B
THE CONTROVERSIAL
campaign to take the
area around Arnhem,
Holland, 75 years ago has been
covered extensively over the
years but rarely in the depth
and insight provided by David
Truesdale’s superb Steel Wall
at Arnhem.
The book sets out to
investigate what happened
to the unit and its attached
elements between September
17 and 26, 1944, with emphasis
on the pivotal day – September
- It looks at all the aspects
of the airborne brigade’s fight,
examining the facts, background,
tactics, personnel, weapons and
much more. It also has plenty of
information from the German side,
giving a balanced account of what
really went on.
As David points out in the book’s
introduction, he doesn’t apportion
blame for the Arnhem operation’s
failure, nor does he go down the
‘what if’ route. He does, however,
offer expert comment and that
sets it apart from many of its peer
publications. He also challenges
misconceptions, indicating, for
example, that airborne troops
weren’t lightly armed as popular
belief would have it, but had
access to essentially the same
arms as regular infantry units.
Steel Wall at Arnhem tells the
story in 17 chapters, with the first
half a dozen setting the scene,
explaining how and why the unit
was formed, its service in North
Africa in 1942-1943, and then
in Italy, along with the detailed
preparations in 1943-1944 for
an air drop into ‘Fortress Europe’.
A day-by-day breakdown of the
operation follows, with plenty of
first-hand accounts from alliedforces and the German defenders,
backed up by photos of the men
and equipment in action. The
main text finishes with a brief
concluding overview.
There are close to 100 pages of
appendices, plus a comprehensive
index and bibliography that
indicate the incredible depth of
the research that’s gone into the
book over an eight-year period.
I found the 4 Parachute Brigade
and Attached Units Roll of Honour
section particularly moving – it
lists the fates of the 420+ men
who died during the campaigns
of the Second World War.
It also contains an appendix
that points out that atrocities
and war crimes were inflicted on
Brigade prisoners by the Nazis
in the aftermath of the Battle of
Arnhem. This is an area skimmed
over by the many similar books
on the battle, but its inclusion is
necessary as it shows the true
brutality the Allies were fighting
so hard to defeat.
This book doesn’t pull any
punches and made for awkward
reading at times, but it’s writtenin an
engaging way and is
an incredibly detailed account of
a fascinating subject. I couldn’t
put it down, and it will certainly
have pride of place in the Britain
at War library.
Reviewed by Nigel Price.http://www.britainatwar.com^99Illustrations References/Notes
Appendices Index ITEMS OF INTEREST|RECONNAISSANCE REPORT
Steel Wall
at Arnhem
The Destruction of
4 Parachute Brigade,
19 September 1944
By David Truesdale
Publisher: Helion and Company
http://www.helion.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-91162-844-6
Softback 344 pages
RRP: £25
forces and the German defenders,
backed up by photos of the men
and equipment in action. The
main text finishes with a briefThere are close to 100 pages of
appendices, plus a comprehensive
index and bibliography that
indicate the incredible depth of
the research that’s gone into the
book over an eight-year period.
I found the 4 Parachute Brigade
and Attached Units Roll of Honour
section particularly moving – it
lists the fates of the 420+ men
who died during the campaignsIt also contains an appendix
that points out that atrocities
and war crimes were inflicted on
Brigade prisoners by the Nazis
in the aftermath of the Battle of engaging way and isforces and the German defenders,
backed up by photos of the men
and equipment in action. The
main text finishes with a briefThere are close to 100 pages of
appendices, plus a comprehensiveindicate the incredible depth of
the research that’s gone into the
book over an eight-year period.
I found the 4 Parachute Brigade
and Attached Units Roll of Honour
section particularly moving – it
lists the fates of the 420+ men
who died during the campaignsIt also contains an appendix
that points out that atrocities
and war crimes were inflicted on
Brigade prisoners by the Nazis
in the aftermath of the Battle ofin an
engaging way and is