A Street in Arnhem: The Agony of Occupation and Liberation - Hardcover

Kershaw, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 071103754X ISBN 13: 9780711037540

Publisher: Ian Allan, 2014

Synopsis

In this long-awaited book, Robert Kershaw follows up his best-selling account of Operation Market Garden―It Never Snows in September―to focus on the experiences of Dutch civilians and British and German soldiers in one street while fighting to survive at the heart of one of the most intense battles of World War II. He tells the story from the perspective of what could be seen or heard from the Utrechtseweg, a road that runs seven kilometers from the Arnhem railway station west to Oosterbeek.

This stretch of road saw virtually every major event during the fighting for Arnhem―the legendary “Bridge Too Far”―during September 1944. The story is about the disintegration of a wealthy Dutch suburb caught unexpectedly in the war it had escaped for so long. The book charts the steady destruction of an exclusive rural community, where wealthy Dutch holiday-makers had relaxed before the war. The destruction of this pretty village is charted through the eyes of British, Polish and German soldiers fighting amid its confused and horrified inhabitants. It portrays a collage of human experiences, sights, sounds, visceral fears and emotion as ordinary people seek to cope when their street is so suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed in a savage battle using the most deadly weapons of the day.

Kershaw's new research reveals the extent to which most people in this battle, whether soldiers or civilians, saw only what was immediately happening to them, with no idea of the larger picture. Many original Dutch, German and English accounts have been unearthed through interviews, diary accounts and letters, as well as post-combat reports charting the same incidents from both sides. The story is told as a docudrama following the fortunes of participants within a gripping narrative format. Holland had not witnessed conflict since the Napoleonic wars. What happens when your street, where you have lived for generations, is suddenly overwhelmed by conflict? A Street in Arnhem―with its alternating revelations of horror and courage―tells that story and provides some of the answers.

About this title

Review:

This is well written account of the battles along the Utrechtseweg, including some great descriptive passages on urban anti-tank operations by PIAT wielding paratroops. The Germans had a surprising amount of armor in the Arnhem area, including quite a few StuG III's, and several French Char B flamethrower tanks. By the end of the nine day ordeal, even Tiger II's were appearing on the battlefield as well. As well as the great text written from a military perspective, there are a great many well written, very descriptive passages from the civilian perspective. These passages give the book a welcome "extra" viewpoint. The use of first person accounts used throughout this book make the text very "readable", giving the reader a good sense of what it was like for those involved. (Armor Modeling and Preservation Society)

" Can you possibly imagine what it would be like if your quiet neighborhood, where your family has lived for generations, suddenly became a battlefield? “A Street in Arnhem,” with its alternating revelations of terror and valor, tells that story and supplies some of the answers." (Toy Soldier and Model Figure Magazine)

I recommend this book to those readers interested in WWII and in Operation Market Garden because of the insights Kershaw provides. The author promises examining one street will offer new insights- and he delivers. I also recommend the book to readers interested in modern combat because of the lessons the author reveals about urban warfare. (Military Review September- October 2015)

About this edition

• Publisher: Ian Allan
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 071103754X
• ISBN 13: 9780711037540
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304