arnhem the legendary Bridge Too Far during September 1944. The story is about the disintegration of a wealthy Dutch suburb caught unexpectedly in the war it had escaped for so long. The book charts the steady destruction of an exclusive rural community, where wealthy Dutch holiday-makers had relaxed before the war. The destruction of this pretty village is charted through the eyes of British, Polish and German soldiers fighting amid its confused and horrified inhabitants. It portrays a collage of human experiences, sights, sounds, visceral fears and emotion as ordinary people seek to cope when their street is so suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed in a savage battle using the most deadly weapons of the day.Kershaw's new research reveals the extent to which most people in this battle, whether soldiers or civilians, saw only what was immediately happening to them, with no idea of the larger picture. Many original Dutch, German and English accounts have been unearthed through interviews, diary accounts and letters, as well as post-combat reports charting the same incidents from both sides. The story is told as a docudrama following the fortunes of participants within a gripping narrative format. Holland had not witnessed conflict since the Napoleonic wars. What happens when your street, where you have lived for generations, is suddenly overwhelmed by conflict? A Street in Arnhem with its alternating revelations of horror and courage tells that story and provides some of the answers."
368 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2014
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163 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kershaw
23 books69 followersBorn in 1950 and a graduate of Reading University, Robert Kershaw joined the Parachute Regiment in 1973.
He served numerous regimental appointments until selected to command the 10th Battalion The Parachute Regiment (10 PARA). He attended the German Staff College (Fuhrungsakademie) spending a further two years with the Bundeswehr as an infantry, airborne and arctic warfare instructor. He speaks fluent German and has extensive experience with NATO, multinational operations and all aspects of operations and training.
His active service includes several tours in Northern Ireland, the First Gulf War and Bosnia. He has exercised in many parts of the world and served in the Middle East and Africa. His final army appointment was with the Intelligence Division at HQ NATO in Brussels Belgium.
On leaving the Army in 2006 he became a full-time author of military history as well as a consultant military analyst. He has written a paper on the military impact of HIV AIDS for Cranfield University and more recently was the historical editor for ParaData, an on-line archive for the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces.
He served numerous regimental appointments until selected to command the 10th Battalion The Parachute Regiment (10 PARA). He attended the German Staff College (Fuhrungsakademie) spending a further two years with the Bundeswehr as an infantry, airborne and arctic warfare instructor. He speaks fluent German and has extensive experience with NATO, multinational operations and all aspects of operations and training.
His active service includes several tours in Northern Ireland, the First Gulf War and Bosnia. He has exercised in many parts of the world and served in the Middle East and Africa. His final army appointment was with the Intelligence Division at HQ NATO in Brussels Belgium.
On leaving the Army in 2006 he became a full-time author of military history as well as a consultant military analyst. He has written a paper on the military impact of HIV AIDS for Cranfield University and more recently was the historical editor for ParaData, an on-line archive for the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 31, 2019
"It was a great surprise to me, the whole affair, because when we left here and withdrew across the Rhine the local people had a hell of a winter. Most of them were evacuated from their homes, they had no fuel, a very severe winter, great privation, cold and no food. So we quite expected when we came back that they wouldn't be best pleased to see us; in fact, we didn't expect any cooperation at all. And blow me down, it was a terrific surprise to find that not only were they polite to us, they were asking us to come back!"
This was General Urqhart, interviewed before his death in 1988. This book explains why the Dutch took the Airborne veterans to their hearts. It examines, in detail, the events along a single street (albeit a very long one) in the nine days of Operation Market Garden. As such, it does tread a lot of what may be familiar ground, but the immediacy of the setting lends a fresh perspective, and the focussing does allow for detail which is generally lost in other works.
The real attraction is the level of inclusion of the Dutch in the book. Previously, their voices tend to have been drowned in the storm surrounding them, but here we are able to follow their jubilation at liberation, fears and eventual hopelessness as the tide of battle rages around them.
I've read a lot of books on Arnhem and Market Garden over the years and I have to say that I was initially sceptical of this one having anything new to say. I'm very pleased to say that I couldn't have been more wrong, and Mr Kershaw has yet again provided a fresh perspective on the battle for me. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in the battle, or anyone with any curiosity about what it's like to live through a battle.
This was General Urqhart, interviewed before his death in 1988. This book explains why the Dutch took the Airborne veterans to their hearts. It examines, in detail, the events along a single street (albeit a very long one) in the nine days of Operation Market Garden. As such, it does tread a lot of what may be familiar ground, but the immediacy of the setting lends a fresh perspective, and the focussing does allow for detail which is generally lost in other works.
The real attraction is the level of inclusion of the Dutch in the book. Previously, their voices tend to have been drowned in the storm surrounding them, but here we are able to follow their jubilation at liberation, fears and eventual hopelessness as the tide of battle rages around them.
I've read a lot of books on Arnhem and Market Garden over the years and I have to say that I was initially sceptical of this one having anything new to say. I'm very pleased to say that I couldn't have been more wrong, and Mr Kershaw has yet again provided a fresh perspective on the battle for me. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in the battle, or anyone with any curiosity about what it's like to live through a battle.
September 18, 2021
Robert Kershaw follows up on his best-selling account of Operation Market Garden—It Never Snows in September: The German View of Market-Garden and the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944—to focus on the experiences of Dutch civilians and British and German soldiers in one particular street: the Utrechtseweg in Oosterbeek. It is a road I have travelled a great many times, in the full knowledge that here it was where the fiercest fighting took place. After finishing this book however, I will never be able to see this street through the same eyes again.
Kershaw manages to capture the despair of the citizens, who shared joys and sorrows with the British, their liberators, for a few days in September. It is full of small anecdotes - a friendly Britisch paratrooper excusing himself for the scars his brengun left on the antique table, another paratrooper that befriends a little kid in a cellar during an artillery attack. A kid that remembers the encounter to this day, the soldier long dead but not forgotten.
It is not surprising that the inhabitants of Oosterbeek still regard the British paratroopers with the greatest respect and gratitude and that there still exist a strong bond between the civilians and veterans up to this day.
(Read in Dutch)
Kershaw manages to capture the despair of the citizens, who shared joys and sorrows with the British, their liberators, for a few days in September. It is full of small anecdotes - a friendly Britisch paratrooper excusing himself for the scars his brengun left on the antique table, another paratrooper that befriends a little kid in a cellar during an artillery attack. A kid that remembers the encounter to this day, the soldier long dead but not forgotten.
It is not surprising that the inhabitants of Oosterbeek still regard the British paratroopers with the greatest respect and gratitude and that there still exist a strong bond between the civilians and veterans up to this day.
(Read in Dutch)
September 29, 2025
Kershaw is on familiar terrain after "it never snows in September" and deftly plays 3 sides. For all the bullets, it is at heart not a manly tale of action, but the embodiment of Eisenhower's quote "I hate war as only a soldier can who has seen its senseless stupidity and destruction."
The beleaguered British paratroopers, fighting from room to garden for every house, starving but more accustomed to being surrounded than surrender. At ranges of 50 to 30 meters, even a 6 pounder AT gun or that blasted PIAT can cook a tank.
The Germans, wearily eyeing the direction of Nijmegen and the Poles from the sky as they try to keep the lid on the Kessel. With an improvised mix of SS without their Panzers except repurposed French Char B as mastodont flamethrowers, AA units with 20mm guns that absolutely plaster plaster everywhere. A small core of veterans from Russia and Normandy to lead green administrative personnel, naval infantry and underage trainees into the unforgiving claustrophobia of urban warfare.
Most importantly, the Dutch civilians living the 7km length of the Oosterbeek main street. A prosperous, tree-lined neighbourhood with sparklingly clean interiors full of family heirlooms as stone monuments to the blessing of domestic peace.
Their rooms politely overturned into messy barricades by the Tommies, hurdling in cellars from German fire. "the beast rears its head again" is a not unfrequent expression they use about war.
It's a metaphor we used to teach toddlers about covid five years ago and currently divides or unites the world on social media about Ukraine and Palestine. We are deeply divided on which side has the bigger Asshole In Charge, but we can agree that it's time to stop the civilian suffering.
The beleaguered British paratroopers, fighting from room to garden for every house, starving but more accustomed to being surrounded than surrender. At ranges of 50 to 30 meters, even a 6 pounder AT gun or that blasted PIAT can cook a tank.
The Germans, wearily eyeing the direction of Nijmegen and the Poles from the sky as they try to keep the lid on the Kessel. With an improvised mix of SS without their Panzers except repurposed French Char B as mastodont flamethrowers, AA units with 20mm guns that absolutely plaster plaster everywhere. A small core of veterans from Russia and Normandy to lead green administrative personnel, naval infantry and underage trainees into the unforgiving claustrophobia of urban warfare.
Most importantly, the Dutch civilians living the 7km length of the Oosterbeek main street. A prosperous, tree-lined neighbourhood with sparklingly clean interiors full of family heirlooms as stone monuments to the blessing of domestic peace.
Their rooms politely overturned into messy barricades by the Tommies, hurdling in cellars from German fire. "the beast rears its head again" is a not unfrequent expression they use about war.
It's a metaphor we used to teach toddlers about covid five years ago and currently divides or unites the world on social media about Ukraine and Palestine. We are deeply divided on which side has the bigger Asshole In Charge, but we can agree that it's time to stop the civilian suffering.
June 8, 2024
Despite a lot of mistakes and inaccuracies, the book is still worth a read because of the firstperson accounts by the British/Polish soldiers fighting at Arnhem and Oosterbeek, the civilians that ended up in this deadly storm and the Germans that threw in everything but the kitchen sink to stop the Allies.
The personal recollections show how hard this battle was fought, and the book only covers a small area of this all, and how much suffering was endured by the civilians. They were elated when the parachutes rained down around the area and in just two days the whole thing turned around. They knew the Germans were there to stay and how, after the battle, they ended up with their houses and belongings trashed, burned and stolen. And obviously the loss of life.
Point is, the author could have done a far better job than he did now, using the currently (at the time of writing) available information and adding this to the above mentioned accounts.
The personal recollections show how hard this battle was fought, and the book only covers a small area of this all, and how much suffering was endured by the civilians. They were elated when the parachutes rained down around the area and in just two days the whole thing turned around. They knew the Germans were there to stay and how, after the battle, they ended up with their houses and belongings trashed, burned and stolen. And obviously the loss of life.
Point is, the author could have done a far better job than he did now, using the currently (at the time of writing) available information and adding this to the above mentioned accounts.
December 25, 2015
A wonderful companion to It Never Snows in September. As a young child (b.1938) I would watch the newsreels at our local movie theater and wonder what happens to the children with all that war around them. Mr. Kershaw, in addition to documenting the Allies perspective of the battle of Arnhem, gives us the diaries and personal interviews of the people caught in the battle on their street. I felt that I knew them and at times even cried for them as they could not cry for themselves at the time. The rebuilding of Arnhem is especially endearing and the ties that remain are beautiful. One small mention in this and also in It Never Snows in September is the problem of defense if the continent is under siege again, rising to the forefront after the Paris attacks of 2015.
October 10, 2019
I really enjoyed this book detailing the battles along the 7 kilometers of Utrechtseweg between Oosterbeek and Arnhem during Operation Market-Garden. It is full of detail accounts. The best part is that it is told from British, German and Dutch points of view.
My mother's cousin was glider pilot who drown crossing the Rhine during Operation M-G. Reading this books makes me wonder if he was part of the landings and eventual evacuation cover by this book.
My mother's cousin was glider pilot who drown crossing the Rhine during Operation M-G. Reading this books makes me wonder if he was part of the landings and eventual evacuation cover by this book.
June 3, 2017
Fantastic book after travelling the same route on holiday in Holland from Oosterbeek to the bridge at Arnhem. Bought at Airborne Museum.
July 4, 2017
I have an interest in the Battle of Arnhem as my father fought there. This book is a riveting read as it recounts experiences, many during the battle, of soldiers and civilians who lived on the Utrechtsweg, the main road through Oosterbeek where much of the fighting took place. The book is from many personal viewpoints. Some of the detail of battle is horrific as the Airborne fought like tigers to hang until XXX Corps could relieve them; we get accounts from both sides of the conflict.
I am not sure that the Arnhem situation was unique, but almost overnight a peaceful town, full of civilians, woke up to find they were actually living in a battle zone. There was no warning or close proximity of action to alert them.
The slow death of liberation euphoria as it becomes clear that XXX Corps was not going to make it in time is well captured, along with the immediate complete evacuation of the town forced by the Germans as soon as the battle was over.
This is a pacey, readable book which I thoroughly enjoyed.
I am not sure that the Arnhem situation was unique, but almost overnight a peaceful town, full of civilians, woke up to find they were actually living in a battle zone. There was no warning or close proximity of action to alert them.
The slow death of liberation euphoria as it becomes clear that XXX Corps was not going to make it in time is well captured, along with the immediate complete evacuation of the town forced by the Germans as soon as the battle was over.
This is a pacey, readable book which I thoroughly enjoyed.
April 4, 2016
a minute by minute accounting of operation "Market Garden". A real page turner, excelllent.
April 2, 2025
A very in depth story with first hand accounts. The book is so detailed I lost my way and would have benefited from more maps to outline who was doing what.
February 19, 2024
A Street In Arnhem covers the history of the WWII battle for Arnhem Bridge focusing on Utrechtseweg, the street where most of the fighting occurred. Lots of eyewitness accounts from British, Polish, German, and Dutch survivors.
That Dutch narrative is the most interesting bit as it gives the point of view of the civilians caught up in the middle of it all, something often left out of these kinds of histories.
Well worth the read if you are interested in the history of WWII or just this battle. One thing to be aware of if your knowledge of the battle comes largely from A Bridge Too Far is that there is relatively little coverage given to Col. Frost’s efforts to hold onto the north edge of Arnhem Bridge. Instead, the focus is mostly on the attempt to relieve Frost, and then to hold on in the pocket created at the western end of the street until the order was finally given to withdraw. When it’s not on the German efforts to block that effort, or the Dutch efforts to just survive.
That Dutch narrative is the most interesting bit as it gives the point of view of the civilians caught up in the middle of it all, something often left out of these kinds of histories.
Well worth the read if you are interested in the history of WWII or just this battle. One thing to be aware of if your knowledge of the battle comes largely from A Bridge Too Far is that there is relatively little coverage given to Col. Frost’s efforts to hold onto the north edge of Arnhem Bridge. Instead, the focus is mostly on the attempt to relieve Frost, and then to hold on in the pocket created at the western end of the street until the order was finally given to withdraw. When it’s not on the German efforts to block that effort, or the Dutch efforts to just survive.
July 30, 2025
Great point of view focussing on the street during this operation.
The book could use some more maps in between the texts to make it clear what location they talk about.
Also the book makes me wonder about the numbers of Paras. One moment they mention small groups of 20/40 man. But they still manage to evacuate 2000+ men.
The book could use some more maps in between the texts to make it clear what location they talk about.
Also the book makes me wonder about the numbers of Paras. One moment they mention small groups of 20/40 man. But they still manage to evacuate 2000+ men.
December 17, 2023
Only thing Kershaw could have done better is use of the right Dutch names & places
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews