Arnhem Lib/E: Ten Days in the Cauldron

by Iain Ballantyne, Ralph Lister (Reading)

"It was a bridge too far, and perhaps the whole plan was doomed to failure from the start, but we had to try, didn't we?"

September 17, 1944: 30,000 airborne soldiers prepare to drop sixty-four miles behind enemy lines into Nazi-occupied Holland; tens of thousands of ground troops race down Hell's Highway in tanks and armored cars, trucks, and half-tracks to link up with them. The goal--to secure eight bridges across the Rhine and end the war by Christmas. Ten days later, over 15,000 of these soldiers have died, and 6,000 have been taken prisoner.

Operation Market Garden was the daring plan to stage a coup de main in occupied territory, gain control of those bridges, and obtain a direct route into Hitler's Germany. But the operation failed, and the allied forces suffered a brutal military defeat. In the seventy-five years since, tactics have been analyzed and blame has been placed, but the heart of Arnhem's story lies in the selflessness and bravery of those troops that fought, the courage and resilience of the civilians caught up in confrontation, and the pure determination to fight for their lives and their freedom. This is the story of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events.

In Ballantyne's Arnhem, we go into battle with not only the famous commanders in the thick of the action, but also with all those whose fates were determined by their decisions. Based on first-hand interviews, military records, and diaries, we witness the confusion and mayhem of war--from the horrific and devastating to the surreal and mundane. But most of all, we witness the self-sacrifice and valor of the men who gave their lives to liberate strangers in a foreign country.

Genres: History

Audio CD

Published May 26, 2020

About the author

'Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom - 80th anniversary edition' is Iain's latest book and an updated and expanded new version of the 2016 original, this time published both as an e-book and a shop paperback. His previous book was 'Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron' (Sept 2019), also for Agora Books.

Although he has written several naval history books, including those on the Second World War and the Cold War, Iain Ballantyne has, during the course of his career as a journalist, editor, and author, also covered the activities of land forces.

Those assignments took him to Kuwait, Oman, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Hong Kong, sometimes during times of conflict. Iain has visited WW2 battlefields in company with those who fought there as young men, while also spending hours in conversation with Arnhem veterans.

As a teenager, Iain embarked on an expedition to follow the course of the Rhine, including a pilgrimage to Oosterbeek and Arnhem. He retraced the route of the British Airborne soldiers in 1944 as they tried to take the famous ‘bridge too far’.

Iain Ballantyne’s assignments as a writer on naval affairs have taken him from the Arctic to mine infested waters off war-torn Kuwait, aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier off Libya, into the South China Sea and below the Irish Sea in a hunter-killer submarine.

Iain has contributed to coverage of naval and military issues in national and regional newspapers, and provided analysis and commentaries for radio and television, as well as prestigious publications by NATO and the Royal Navy.

His most recent naval history book was 'The Deadly Trade: The Complete History of Submarine Warfare from Archimedes to the Present' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2018). It was published in the USA in December 2018, as 'The Deadly Deep' (Pegasus Books).

Iain's other books include ‘Hunter Killers’ (Orion, 2013), which was published in the USA in September 2019 as 'Undersea Warriors' (Pegasus Books).

Iain won a Mountbatten Certificate of Merit for his action-packed depiction of the pursuit and destruction of Hitler's flagship as recounted in ‘Killing the Bismarck’ (Pen & Sword, 2010).

In 2017 he was awarded a Fellowship by the UK’s Maritime Foundation. One of its top annual awards, it recognised Iain’s immense contribution to the maritime cause since 1990, as a journalist, author of naval history books and Editor of 'WARSHIPS International Fleet Review' magazine from 1998 to the present.

Reviews

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated with WWII and especially with battles that included the 82nd since my father fought with them. This book well written and full of information looks at the plan of Market Garden from the beginning and the British side. First after reading this, I felt that Eisenhower and his staff on down dropped the ball big time. Not preparing and going over the final plans like they did for other invasions was ludicrous and then Montgomery who is said to have planned this to not be over is just as bad. To have a man with no airborne experience come up with the plan and execute it is crazy but they did. I had always thought that the British Airbourne was dropped at the same time and got left behind, but now their people have come up with a plan to not drop them all at the same time as they did with the 101st and the 82nd. People can say all they want about the 52nd but my father told me they spent the night in the river the entire group including General Gavin, and the next morning when they crossed the river enlisted and officers alike were fighting together and when they got across was when Gavin decided to displace the Germans on the hill overlooking them. As for the British, they were left out to dry by their people, and by the lack of scouting, they would have seen German SS troops around along with Panzers taking leave only to be called into action quickly. The Polish Paratroopers sadly fought gallantly while they were landing in the middle of the Germans with a few escaping. The day when it was decided for everyone to pull out Monty’s tanks stayed out of the action which by all of the other books I have read must be fact. They could not even try to fight for their men. For the British Paratroopers who fought out and even the ones that were captured, I look at them as warriors let down by Montgomery and of course, Eisenhower for he was the Supreme Commander who did not command. A very good book about the men who fought in this battle.

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author & historian Iain Ballantyne http://iainballantyne.com published the book “Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron” in 2019. Mr. Ballantyne has published a dozen books.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of violence.

This book details the events in Arnhem, Netherlands, from 17 September thru 25 September 1944. This was the daring Operation Market Garden that was to end the war. The British 1st Airborne Division was tasked with capturing the bridge over the Rhine at Arnhem. It became known as the Bridge Too Far when they were unable to capture and hold the bridge.

This book begins with a look at the D-Day airborne operations. Operation Market Garden was an even larger drop that on D-Day. The book gives a day-by-day description of the airborne drop around Arnhem and their battle with German forces.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 7 hours I spent reading this 375-page WWII history. I have read other accounts of Markey Garden and the Battle for Arnhem. This is by far the most detailed. I like the chosen cover art. I rate this book as a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

[wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done. Very good use of primary sources. I find specific stories on parts of large stories to be useful to expand my understanding. In this case, Allied forces in Europe in WWII. Everyone has heard the phrase "A bridge too far". It actually is a now understood term for trying to hard and failing. Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far" written in 1974 with the follow up 1977 movie by the same name. That is this story. It is written about the facts and details of the people who lived and died in 1944. A useful read to really understand the time period of this war.

[Vicki Shaw Freeland · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than expected

I'm no historian. I have however read a good deal of WWll history by many of the well known authors. All of which developed a deep appreciation of "Greatest Generation". What makes this book special is the humanizing aspect. It is one thing to read historical events. It is quite something different to feel as though you're personally experiencing the event. Ballantyne brings the reader into the horror, misery, the brutality of The Cauldron that was the battle of Arnhem. Highly recommend.

[The Real Boba Fett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read and watch anything Operation Market Garden related but this was a good book. If you’ve read anything about the operation from 101st Airborne Division to the 82nd Airborne Division to the 1st Airborne Division to XXX Corps as a whole, this focuses in on the struggle within Arnhem itself. Good read.

[Hawkjock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the best that I’ve read this year. The research into this pivotal battle, the first hand accounts of the survivors in their own words, the detailed battles from individual soldiers against tanks to higher headquarters manipulation of troops and equipment, all coalesce into a great historic account.

[Steven Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a keen interest in this subject and have read many books and visited the battlefields for the 75th anniversary in 2019, so I was delighted to come across this book that gave new perspectives and most importantly a voice to people who fought there. Its a great read and the only diappointment for me was its relatively short at 274 pages. Highly recommended.

[Todd A · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gets you in the state of mind and drudgery these guys and the civilians must’ve felt. At one point I thought, “this can’t go on!” Yes, it did for another 4 days!

[James Stirling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book but always wanted to know more and jumped around a bit but a good read and will buy a few more books to get a better picture of Market Garden.

[Vince Mattaliano · Rating 3 out of 5]

This military account is for all intents and purposes meant for those with an advanced interest in military history. That said, it really should be read in paper form, rather than as an audio book. The reason? Books on military history, especially those relating battles, strategy and tactics need to be accompanied by some graphic illustrations, such as maps. Audio books can't provide this; however, as an adjunct to the written page it is excellent!