Airborne Carpet: Operation Market Garden

Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II / the Violent Century: Battle #9

by Anthony Farrar-Hockley

In the Autumn of 1944 Germany's back is against the wall, but she is still fighting with a bitter courage when 'Market Garden' is launched. The success of this crucial operation seems likely to be jeopardised by conflict within the Allied Command, and certainly there were many who doubted that 'Arnhem...was a decided victory.'

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Airborne Carpet: Operation Market Garden is part of Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II, and is Book #9 in the Battle Book series.

Genres: History, Military History, World War II, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, War

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1969

About the author

General Sir Anthony Heritage Farrar-Hockley GBE, KCB, DSO & Bar, MC, nicknamed Farrar the Para, was a British Army officer and a military historian who fought in a number of British conflicts. He held a number of senior commands, ending his career as Commander-in-Chief of NATO's Allied Forces Northern Europe.

Reviews

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book on Operation Market Garden. The photos are impressive! After reading this book you will want to read A Bridge Too Far.

[Alex MacKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book on this subject. Did find a few typo & caption errors. Although there were eight maps, a few more would have been helpful. Most of the combat revolved around battalion-sized units for all the belligerents, which made it easier to follow.
Great photos of the primary commanders, and many action shots of the Allied attackers (both airborne & armoured) and the German defenders.
Daring concept, hurriedly executed, partially successful; and ultimately tragic.

[Bill V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like just about all the Ballantine books I've previously read, the description and the narrative are brief and not particularly insightful or profound. The writing is quite ordinary. The saving grace of this title (as well as the other Ballantine books I've read) are the photos, many of which I've never seen before.

[Christopher Rush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another engaging Ballantine Illustrated volume, this brief overview of Operation Market Garden provides a limited eagle-eye view of both sides of the conflict (though mostly the Allies). Having somewhat recently read It Never Snows, wholly from the German perspective of the battle, this Allied-heavy perspective is a helpful counterpart. Farrar-Hockley has certainly read a diverse number of primary sources, quoting frequently from first-hand accounts and diaries of those whose experiences don't regularly get presented in the grand versions of this engagement. The Polish soldiers and many of the British troops with significant roles are mentioned here, even those who do not get mentioned in other accounts, so Farrar-Hockley's coverage is widespread (if also somewhat terse, considering the limitations of the picture-dominant format). It's a good survey of this battle, especially of the Allied leader conflicts in planning and executing the massive endeavor. This is a great series that should not be out of print. Bring it back!

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent work by Ballantine. This is an excellent snapshot of the largest airborne assault in World War Two. Farrar-Hockley covers the battle from the allied point of view. If you want the German side, “It Never Snows in September” by Robert Kershaw is a good follow-up.

The amount of information and pictures supplied in 160 pages will have you wanting to know about this epic struggle. When you’ve finished reading this, you can’t go wrong with “A Bridge Too Far,” by Cornelius Ryan.

Four stars