In the Shadow of Arnhem

The Battle of Arnhem in September 1944 has been much publicized, with its extraordinary parachute drop and gallant defense by Frost’s few men of the bridge at Arnhem. Although the campaign came close to success, its relative failure left the Allies trapped within a 30-mile stretch of road. The Arnhem debacle saw vast stretches of Holland to the left and right of the salient occupied by enemy forces. These areas of Holland, criss-crossed by unfordable rivers and closely populated by small villages, had to be cleared by Allied troops in platoon or company strength, fighting in tight situations against bitter skilled resistance. There was none of the awesome and inspirational massing of troops seen in the battle of Normandy, for Arnhem itself. Interweaving his engaging narrative style with the eyewitness accounts and personal reminiscences of British, Canadian, and Polish troops, Ken Tout reveals how these men performed their heroic deeds. They suffered and died in unheralded, largely forgotten minor skirmishes, but on a scale far exceeding the casualties of the immediate assault on Arnhem.