A Bridge Too Far

by Cornelius Ryan

  Kaczmarek, Stefan, 1st Lt. [Supplies]. Bank clerk, Sydenham, England.

  Kochalski, Alexander, Cpl. [Engineers]. Motor mechanic, Surrey, England. (Now known as Michael Alexander.)

  Korob, Wladijslaw, Cpl. [Brigade Hq. Co.]. Car mechanic, Rotterdam, Holland.

  Lesniak, Jerzy, Lt. [1st Battalion]. Goldsmith, London, England.

  Niebieszczanski, Adam, Cadet [Signal Co.]. Office manager, Westbury, N.Y.

  Prochowski, Robert L., 1st Lt. [3rd Battalion]. Senior control buyer, Chicago, III.

  Szczygiel, Wieslaw, Lt. [Engineers]. Photographer, Leven, Fife, Scotland. (Now known as George W. Harvey.)

  Smaczny, Albert T., Lt. [3rd Battalion]. Foreman, Cambridge, England.

  Wojewodka, Boleslaw S., Cpl. [1st Battalion]. Underwriter for insurance company, Island Park, N.Y.

  GERMAN

  Bittrich, Wilhelm, SS Lt. Gen. [II SS Panzer Corps]. Retired.

  Rundstedt, Gerd von,* Field Marshal, Commander in Chief [OB West, Ober-befehlshaber West].

  Student, Kurt, Col. Gen., C.O. [1st Parachute Army]. Retired.

  Bang, Helmut, Pvt. [Ind. Eng. Battalion]. Locksmith.

  Becker, Otto, Pvt. [2nd SS Panzer Antitank Regt.]. Salesman

  Berthold, Günter, Cpl. [Luftwaffe Flak Battery 591]. Commercial traveler.

  Blumentritt, Gunther,* Maj. Gen. [OB West; Von Rundstedt’s chief of staff].

  Borkenhagen, Hans, Lt. [Infantry, Reg. 1036]. Civil servant.

  Brandt, Georg, Cpl. [Luftwaffe RR Flak Unit]. Civil servant.

  Brandt, Theo, Pvt. [Grenadier Battalion], University purchasing manager.

  Burg, Wilhelm von der, Cpl. [Luftwaffe Flak Antiaircraft Unit]. Merchant.

  Busch, Karl Martin, Pvt. [Kampfgruppe Knaust]. Operates commercial-inquiry office.

  Dessloch, Otto, Col. Gen., C.O. [3rd Luftwaffe Air Fleet]. Retired.

  Fiebig, Werner, Pvt. [SS Panzer Grenadiers Depot Battalion 16]. Unknown.

  Fromm, Wolgang, Ordinance Officer [59th Infantry Div.]. Horticultural business owner.

  Gehrhardt, Erwin, Sgt. [Artillery Regt.]. Civil servant.

  Gliicks, Paul, Sgt. [Regiment Jungwirt]. Member of West-German Broadcasting Company.

  Haberman, Heinz, Sgt. [Luftnachrichteneinheit]. Civil servant.

  Harmel, Heinz, Maj. Gen., C.O. [10th SS Panzer Div.]. Manufacturers’ representative.

  Harzer, Walter, Lt. Col., C.O. [9th SS Panzer Div.]. Consulting engineer.

  Heck, Erwin, Liaison Officer [SS Training Battalion, Arnhem]. Salesman.

  Heydte, Friedrich von der, Lt. Col, C.O. [6th Parachute Regt.]. Professor, international law.

  Hilberg, Jiirgen, Cpl. [Luftwaffe Comm. Battalion]. Civil servant.

  Hoffman, Heinz-Jiirgen, Gunner [15th Army Artillery Battalion]. Dairy manager.

  Huck, Werner, Col. [Flakbrigade 19]. Retired.

  Jansen, Georg, Pvt. [Engineers]. Farmer.

  Jupe, Horst, Cpl. [9th SS Panzer Div.]. Accountant.

  Knaust, Hans Peter, Maj., C.O. [Kampfgruppe Knaust, with 10th SS Panzer Div.]. Retired.

  Krafft, Sepp, Major, C.O. [Panzer Grenadiers Training and Reserve Battalion 16]. Police official.

  Lange, Hans, Maj. [Flak Unit]. Retired.

  Laurenz, Josef, Pvt. [II Para troop Replacement & Training Regt., Hermann Goring Panzer Div.]. Store owner.

  Liermann, Werner, Sgt. [10th SS Panzer Div.]. Painter.

  Linnenbriigger, Erwin, Pvt. [Infantry Regt. 364]. Publishers’ representative.

  Liss, Gerhard, Pvt. [II Paratroop Replacement & Training Regt., Hermann Goring Panzer Div.]. Salesman.

  Majewski, Alfred, Maj. [Antiaircraft Unit 591]. Office clerk.

  Moll, Jakob, Sgt. [Grenadier Regt. 520]. Police official

  Moll, Luise [Civilian]. Housewife.

  Miinks, Karl, Pvt. [84th Infantry Div.]. Farmer.

  Nedel, Gerhard, 1st Lt. [Supply Battalion 801]. Retired.

  Niemann, Charlotte, Red Cross nurse [Apeldoorn]. Medical statistician.

  Pemsel, Max, Maj. Gen. [Chief of Staff, Seventh Army]. Lt. Gen. (Retired), German Army.

  Petersen, Emil, M/Sgt. [Reich Work Service]. Electrical engineer.

  Poppe, Walter, Lt. Gen., C.O. [59th Infantry Div.]. Retired.

  Priimen, Josef, Pvt. [Reich Work Service]. Insurance broker.

  Reichardt, Hans-Joachim, 1st Lt. [Luftwaffe]. Captain.

  Ringsdorf, Alfred, Pvt. [10th SS Panzer Div.]. Sales representative.

  Robeus, Hermann, Pvt. [Luftwaffe Paratroop Regt.]. Tax consultant.

  Rohrbach, Wilhelm, Cpl. [Self-propelled Gun Brigade 280]. Delicatessen owner.

  Rose, Heinz, Sgt. [Kampfgruppe Harskamp]. Construction engineer.

  Savelsbergh, Matthias, Pvt. [Engineers]. Retired.

  Schepers, Bernhard, Pvt. [5th Co.]. Retired.

  Schmidt, Heinz, Cpl. [Luftwaffe Regt. 201]. Telephone engineer.

  Sedelhauser, Gustav, 1st Lt. [Model’s Hq., Transportation Chief]. Brewer.

  Seesemann, Hans, Sgt. [Military Police]. Printer.

  Sick, Josef, Cpl. [9th SS Panzer Div.]. Truck driver.

  Skalka, Dr. Egon, Maj. [9th SS Panzer Div.]. Physician.

  Stelzenmiiller, Herbert, Cadet [German Naval Hospital, Cleves]. Metallurgist.

  Strobel, Walter, Sgt. [Antiaircraft Unit]. Retired.

  Tempelhof, Hans von, Col. [Model’s Hq.]. Retired.

  Tersteegen, Peter, Pvt. [Infantry Reserves Battalion—Wehrkreis—IV]. Telephone engineer.

  Ullmann, Harry, Cpl. [10th SS Panzer Div.]. Plant superintendent.

  Weber, Horst, Pvt. [10th SS Panzer Div.]. Manufacturer.

  Weber, Max, Cpl. [15th Paratroopers Regt.]. Physician.

  Wienand, Wolfgang, Pvt. [Antiaircraft Unit 591]. Salesman.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  At this writing almost thirty years have passed since World War II and, in spite of voluminuous Allied and German records, the trail is growing cold for the contemporary historian in search of survivors. Many leading personalities are dead, and gone with them are the answers to many baffling questions. Of all the major plans and campaigns following the invasion of Normandy none was more significant than Operation Market-Garden. Yet—apart from some personal memoirs and a few chapters in official and semiofficial histories—the tragic story is virtually unknown in the United States. The successful role of the 82nd and 101st Airborne in the battle—in particular, the crossing of the Waal by Gavin’s troops—rarely merits more than a paragraph or two in British accounts.

  The stand of the British 1st Airborne Division at Arnhem remains one of the greatest feats of arms in World War II military history. But it was also a major defeat—Britain’s second Dunkirk. Thus, as bureaucracies often tend to hide their failures, documentation in both American and British archives is all too frequently scanty and hard to come by. To unscramble some of the riddles and to present what I believe is the first complete version of the combined airborne-ground-attack invasion from the standpoint of all participants—Allied, German, Dutch underground and civilian—has taken me the best part of seven years. There were times during that period, especially when I fell seriously ill, that I despaired of the book’s ever reaching publication.

  As in my previous works on World War II—The Longest Day (1959) and The Last Battle (1966)—the backbone of information came from the participants: the men of the Allied Forces, the Germans they fought and the courageous Dutch civilians. In all, some twelve hundred people contributed to the making of A Bridge Too Far. Unselfishly and without stint these military personnel, ex-soldiers, and civilians gave freely of their time in interviews, showed me over the battlefield and supplied documentation and details from diaries, letters, military monographs, telephone logs, carefully preserved after-action reports, maps and photographs. Without the help of such contributors (whose names are listed on preceding pages under the heading “What They Do Today”) the book could not have been written.

  For a variety of reasons—among them duplication, lack of corroboration an
d sheer bulk—not every personal story or experience could be included. Of the twelve hundred contributors, more than half were interviewed and about four hundred of these accounts were used. But after thirty years memory is not infallible. Certain strict guidelines, similar to research procedures used in my previous books, had to be followed. Every statement or quote in the book is reinforced by documentary evidence or by the corroboration of others who heard or witnessed the event described. Hearsay, rumor or third-party accounts could not be included. My files contain hundreds of stories that may be entirely accurate but cannot be supported by other participants. For reasons of historical truth, they were not used. I hope the many contributors will understand.

  So many individuals helped me in reconstructing the nine terrible days of Market-Garden that it is difficult to know where to begin in naming them. At the onset, however, I want especially to thank His Royal Highness, Prince Bernhard for his time and aid in locating and suggesting people to be interviewed and for providing me access to both Dutch and British archives. My warm thanks goes also to De Witt and Lila Wallace of the Readers Digest. They not only underwrote much of the cost of this history but made their reporters and researchers in bureaus both in America and Europe available to me. Among these I wish particularly to thank the following: Heather Chapman, of New York; Julia Morgan, of Washington, D.C.; Michael Randolph, of London; John D. Panitza, John Flint, Ursula Naccache and Giselle Kayser, of Paris; the late Arno Alexi, of Stuttgart; Aad van Leeuwen, Jan Heijn, Liesbeth Stheeman and Jan van Os, of Amsterdam.

  A special paragraph must be devoted to the tireless, painstaking work of Frederic Kelly, who for two years acted as my assistant. His research, interviews and fine journalistic procedures in England, Holland and the United States proved invaluable, as did his photographs of the participants as they are today.

  Thanks must also be expressed to the U.S. Defense Department’s Office of the Chief of Military History under command of Brigadier General Hal C. Pattison (at the time of researching) and the assistants who aided me in developing the military framework—in particular, Ditmar M. Finke and Hannah Zeidlik. Another whose help and encouragement must be mentioned is Charles B. MacDonald of O.C.M.H., whose detailed The Siegfried Line Campaign contains a fine and accurate version of Market-Garden. I also depended greatly on Breakout and Pursuit by Martin Blumenson, whose work appears in the official O.C.M.H. historical series. And I express my thanks, once again, to Dr. Forrest C. Pogue for his detailed command structure in O.C.M.H.’s The Supreme Command.

  For their help in locating veterans and arranging interviews throughout the United States and Europe, acknowledgment must go to the officers of the U.S. Defense Department’s Magazine and Book Division—Colonel Grover G. Heiman, Jr., U.S.A.F. (Ret.), Chief of Division; Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Burtyk, Jr., U.S.A. (Deputy); Lieutenant Colonel Robert A. Webb, U.S.A.F.; Miss Anna C. Urband; and, in the Office of the Adjutant General, Seymour J. Pomrenze.

  For the German research I am indebted to the following in the U.S. Defense Department’s World War II Records Division: Dr. Robert W. Kraus-kopf, Director; Herman G. Goldbeck, Thomas E. Hohmann, Lois C. Al-dridge, Joseph A. Avery, Hazel E. Ward, Caroline V. Moore, and Hildred F. Livingston. Without a complete understanding of the German war diaries and monographs provided, it would have been almost impossible for me to accurately interview the German participants, particularly the SS commanders—Lieutenant General Wilhelm Bittrich, Major General Heinz Harmel and Lieutenant Colonel Walter Harzer—who for the first time told their version of Market-Garden to an American.

  In the Netherlands my assistants and I received the most gracious cooperation from the Dutch archive authorities. I am most grateful to Professor Dr. Louis de Jong, Director of the State Institute for War Documentation; Jacob Zwaan, archivist; the curator of the Arnhem Airborne Museum, Mr. B. G. J. de Vries; and Dr. Eduard and Mrs. Emmie Groeneveld. In the Military History section of the Royal Army of the Netherlands pertinent research was made available to my assistants by many people, among them Lieutenant Colonel Gerrit van Oyen; Lieutenant Colonel August Kneepkens; Captain Gilbert Frackers; Captain Hendrik Hielkema. So detailed was the Dutch help that I was even provided with scale maps, drawings and photographs of the various Market-Garden bridges. Of particular help was Louis Einthoven, postwar Dutch security and intelligence chief, for his assistance in unraveling the story of Cornelius “King Kong” Lindemans, the Dutch spy.

  Of vital importance were the municipal archives in Arnhem, Nijmegen, Veghel and Eindhoven, where an abundant amount of background material was located and examined. I am deeply indebted to the following in these centers: Klaas Schaap, Anton Stempher, Dr. Pieter van Iddekinge (Arnhem); Albertus Uijen and Petrus Sliepenbeek (Nijmegen); Jan Jongeneel (Veghel); Frans Kortie (Eindhoven).

  Among the many contributors in Holland who deserve special mention are Jan and Kate ter Horst and Jan and Bertha Voskuil of Oosterbeek, who spent hours with me going over every detail of the last days of the 1st Air-borne’s ordeal in their village. Jan Voskuil took me over the battlefields, and Mr. and Mrs. Ter Horst unraveled the mystery surrounding the Driel ferry for the first time. In Driel the Baltussen family gave me hours of detailed interviews which proved invaluable. And for checking and reading Dutch interviews I must also express my appreciation to a magnificent journalist, A. Hugenot van der Linden, of the Amsterdam Telegraaf. Without his watchful eye I would most certainly have made many a mistake. So, too, for Lieutenant Commander Arnoldus Wolters, now Rotterdam’s Commissioner of Police, who provided me with an almost minute-by-minute account of the happenings at General Urquhart’s headquarters. In Oosterbeek the Maanen family provided extraordinary diaries and interviews, as did Hendrika van der Vlist, whose meticulous notes, like those of the Maanens, gave a clear picture of the situation in the casualty stations. Their vivid records and extraordinary help enabled me to re-create the atmosphere. I am deeply grateful to all of them.

  Among the many military contributors who must be singled out for special thanks are General James M. Gavin, General Maxwell D. Taylor, General Roy Urquhart and Colonel Charles Mackenzie—all of whom sat patiently through countless interviews. Others who were most helpful were Major General John D. Frost; Colonel Eric M. Mackay; Major General Philip H. W. Hicks; General John Hackett; Brigadier George S. Chatterton; Brigadier Gordon Walch, Mr. Brian Urquhart; the late Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski; and Chaplain G. A. Pare, whose notes constitute an unforgettable, poignant document. Lady Browning (Daphne du Maurier) with her wit and common sense proved a delightful correspondent and set straight some of the myths of Arnhem.

  In Germany I was assisted greatly in tracing survivors and locating background material, monographs and war diaries by Dr. Bliesener of Bonn’s Press and Information Service; Lieutenant Colonel Siegel of the Ministry of Defense; Dr. Wolfgang von Groote and Major Forwick of the Military History Research Department; and Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Stahl of the Federal Archives.

  There are many, many others whose support and assistance made this book possible. I must again thank my wife, Kathryn, a writer herself, who organized and collated research, edited and watched for my dangling participles. Also, when I was most seriously ill, I thank with all my heart the ministrations of my good friend, Dr. Patrick Neligan, together with Dr. Willet Whitmore, who in some miraculous way pulled me through and kept me going. Again, also my thanks to Jerry Korn, my chief “nitpicker”; Suzanne Gleaves and John Tower, who read the manuscript so carefully; Anne Bardenhagen, my valued friend and assistant; Judi Muse and Polly Jackson, who, at various times, worked as secretaries. My thanks also go to Paul Gitlin, my agent; Peter Schwed and Michael Korda of Simon and Schuster for their suggestions; and Hobart Lewis, President of the Readers Digest, who waited patiently through all the travail.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  Airborne Assault on Holland. Washington: U.S.A.F., Office of the Assistant Chief of Air Staff, 1945.

  Allied documents from U.S., British and Dutch histori
cal sources unpublished: plans, operational orders, logs, telephone and teletype messages, intelligence estimates, war diaries, commanders’ reviews and after-action reports from First Allied Airborne Headquarters; First British Airborne Corps; 1st British Airborne Division; 101st U.S. Airborne Division; 82nd U.S. Airborne Division; Dutch underground messages, staff college studies, monographs and maps on “Operation Market-Garden”; 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions combat interviews.

  Ambrose, Stephen E., The Supreme Commander: The War Years of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. New York: Doubleday, 1970.

  Bauer, Cornelius, The Battle of Arnhem (on information supplied by Lieut. Col. Theodor A. Boeree). London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1966.

  Bekker, Cajus, The Luftwaffe War Diaries. New York: Doubleday, 1968.

  Bird, Will R., No Retreating Footsteps: The Story of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. Nova Scotia: Kentville Publishing, 1947.

  Blake, George, Mountain and Flood: The History of the 52nd (Lowland) Division, 1939—46. Glasgow: Jackson, Son, 1950.

  Blumenson, Martin, U.S. Army in World War II: Breakout and Pursuit. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. of Army, 1961.

  Bradley, General Omar N., A Soldiers Story. New York: Henry Holt, 1951.

  Brammall, R., The Tenth. Ipswich: Eastgate Publications, 1965.

  Bredin, Lt. Col. A. E. C, Three Assault Landings. London: Gale & Polden, 1946.

  Brereton, Lt. Gen. Lewis H., The Brereton Diaries. New York: William Morrow, 1946.

  Bryant, Sir Arthur, Triumph in the West: The War Diaries of Field Marshal Viscount Alan Brooke. London: Collins, 1959.

  Bullock, Allan, Hitler: A Study in Tyranny. London: Odhams Press, 1952.

  Butcher, Captain Harry C., My Three Years with Eisenhower. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1946.

  By Air to Battle: Official Account of the British Airborne Divisions. London: H. M. Stationery Office, 1945.

  Carter, Ross, Those Devils in Baggy Pants. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1951.

  Chatterton, George S., The Wings of Pegasus. London: MacDonald, 1962.