A Bridge too Far

The movie is about the failure of the Open Market Garden in The world War 2, where the allied forces tried to break the german lines by seizing the  several bridges in Netherlands. They did so in order to outflank the german forces and end the war before christmas. The name of the movies comes from the comment made by Lieutenant- General Frederick Browning when he speaks to Field Marshal, Bernard Montogomery, the operation architect. Before the operation, the general says,” I think we may be going a bridge too far.”

In this blog, i draw comparison on four Airborne Commanders in the film.

1.  Major- General Roy Urquhart : GOC, First British Airborne Division, Arnhem.

General Urquhart is one of the most charismatic characters in the second world war.He is shown to be a serious soldier with great warmth and charm in the film. He is seen to obey the rules given to him without showing any opposition to them. He is afraid of heights and yet he decides jump  for his country. He is helpful and does’nt mind doing the work of a sergeant. When he gets out of his hiding from the attic of one of the houses and his soldier gets shot, he refuses to leave him with the comforts of the other home until he is assured that his soldier would be okay. This shows his loyalty.

2.  General Maxwell Taylor: CO, 101st Airborne Division,

He is portrayed to be the smart one and diplomatic one. He doesnt not like the plan crafted by Montogomery, yet says nothing about it. He however talks about it to his dutch advisor and shows his uncertainaity in the plan. His is sarcastic in his talk with his soldier and the concern is clearly shown on his face.

3. General Stainslaw Sosabowski: CO, Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, Polish Armed Forces

He shows his disagreement with the plan right from the start. He is the only one that stands for what he believes and thinks that this plan is a disaster. He is brute and to the point and not afraid to voice his opinions. He even asks Browning to write a letter stating that he was forced into this if his men get massacred. He is loyal to his country

4. General James Gavin: CO, US 82nd Airborne Division

He was the first to jump. He has an athletic posture and takes his responsibility very seriously. He is intelligent, however reserved and quiet than from the rest of the commanders.

Work Cited:

“A Bridge Too Far (film).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

Bridge Too Far. Mgm, 1977.

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