Good books on Operation Market Garden?

Dear All

Can anyone suggest any particularly good books on Operation Market Garden? This operation has always fascinated me and although I know the basics I am looking for something that goes into great depth - in a single volume if one exists.

Thank you in advance!

Mark

 

Cornelius Ryan - Bridge too far.
Martin Middlebrook - Arnhem.
These are the best intro books, I guess, although the Arnhem book is rather detailed.
Enjoy reading, Paul

 

For OMG as opposed to Arnhem in isolation, the After the Battle two-volume set would be my recommendation - plenty of detail including maps and pictures.

 

'It Never Snows in September' by Robert Kershaw is a fascinating account of 'Market Garden' from the German perspective. It is particularly interesting on the question of whether a coup de main attack on Arnhem bridge would have been a better option. This is generally accepted as a 'no-brainer' by most writers , but Kerhsaw is more sceptical. My favourite personal account is 'Men at Arnhem' by 'Tom Angus' aka Geoffrey Powell, who also wrote a very good overall study of the operation 'The Devil's Birthday '. There have been a lot of recent books, which tend to go over the same ground, including William Buckingham (who lays the blame for the failure pretty much entirely on Browning), Robin Neillands (who feels the Americans should shoulder some of the responsibility, particularly over the failure to prioritise the early capture of Nijmegen Bridge) and Lloyd Clark .

 

Perfect! Thank you all for your suggestions, much appreciated!

Off to Amazon I go...

Mark

 

Given your intrest in the S.staffs this book is one to have on your shelf, although its a bit pricey. By Land, Sea and Air. An Illustrated History of the 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Reegiment 1940-1945. From Official Records and Personal Accounts of Members of the Battalion. With Jaap Korsloot by [ARNHEM. SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT]. JUNIER (A) and B. SMULDERS. BookFinder.com: Search Results (Matching Books)

 

Given your intrest in the S.staffs this book is one to have on your shelf, although its a bit pricey. By Land, Sea and Air. An Illustrated History of the 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Reegiment 1940-1945. From Official Records and Personal Accounts of Members of the Battalion. With Jaap Korsloot by [ARNHEM. SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT]. JUNIER (A) and B. SMULDERS. BookFinder.com: Search Results (Matching Books)

Many thanks, wtid45! I have come across this book before and it will go on my list now you have reminded me. Coupled with one or two of the other books mentioned above it should get me off to a great start.

Mark

 

Many thanks, wtid45! I have come across this book before and it will go on my list now you have reminded me. Coupled with one or two of the other books mentioned above it should get me off to a great start.

Mark
Your welcome, all good suggestions, as a starting point I would always recommend Middlebrooks book..... then of course you could spend a few hours looking through the Arnhem lovers thread we have here. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/books-films-tv-radio/18186-arnhem-1st-british-airborne-division-op-market-garden-book-collection.html

 

Your welcome, all good suggestions, as a starting point I would always recommend Middlebrooks book..... then of course you could spend a few hours looking through the Arnhem lovers thread we have here. http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/books-films-tv-radio/18186-arnhem-1st-british-airborne-division-op-market-garden-book-collection.html

I could be here a while with that one!

Mark

 

A friend of mine pointed out "Arnhem: The Battle for Survival" by John Nichol which I purchased from Amazon. Has anyone read this book and if so what did you think of it?

Mark

 

Hi Mark,

Where do you want to start and how much will you be willing to pay ??? 1st Martin Mibblebrooks Arnhem a must have... Second Delhi to Arnhem again a must have Bridge to far the list can goes on and on...

Cheers
Tom

 

Hi Mark,

Where do you want to start and how much will you be willing to pay ??? 1st Martin Mibblebrooks Arnhem a must have... Second Delhi to Arnhem again a must have Bridge to far the list can goes on and on...

Cheers
Tom
Delhi to Arnhem is a must have for only the Arnhem Battle fanatics, I think, because it is only about one unit, 156 Bn. I think you should start with general accounts: Bridge too far first of all! Than Middlebrook on Arnhem. September Hope is only about the 2 US airborne divisions (Eindhoven-Nijmegen), so a good follow up on these 2 books. Powell and Clark are also on Market Garden as a whole and good introductions. Arnhem, the battle for survival is only on Arnhem and focuses on a few veterans stories. Interesting also of course...
The easiest starting book, by the way, is Badsey, Arnhem 1944 - Operation Market Garden. A very concise introduction... And I agree that the expensive, very large 2 volume books on Market Garden by Margry (then and now) are awesome (almost all pictures of the battle + very good captions).

 

Middlebrook is my favourite too, when it comes to the Airborne battle for Arnhem. Contains quite a lot of detail, without loosing track of the general story.

I also like Gavin's 'On to Berlin' as well as MacDonald's 'The Siegfried Line Campaign', both give a good oversight of the operations of the U.S. Airbornes. I suggest to combine these with the two volumes of the After the Battle on OMG and Kershaw's book 'It never Snows in September', already mentioned above.

 

Thank you all! I do invest quite a chunk of money into books so prepared to go a long way. My Napoleonic, Victorian and WW1 libraries are very large so I suspect WW2 might end up being something similar.

Mark

 

Add 'Arnhem Lift' by Louis Hagen to your list too. And 'The Pegasus Patrol' - an account of the Divisional Provost Company. The OC was an ex-flatmate's mother's first husband. He survived the battle only to be lost during the evacuation across the river - reportedly going back to help someone in trouble.

 

Add 'Arnhem Lift' by Louis Hagen to your list too. And 'The Pegasus Patrol' - an account of the Divisional Provost Company. The OC was an ex-flatmate's mother's first husband. He survived the battle only to be lost during the evacuation across the river - reportedly going back to help someone in trouble.

Many thanks for the suggestion, Phil! I will add it to my list.

Mark

 

I would also recommend the Glider Pilots at Arnhem by Mike Peters and Luuk Buist. The pilots were involved in many aspects of the battle and represent about 1 in 8 of the men involved. So the book covers the whole story with perhaps a wider emphasis than some of the other unit accounts. That being said John Fairleys book, RemeMBER Arnhem, covering the Recce Squadron, is another excellent book.