Rodrigo Samodal
LDS 102
Charles Powell
February 20, 2016
A Bridge Too Far
Amidst the Second World War, there have been successes and failures from both the Allied and the Axis powers. Although the Allies have had great success during the European theatre, they had failures as well. One of the most notable failures was Operation Market Garden; the main event portrayed in the film. Operation Market Garden was intended to help the Allied powers break through the German defense line and shorten the war. It was considered one of the largest invasion operations since D-Day, and the largest airborne invasion ever attempted. Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning stated “We are going to lay a carpet, as it were, of airborne troops.” The Allies hoped to end the war by the end of 1944 with this operation.
There were to be 4 different divisions to be involved in the invasion. The US 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions led by commanders Taylor and Gavin, the British 1st Airborne led by Major-General Urquhart, and a Polish paratrooper brigade led by General Sosabowski. They needed to secure several bridges and defend their positions to break the German defense line. This group effort would require the cooperation and success of each group.
Upon the commencement of the operation and once the paratroopers were deployed and grounded, the Allies would run into several problems that would delay schedule and cause complications in the operation. One of the bridges, the Son Bridge, was destroyed before the US 101st Airborne could capture it. General Urquhart’s division also experiences trouble, as they lose most of their jeep transportation vehicles and their radio communication is rendered useless. And once the British capture Arnhem, the key city to the operation, they are trapped and cut off from the others, with their supply drop zones overrun by German forces. The Allied forces are not in the best situation, but had to do their best.
Despite the extreme troubles, the commanding officers needed to lead their forces nonetheless. Commanders Taylor, Gavin, Urquhart, and Sosbowski all had their unique leadership styles. Gavin and Sosabowski are rather cautious of the operation. They are concerned about having to parachute in broad daylight. The British and General Urquhart were much more optimistic of the operation, and believe that the plan will be able to work. Amidst the variety of problems the Allied forces had, all these leaders had to perform their best in their situation. Gavin and Taylor had problems capturing their assigned bridges and connecting with the other forces, especially when Son Bridge was destroyed. So Taylor had to build a Bailey bridge to replace it and get his forces moving as fast and as soon as possible. Now Gavin and the 82nd were able to make their way towards Nijmengen, but were halted. Gavin decided to make a river crossing in wooden and canvas assault boats. Their assault time kept getting delayed but Gavin had to make the best of the situation and continue regardless. Urquhart had serious issues of his own; He captured Arnhem but was trapped and cut off with dwindling supplies and suffering heavy casualties. He had to make very tough decisions to survive long days of fighting with limited supplies. And once reinforcements from Sosabowski finally arrive, most are gunned down and few survive to reinforce the British. All of these leaders were stuck in terrible situations, but had to make use of what limited resources they had. However, ultimately the operation had to be withdrawn.
All of these commanders during Operation Market Garden encountered many difficulties and problems during the mission. From equipment failures to communication difficulties to heavy resistance, the Allied invasion force had to push through several problems to complete the mission. The commanders, Gavin, Taylor, Urquhart, and Sosabowski, had limited resources and were on their own to complete their assigned mission. They all had to remain optimistic and make the best of what they had to fight, progress, and survive. They exhibited excellent leadership qualities such as bravery in the face of adversary. They all had to stay focused on their task at hand and improvise when they needed to. And although they consider the operation as a failure themselves, British General Montgomery states that it was “90% successful.”
Works Cited
Bridge Too Far. Dir. Richard Attenborough. Prod. Joseph E. Levine and Richard P. Levine. Screenplay by William Goldman. Perf. Dirk Bogarde, James Caan, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Edward Fox, Anthony Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Hardy Krüger, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, Maximilian Schell. Mgm, 1977. Web.