A Bridge Too Far (book)
1974 book by Cornelius Ryan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Bridge Too Far (1974) by Cornelius Ryan gives an account of Operation Market Garden, a failed Allied attempt to break through German lines at Arnhem by taking a series of bridges in the occupied Netherlands during World War II.
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Cornelius Ryan |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | War |
| Published | 1974 (Simon & Schuster, New York; Hamish Hamilton, London) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 672 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-684-80330-5 |
Ryan named his book after a comment attributed to Lieutenant General Frederick Browning before the operation, who reportedly said to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, "I think we may be going a bridge too far."[1] But Antony Beevor disputes this, saying that Browning had supported the operation, especially in view of receiving more resources. Secondly he did not appear to have encountered Montgomery that day.[2]
Drawing on a wide variety of sources, Ryan documented his account of the 1944 battle with pictures and maps. He included a section on the survivors, "Soldiers and Civilians – What They Do Today".
He addressed tactical mistakes made in planning the operation. Until Ryan's book, Market Garden had been a classic example of victors writing the history; that is, popular accounts of World War II tended to overlook the battle or to accept Field Marshal Montgomery's spin on it as being a "partial success".[3]
The 1974 book was published by Simon & Schuster in New York and by Hamish Hamilton in London. There were frequent later editions, and a film based on it was released in 1977.[4]