Description
Book SynopsisThis fascinating title offers a new look at Operation Market Garden and the Arnhem campaign from the perspective of the German forces who defended against the Allied offensive.
In the late summer of 1944, SS-Obergruppenführer Wilhelm Willi Bittrich found himself in the Netherlands surveying his II SS Panzer Corps, which was in a poor state having narrowly escaped the defeat in Normandy. He was completely unaware that his command lay directly in the path of a major Allied thrust: the September 17, 1944, launch of the largest airborne and glider operation in the history of warfare. Codenamed Operation Market Garden, it was intended to outflank the German West Wall and bounce the Rhine at Arnhem, from where the Allies could strike into the Ruhr, Nazi Germany''s industrial heartland. Such a move could have ended the war.
However, Market Garden and the battle for Arnhem were a disaster for the Allies. Put together in little over a week and lacki
Trade Review
This is an important and timely operational analysis of the events of September 1944. It is a mark of my respect for Anthony Tucker-Jones's work that I wish I had researched and written The Devil's Bridge. Thus I am more than happy to commend his scholarship to you. -- Professor Peter Caddick-Adams
A gripping narrative from a less familiar viewpoint - that of Holland's occupiers. -- Dr Graham Goodlad
A fine sense of detail and character makes this a thrilling and unusual read. -- Tim Newark
Interestingly examining the actions of the German forces that led to Arnhem. -- Robin Buckland
This analysis provides a valuable insight into an event which is a signally important event in British military history. -- Trevor James * The Historian *
The story of the ill-fated but courageous Allied defeat will continue to fascinate military history buffs, but anyone wanting to understand this chapter in the war from the “other side of the hill” will find The Devil’s Bridge equally as compelling. -- Becky Clark * Solider Magazine *
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements Foreword Prologue: Model Gets Indigestion List of Maps List of Illustrations 1. Race Against Time 2. Zangen’s Great Escape 3. Six and a Quarter 4. Student’s Paras 5. Chill on the Albert 6. The Devil Lies in Wait 7. Bittrich’s Quick Reaction 8. Panzers at Valkenswaard 9. Airborne Stepping Stones 10. Fierce Counter-attacks 11. Reichswald Assault 12. Resistance at the Valkhof 13. Creating Hell’s Highway 14. Arnhem Retaken 15. SS in the Betuwe 16. Model Triumphs 17. Unrepentant Advocate 18. Panzer Corps Controversy 19. Last Battles 20. Little Consequence 21. Mary of Arnhem Epilogue: Poignant Tragedy Appendices Notes and References Bibliography Index
