Rating: 
Summary: ten-best battle account i have read
Review: if anyone would like to contact me with specific info on the 9th ss panzer division "hohenstaufen" that fought at arnhem in sept. 1944, i would be very grateful.
Rating:
Summary: A riveting account of the German mastery of improvisation
Review: Mr Kershaw's account of the Market Garden operation from the Wermacht viewpoint is an exceptional complement to Cornelius Ryan's "Bridge Too Far". The details illustrate the German Army's ability to improvise in the face of incredibly daunting odds. Ad Hoc units scraped from anywhere and everywhere were welded together as kampfgruppen under seasoned leaders and thrown in first to surpress the allied airborne forces, second to prevent the linkup of heavy forces trying to punch through the airborne corridor with the final airborne objective, and finally establish a viable defense west of the German border area. All in the face of powerful allied air and land power. Mr Kershaw's research provides new perspective and insight on a subject which has been covered in exhausting detail by other authors. Unique photography and situation maps enhance the quality of an already exceptional presentation.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best perspectives on the subject. s
Review: One of the best written perspectives on this subject in years. Accurate both in subject matter and pictorials. I used it as a guide while attending the 50th anniversary as a guest of some surviving 2nd and 3rd Battalion veterans. Author is most expert. This book is complemented by Martin Middlebrook's "Arnhem" and the underknown Cornelius Bauer's "The Battle of Arnhem". Kershaw's overall presentation and graphics are tops. Quite stylized and organized well considering the complexity of the tale.
Rating: 
Summary: A Provocative Interpretation of Operation Market Garden!
Review: The critical difference employed in this book about Operation Market Garden is its use of the German perspective regarding the fabled and fatefully miscalculated Allied assault in the fall of 1944 in an vainglorious attempt to grab and hold several bridges leading into Germany. This book by British author Robert J. Kershaw retelling the oft-told tale of the momentous Allied miscalculation of potential German resistance and the speed with which the Allied armored forces could proceed up the one road needed to support and sustain the airdropped forces is a riveting tale. Like the most famous book yet published (a new book on the subject is due out this fall) it graphically describes the total cost in terms of human life and unnecessary destruction. This is a story told at every level, but concentrating on the faithful recollections of the German participants in the action. Thus, the reader is swept into the action to get a voyeur's view of the moment-to-moment development of the story as it unfolds to the Wehrmacht's amazement in all its horrific detail.The title refers to a German soldier's observation of the white parachutes suddenly filling the morning sky over Arnhem; since it never snows in September, the soldier instantly realized it must mean an invasion. As mentioned above, the preponderance of attention is paid to the recollections and experiences of the German armed forces, although these are balanced with liberal sprinklings of noncombatants and Allied observations. It is clear that the author feels that earlier works on this subject leaves the reader with a quite biased view of the events, and he marshals an impressive number of impressive findings to suggest the Allies were either criminally negligent or unbelievably inept in assessing the risks associated with the operation. From the beginning they should have understood the degree of ferocity and tenacity with which the Germans would respond. Much of what is said here reflects poorly on judgments made by the Allied hierarchy, but especially Field Marshall Montgomery and also Eisenhower in allowing the raid to proceed. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that such decisions were often made against best judgment, and that it is far easier in historical retrospective to criticize a disastrous decision which could have potentially shortened the war by six months and saved hundreds of thousands of lives. This is a provocative and absorbing book, one I am sure all WWII buffs will enjoy paging through, and one stirring the pot of expectation regarding the newest entry in the Operation Market Garden discussion due out early this fall. I highly recommend this book, and like an earlier reviewer, suggest it be read along with Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far", which to my mind is till the standard work on the subject. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A Provocative Interpretation of Operation Market Garden!
Review: The critical difference employed in this book about Operation Market Garden is its use of the German perspective regarding the fabled and fatefully miscalculated Allied assault in the fall of 1944 in an vainglorious attempt to grab and hold several bridges leading into Germany. This book by British author Robert J. Kershaw retelling the oft-told tale of the momentous Allied miscalculation of potential German resistance and the speed with which the Allied armored forces could proceed up the one road needed to support and sustain the airdropped forces is a riveting tale. Like the most famous book yet published (a new book on the subject is due out this fall) it graphically describes the total cost in terms of human life and unnecessary destruction. This is a story told at every level, but concentrating on the faithful recollections of the German participants in the action. Thus, the reader is swept into the action to get a voyeur's view of the moment-to-moment development of the story as it unfolds to the Wehrmacht's amazement in all its horrific detail. The title refers to a German soldier's observation of the white parachutes suddenly filling the morning sky over Arnhem; since it never snows in September, the soldier instantly realized it must mean an invasion. As mentioned above, the preponderance of attention is paid to the recollections and experiences of the German armed forces, although these are balanced with liberal sprinklings of noncombatants and Allied observations. It is clear that the author feels that earlier works on this subject leaves the reader with a quite biased view of the events, and he marshals an impressive number of impressive findings to suggest the Allies were either criminally negligent or unbelievably inept in assessing the risks associated with the operation. From the beginning they should have understood the degree of ferocity and tenacity with which the Germans would respond. Much of what is said here reflects poorly on judgments made by the Allied hierarchy, but especially Field Marshall Montgomery and also Eisenhower in allowing the raid to proceed. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that such decisions were often made against best judgment, and that it is far easier in historical retrospective to criticize a disastrous decision which could have potentially shortened the war by six months and saved hundreds of thousands of lives. This is a provocative and absorbing book, one I am sure all WWII buffs will enjoy paging through, and one stirring the pot of expectation regarding the newest entry in the Operation Market Garden discussion due out early this fall. I highly recommend this book, and like an earlier reviewer, suggest it be read along with Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far", which to my mind is till the standard work on the subject. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Presentation of the German Viewpoint
Review: The difficulty with reading Ryan's "A Bridge to Far" or Middlebrook's "Arnhem" (both excellent books) is you don't get the full sense of what's happening on the other side. It wouldn't matter so much in histories of many other battles, but Operation Market-Garden was notable for its confusion. As a result, the understanding of the whole story particularily benefits from the German viewpoint. Kershaw takes a logical method of breaking the battle down into pieces, and has added new insights to each section of the battle. Some parts are slightly sketchier than others, but I suppose that's due to the lack of available information. The book also has several series of photographs, though Kershaw takes the somewhat annoying tack of describing each photograph in the text as well -- one picture is worth a thousand words. Lastly, the author disputes the theory that the British 1st Airborne would have held the Arnhem bridge if they had landed closer to it.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Presentation of the German Viewpoint
Review: The difficulty with reading Ryan's "A Bridge to Far" or Middlebrook's "Arnhem" (both excellent books) is you don't get the full sense of what's happening on the other side. It wouldn't matter so much in histories of many other battles, but Operation Market-Garden was notable for its confusion. As a result, the understanding of the whole story particularily benefits from the German viewpoint. Kershaw takes a logical method of breaking the battle down into pieces, and has added new insights to each section of the battle. Some parts are slightly sketchier than others, but I suppose that's due to the lack of available information. The book also has several series of photographs, though Kershaw takes the somewhat annoying tack of describing each photograph in the text as well -- one picture is worth a thousand words. Lastly, the author disputes the theory that the British 1st Airborne would have held the Arnhem bridge if they had landed closer to it.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Presentation of the German Viewpoint
Review: The difficulty with reading Ryan's "A Bridge to Far" or Middlebrook's "Arnhem" (both excellent books) is you don't get the full sense of what's happening on the other side. It wouldn't matter so much in histories of many other battles, but Operation Market-Garden was notable for its confusion. As a result, the understanding of the whole story particularily benefits from the German viewpoint. Kershaw takes a logical method of breaking the battle down into pieces, and has added new insights to each section of the battle. Some parts are slightly sketchier than others, but I suppose that's due to the lack of available information. The book also has several series of photographs, though Kershaw takes the somewhat annoying tack of describing each photograph in the text as well -- one picture is worth a thousand words. Lastly, the author disputes the theory that the British 1st Airborne would have held the Arnhem bridge if they had landed closer to it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent research - highly recommended
Review: This book's great blend of eye witness accounts, documentary of the German general staff and photographs is highly recommended. Well researched details of the frantic german effort to scrape together units and battlegroups, set aside the myth of the allies bumping into 2 complete, high quality SS panzer divisions, that "only" had to be refitted before being thrown into action again. Excellent book !
Rating:
Summary: Excellent account of this WW2 battle
Review: This is one of the better books you'll find covering the famous WW2 battle at Arnhem. The author covers the fighting from the German perspective and covers the battle in great detail. The excellent maps and numerous photos, some not published before, make this a must have book for the historian or anybody interested in this battle. Well worth the money.
| 
