Market Garden was a British idea pushed for by Montgomery and backed by Churchill.

A massive operation that depended on tricky timing was a risk that Eisenhower or FDR would likely not have tried, everything else being equal. Only the Brit’s insistence allowed this to go forward.

The radios were not the only thing that went wrong. To my mind this just gives some cover for a major blunder.

To your point however, blunders often happen in war and even Churchill and FDR had their share. Still, both are considered by many to be the greatest men in the twentieth century.

Their skills were in intelligence and politics, not battle plans.

My last little jibe is just to note that things go wrong in war. You can't have perfect information. The left would like a standard that we can't go to war without perfect information, because they believe we should NEVER go to war. And obviously that high threshold can never, ever be reached.

FDR was a republifag. That's why it all went wrong.

Huh. You learn something new every day.

Given that I just watched the movie version the other night, wish I had this info beforehand. Would've put Sir Sean Connery's constant whining about the radios into better context.

BTW, if you haven't seen the film in a long time-- still ain't that good. But Anthony Hopkins still kicks ass in it, *the* stereotypical British officer ("Excuse me, you may want to lie down, there's incoming. Oh, and have some tea, why don't you?").

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

Yeah, high iron content - in the form of the 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions. That might have had something to do with it, too.

This explanation is much too facile, and it focuses on something which only mattered after the situation was already beyond saving.

The real reason it failed was because the Germans had two undetected SS Panzer divisions in Arnhem. The British 1st Para would not have been able to hold against them even if their radios had worked perfectly.

And I have a hard time believing that iron in the soil would have that effect on radios.

Dave,

I bought the DVD and found the movie entertaining but I have to agree with your assessment. The book, however, is outstanding.

Batle planning should be left up to the generals not noncombatants

The problem with the movie is it tries to show too many of the "Wow, that really happened?" stuff from the book. Like the Brit jumping in with the para-chicken, Sonny Corleone forcing the doctor to save his buddy at gunpoint, etc. Still, it has some of the best combat scenes from any movie ever, including Cliff Clavin getting machinegunned through the eye.

agreed, although it had it's moments. I just found the story fascinating. anyone else think there was a little hubris there?

What, from Monty? Surely you jest!

Not to turn this into a WWII thing but if you haven't read "The Army at Dawn" check it out - one of the best books on the US entry into WWII and the first of a trilogy. Great stuff from a great writer.

I have wargamed Operation Market Garden several dozen times both on computer against a person not a computer and on the old SSI board games. Botton line, there is no way the Allies could have won this one. Any 3rd grader can see one road in no way out. Instant loser. Monty was an idiot.

P.S. I am really good at War Gaming and I have found no way to win this one.

Ah, but what if Patton had been in charge of the ground forces rolling after the beleaguered paratroopers?

Pity any German that tries to stand between him and Arnhem.

Personnaly, I liked the flick.