I was on active duty as a paratrooper when this movie was released in 1977 and I am happy to say I experienced it on big screen the way it was intended
I was a 19 yr old US Army Soldier stationed in Germany when this movie played at the post theater. 12Bravo Combat Engineers DO NOT hold bridges. We either build them or destroy them🇺🇸👍
General Gavin commander of The US 82nd Airborne summed him up best "He was truly a unique general officer and his qualities of leadership were greater than any I have ever seen. In lecturing at the American service school I stated frequently that General Horrocks was the finest general officer I met during the war, and the finest corps commander" Lt.General James Gavin- USA
Horrocks had his strengths. I'm not sure that Gavin's praise does Horrocks any favours though. If Gavin had have got on with the task in hand, Horrocks, and all the others, would have been able to get on more too. Gavin took a day to set up an HQ and then holds it against ... no opposition - during a three day mission. The logistical fallout was immense. But he was commanding one of the Allies' most loved Paras, so we must all say no more.
@@Nounismisation he would have been a great field army commander but he had been badly wounded. British Army practice was you were taken out of consideration for promotion in that situation or captured but later escaped. Dempsey did a good job as 2d Army CG and I suspect Horrocks would have done as well.
@@NounismisationI agree with you! his job as to take a bridge fast! instead he sets up a defence on the heights in case of mass enemy armor attack that neve came! then he goes after the bridge which by that time was defenede by the germans! a good book to read on the subject is It never snows in September
It's truly a great performance but ... I'm a bit surprised because this film has a massive ensemble cast and Fox is only in it for about two scenes. Anthony Hopkins (among others) had a much bigger role.
I very much liked the way Horrocks enters the noisy briefing room with a loud and authoritative "Thank you, gentlemen!" I guess only a few people can deliver that line in an authentic manner like Edward Fox did. The rest of the briefing was good too. nice and loud, very inspirational, completely different from the mumblings of Gen. Browning.
I met someone who thought this was 'pompous'. I had to refer to a dictionary. I still can't see what is pompous about it. Very upper class British etc but there is no 'lording it' over anyone! Quite the opposite. In this scene, Horrocks' life, bacon and eggs, family, toast and marmalade is exactly equal to that of the the people he's talking to.
Horrocks is interviewed extensively in "The World At War". He speaks of Operation Market Garden on the episode entitled "Pincers: August 1944 - March 1945". Amazing bravery from 2 Para and American 82nd and 101st Airbourne.
"The Irish Guards under the command of Colonel Vandeluer will take the lead." "Christ not us again!" ** "What you'd say to that Joe?" ** "Oh delighted sir, truly delighted!"
It only needed 1 or 2 breaks to go the other way or a few slightly different decisions and it would’ve worked. 1. Brereton allowing 2 drops in a day getting the whole of 1st airborne there on day 1. 2. 82nd Airborne prioritising Nijmegen bridge rather than leaving it until last. If they had gone for it even by tea time it was completely undefended. 3. Browning not taking up a whole battalions worth of gliders on day 1 moving his Corps HQ which didn’t need to be there at all. 4. 1st Airborne making the initial move to the bridge with the stronger air landing brigade and leaving the parachute brigade to hold the drop zones. Either that or the whole brigade taking 1 route to the bridge instead of spreading out on 3 routes. 5. XXX Corps attacking at dawn instead of waiting until 14:30 to get moving. Any of those things would’ve probably changed the result of the Operation, they really would’ve ended the war by Christmas.
@@IndieVolken it was known from Ultra Intercepts that 9th & 10th SS were in the vicinity, one of them was in the process of entraining to head back to Germany. It’s often not understood that these were intact formations, they had been savaged in France and had next to no actual tanks left. If any of the things I mentioned above had happened their presence wouldn’t have mattered.
The huge and horrendous responsibilities of Horrocks are shown here. What is shown here are just the senior officers and Corp commanders, and there are several hundreds of them alone. But, Horrocks had over 50,000 men, and 15,000 vehicles under his command. It's a wonder he and other Generals didn't crack up under the pressures of command.
Oddly enough I was drinking last Saturday with a good Polish boy from Harrow, whose father, as a sergeant in the Polish Army, was awarded their equivalent of the Victoria Cross for his actions shortly after Arnhem.
"In the unlikely event that the Germans ever get you, they will assume from your attire, that they captured a wretched peasant and immediately send you on your way." The greatest line in this great movie :)
No, sorry. “We haven’t got the proper facilities to take you all prisoner. Sorry. We’d like to, but we can’t accept your surrender!” That line takes the prize IMO.
Some of the actors in this film bear a striking resemblance to the persons they portray. Edward Fox looks remarkably like Lt.Gen.Brian Horrocks as does Paul Maxwell to Maj.Gen.Maxwell Taylor. And Anthony Hopkins bears more than just a passing resemblance to Maj.Gen.John Frost.
Horrocks was quite an interesting individual. Served in WWI, was captured by the Germans, fought in the Russian Civil War and almost died in a Red Army POW camp, and he apparently took part in the 1924 Olympics too.
Black Rod also of the UK parliament for 14 years, also the every joker while waiting for sessions to end, Horrocks was allegedly betting on football matches, hence why in this scene and the World at war he mentions football matches.
General Eisenhower and General Gavin reckoned that Brian Horrocks was Britain's very best general in the field. Unfortunately, the wounds he had sustained in North Africa ended his military career. When I was a kid he presented a TV programme about battles and castles that I just had to watch. A very great man in so many ways.
@@optimisticwhovian1726 Monty wasn't in charge of any of it, which is a pity really. The planning was entirely in the hands of the staff of 1st Allied Airborne Army commanded by Lt. Gen, Lewis Brereton, US Army Air Forces. They were the people who chose the DZ's and LZs and dictated the order of the drop and who went where. Monty was Army Group Commander of 21st Army Group consisting of 1st Canadian and 2nd British Armies. Horrocks's XXX Corp was part of 2nd Army which was commanded by Lt. Gen Miles Dempsey. Contrary to popular belief XXXCorps arrived at the Nijmegen Bridge 8 hours ahead of schedule on D+2 and found that Jim Gavins 82 Abn, had not yet taken their bridge, two days after landing, and having missed the opportunity to do so in the first hour after landing. It was this single failure that doomed the entire operation, though you'll seach in vain for any reference to it in most books on the subject. You will fined it in the US Army Officer History of the campaign however.
@@optimisticwhovian1726 It wasn't planned by Monty, or commanded for that matter. The planning was by the staff of 1st Allied Airborne Army to which ALL Allied airborne formations in the European theatre belonged. It was commanded by a US general, Lewis Brereton who took an a recently discarded plan called Operation Comet (which WAS Monty's idea) and reworked and enlarged it into MG. "Market" was the airborne part of the operation and it is in the planning for that , DZ's & LZ's. etc that most if not all of the well-known mistakes were made. The ground operation, "Garden" was the responsibility of 2nd British Army and in particular XXX Corps, who were to lead the advance (with two further further CORPS in support, one on either flank). This went very well in fact, and only began to break down when the Guards Armoured Division reached the Nijmegen bridge (8hrs ahead of schedule) and found it hadn't been taken, nearly two days after the 82nd had landed in the area.
I think Gen Horrocks well played by Edward Fox. seemed noticeably more subdued by the end of the movie when they were considering whether to evacuate what was left of the British airborne.. It didn't help either that Market Garden plans were captured.
"Kick off will be 14.35 hours," and in another programme, the actual Gen Horrocks mentions his retreat from Dunkirk with his troops acting like "Tottenham fans celebrating a win at Chelsea." The guy totally loved football together with betting on results while the Black Rod, (waiting through sessions) of the UK parliament for 14 years
My old dad was in the Staffordshire regiment that was a part of xxx corp under Gen Horrocks and when i was a kid, when this film came out, he told me that if the americans had been in overall command of the operation, the outcome would have been very different. Our commanders were always over cautious and to the book. The americans were a lot more aggresive and would have pushed on and got the job done and i tend to agree. All very brave men but two very different styles.
Many years later with a reply but that's an odd thing to say because it was actually the caution of two American air generals, Brereton and Williams, which cost the operation dearly. They refused to fly double missions on day one. A fatal mistake.
@@lyndoncmp5751 Correct, But don't forget Gacin;s failure to take the Nijmegen Bridge on Day 1 and immediately after landing, that was what truly doomed the operation. He still hadn't taken it when Horrocks arrived two days later (and 8 hrs ahead of schedule!).
@@paddy864 Thats true yes. The US 101st failed to take the Nijmegen bridge. Also British 1st Airborne failed to take the Arnhem bridge and enough of the town itself. That was largely due to the decisions of Brereton and Williams, and Hollinghurst of the RAF.
@@lyndoncmp5751 It was the 82nd under Jim Gavin actually, and when I say they failed to take it I mean that Gavin didn't seize the opportunity to capture the bridge in the first hours after landing, when it was guarded only by a handful of Germans. It was literally there for the taking. He instead became obsessed with the possibility of an attack from the wooded area to the west of the Groesbeek Heights and wasted the next TWO DAYS as a result. It was the one single thing that doomed the entire operation, had he taken it as ordered "with thunderclap surprise" immediately after landing, then XXX Corps, arriving 8 hours ahead of schedule remember, would have been in Arnhem within a couple of hours. Instead, the Infanty of the Guards Armoured Division ended up helping the 82nd to fight off increasing German counter attacks until they managed to cross the river in boats and seize the Bridge, three days late. All the blather from various Americans about the British being too slow and cautious is nothing more than an attempt at deflecting the blame for the failure of the operation from where it bellongs, with James Gavin. Even the US Army Official history shows that. This wretched film only perpetuated this obscene myth of course, the truth would not have played out well in cinemas across the US as you can imagine, Even Attenborough admitted this.
@@paddy864 Apparently Gavin ordered Lindquist of the 508th PIR of the 82nd Airborne to strike for the bridge after dropping and "move without delay" if the situation was quiet enough, which it was. However Lindquist didn't move on the bridge. When Gavin heard the 508th hadn't moved he was furious and again ordered Lindquist to "delay not a second longer" and get to the bridge. It was then another two hours until elements of the 508th PIR began to move towards the bridge, and by the time they got near it the Germans had already reinforced it and it was too late. So really it was Lindquist who messed up. On the other hand, Gavin has been criticised for picking the cautious Lindquist and his 508th PIR for the task and not the 504th PIR. XXX Corps were on time. True. They started linking up with the 82nd at Grave, in just 42 hours. Still even if they had the bridge at Nijmegen to cross over on the 19th the British 1st Airborne didn't achieve its objective in Arnhem either. They never captured the bridge, just a small section at the north end and not enough of Arnhem. British 1st Airborne were supposed to have captured a large portion of Arnhem for XXX Corps to form a bridgehead in once they got over the bridge. The Germans controlled the bridge off ramp and 99.9% of Arnhem. There was also a road block on the bridge itself, the wreckage of Grabners force. So XXX Corps could neither have got across the bridge or off it on the other side and fanned out through Arnhem because Arnhem was squarely in German hands. The Germans were too strong by the 19th (the Stug IIIs of Brigade 280 and Tigers of Kompanie Hummel had arrived that day) and already had control of the situation. The air commanders Brereton, Williams and Hollinghurst failed at Arnhem by not allowing double missions flown on day one, by dropping too far from the objective and for not allowing a coup de main on the bridge. I don't think it comes down to Gavin, but rather Brereton, Williams and Hollinghurst. They cared more about their USAAF and RAF personnel than the paratroopers of the First Allied Airborne Army and subsequently put their men first.
EDWARD FOX THE ACTOR PLAYING HORROCKS IS GREAT IN ALL HIS MOVIE PRESENTATIONS... MY FAVORITE BRITISH ACTOR... PLAYED THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN... EVEN THANKED HIS JEEP DRIVER AT THE FIRST OF THIS FILM CLIP. HOW MANY OFFICERS DO THAT?
Horrocks did comment on how the road was narrow & the problem was trying to squeeze off that armor & vehicles down it in a timely fashion was going to be a huge problem.
@@nickmitsialis It wasn't that much of a problem and was soon overcome, XXX Corps broke through the initial German defences and arrived at Nijmegen Bridge EIGHT HOURS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, to find the bridge still not taken, 48 hours after it should and could have been.
Horrocks apparently did a great job in keeping Thirty Corp (I refuse to call it XXX Corp--it sounds like a porno) casualties relatively low during M/G; I have no doubt he was an outstanding officer & leader.
In my opinion, it wouldn't have mattered WHO would have been in command, Montgomary or Patton, as the central failings of the operation were faults in Intelligence and the restrictions of the plan itself. Market Garden would have to have been reworked with wider margins for error, a contingency should things have gone wrong and less ambitious goals for it to potentially have success. Still, the Allies gave it their all - that's one fact that'll never diminish.
Look what Patton did in the Ardennes, might have been a different outcome. Americans much more aggressive. The Brits too conservative in many aspects and still suffering from WWI casualty shock. On the other hand, the British Airborne was pretty audacious and brave men.
@@davidanthony8290 yes to an extent. Omar Bradley was an advisor to the movie and it painted him as saint and got some digs in at Patton that were unfair and untrue all for omars glorification. Anyone remember the screw ups at Huertgon forest and the bulge? Brad got a Bronze star for the bulge because an aide said it was for having a pulse and breathing. Ike recommended BRAD for a 4th star in Jan 1945 and Marshall turned it down stone cold then. IMHO BRAD should have been no more than a Corps Commander in italy. Brad in the Pacific... No more than a Division commander. Who in place of 1st Army/ 12 army group commander? Change history a bit and put Stillwell in. He was designated a Corps Commander for Torch before he was sent to China. Retired chief of staff marlin Craig was suggested Craig for China but flatly turned Marshall down. One of the very few bad decisions Marshall made was to keep him on a a member of the personnel board. He should have been placed to the retired list again right then and there. My 1st choice for SACAEF for Normandy is Marshall. Keep IKE in the med theater. Who becomes CSA us army ? Good question...
@@davidanthony8290 I am a long retired US Army InFantry paratrooper and taught 3 yrs in my 22 years of service and I believe Monty was the greatest British commander period. I also believe MacArthur is The I WAs greatest General. I happen to believe both would have gotten along splendidly. So many Monty and Mac haters out there. Too bad they overdose on the pool aid if you dig?
A bridge too far was the last major classic WW2 movie, you could not do this movie today like when it came out in 1977, a modern war movie like this would use more cgi and practical effects than live action battle scenes, real planes, tanks, vehicles
@@Frankie-O Edward fox was a British actor in many older movies like in the 1960s and 1970s, not sure if he is still alive, one of my favorite movies with him is the 1983 James bond movie never say never say again where he played mi6 chief M opposite Sean Connery as 007
A pity Sir Richard Attenborough never made a directors cut with commentary. I understand Attenborough shot quite a lot of film that ended on the cutting room floor. An excellent film nonetheless.
Bradley told Ike the MG plan was bad. He was spot on.The bickering between the American generals and Monty wasted so many Allied soldier's lives. Horrocks though a great soldier, by mid 44' should have been put out to pasture.
@JohnnyZenith I'd have to agree with Henry; the British Airborne dominate the story; then again, they took the brunt of the casualties. It's really a heroic story, really. Holding out against all odds until the last shell is shot and then fighting on. On the whole, I thought that the film overlooked some major points, but is an acurate depiction of the event.
The mistake, & it was Montgomery's, was that the plan had no room for error & ignored all the avaliable intelligence. The German army was horribly underestimated at so many points during 1944/5, even with allied air supremacy. This plan was endemic of the urgency to finish the war quickly which was prevalent at the time, even though nazi Germany was on it's last legs . Lives were squandered trying to end the war in time for "Christmas". The planning of Market Garden was disgraceful.
@Guesthunter Absolute myth. Montgomery didn't blame anyone else, which he could have done. Instead in his memoirs he cited his own mistakes. He didn't scapegoat anyone else.
Total horseshit. It was not Monty's plan, blame Lt. Gen. Lewis Brereton, the Commander of 1st Allied Airborne Army for that, and his staff of course who planned the Airborne operation, badly as it turned out. Monty had virtually no say in the operation as he was commander of 21 Army Group and could not interfere with it.
If speed and time is a crucial factor, XXX Corps should have started their attack in the early morning hours. They could have reached Eindhoven before noon. Who knows what would be the fate of Market Garden after that. Nevertheless, they're travelling in a single road so that's another factor.
Why in this movie did Montgomery never appear, why as this was his plan was he not part of the movie, was that intentional or just left out as not needed. Would have rounded out the story as it says again and again that this is Montgomery's plan...anyone?
Well because he wasn’t To my knowledge he only met with browning and Dempsey ( who also doesn’t appear because there is no reason to have him ) and didn’t talk about the operation to any of the other commanders. So that’s why
I was a us army paratrooper 79-88 having trained with Brits this portrays the Brits accurately the good n the bad either way they never do anything half assed
@BigRIJoe Nope - MILES (then and now). The kilOMeter is NOT yet (as it were) Legal Tender here in Good Ol' Blighty. Unless, it seems, you happen to work for the BBC.........................
Great scene. Edward Fox (as Lt Gen Sir Brian Horrocks) at the top of his game. For history buffs, the real Brian Horrocks appears in The World at War series (episode named "pincers" if memory serves correct). A bridge too far, One of the best (realistic / historically accurate) WW2 movies, unlike the steady stream of dumb nazi bashers churned out in the 1960s and 70s.
Looking at IMDB, Michael Byrne, sitting next to Michael Caine, they both were Lt Cols and same name Vandeleur. They were in fact 2nd cousins, their grandfathers were brother. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Vandeleur
The Allies blitzkrieg that failed for the same reason that the German Blitzkrieg on the way to Dieppe(The Halt Order) failed.... they stopped to rest because the supply lines were too stretched...in both cases the victory would have been total if they had followed through...
@@MasterCheeks-2552 I agree. Patton and Bradley were better but this doesn't mean that Montgomery was a bad one. He took a risk and it failed. While Patton came from the USA where the exercise grounds were huge and a large scale sweep using armored vehicles was the norm, Montgomery didn't have that. So Patton was way ahead of Monty in understanding large scale armored warfare. Instead, Monty developed a great expertise in set piece battles. This was his strength.
Patton's third Army had the lowest casualties of any American Army in WWII. Patton was ordered to take Metz. He instead wanted to bypass it. Eisenhower ordered the taking of the Hurtgen forest. Hodges was the First Army commander in charge of that. Montgomery was a better general than both Eisenhower and Hodges.
yes but you see patton would probably not have done something like market garden. he would of for sure not let infantry be away from the tanks .. witch is funny cuase the british tanks wouldnt move up with out infantry even though they had the airborne where american probably would of.. patton would of had a better plan i mean seriously just look at all his battles and plans they where great success.. i would take patton over mont any day. yes the allies gave there all and i thank them
The reason the British tanks didn't move up from Nijmegen to Arnhem was because the British infantry and American paratroopers were still fighting hard in Nijmegen. If the British XXX Corps tried to move to Arnhem they would have been swamped and knocked out before they got near Frost at Arnhem bridge.
Matthew Berg Except it was Montgomery who planned D-Day. As for Market Garden, it failed due to the failure of 82nd Airborne to take the bridge at Nijmegen on the 1st Day. When it was only guarded by a handful of men. By the time they thought to do it, the SS had arrived. But apparently this is Montgomery’s fault, go figure.
Stuart, quite right! Something not shown in the film and not pointed out in most books on the subject. The 82nd failed in their objective to take the Nijmegen bridge and as a consequence XXX corps had to capture the bridge with the help of the 82nd river crossing. The British tanks where across the bridge before Cook reached the North end of the bridge which is not what is portrayed in the film. This delay was the primary reason why MG failed.
Yes!!! Absolutely correct. The 3 (III, Trois, Tre, Drei) tanks that survived the crossing were supposed to advance 8 miles, unsupported and take on 2 SS Divisions - without Errol Flynn or John Wayne!!! Why neither Gavin or Browning have the nous to capture the bridge, as planned, is beyond me. But it's easy to blame Montgomery isn't it - it also feeds prejudice.@@stuartwhigham7146
else .. montgomery said it was cuase he didnt get support and supplies when he got all the support and supplies he wasnt man enough to except the blame. all he cared about inmy opinion was beating patton who was better and has proven to be better none of pattons planes failed like. i also lvoe how it was only the americans who actualy did there jobs right in operation market garden. oh and also when the british foudn out there where german tanks there before they dropped they said oh dont worry
Garbage. Monty WAS NOT IN COMMAND OF MARKET GARDEN, he said no such thing, he did not consider himself in competition with (the over-rated, under achieving, blow-hard) Patton, whose plans, such as they were, usually failed, See Metz and Operation Baum for example. The operation failed for one reason above all others, the failure to take the Nijmegen Bridge "with thunderclap surprise" on the first day of the Operation as ordered. That failure was the fault of one man, James Gavin, commander of 82Nd AB Division. He was still sitting and looking at the bridge 48hrs later when XXX Corps arrived, eight hours ahead of schedule and expecting to roll straight across it and on to Arnhem. Instead they had to waste another 24 hrs helping the 82nd to take the bridge which had been reinforced by then. Basically, you don't know what you're talking about.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
I was on active duty as a paratrooper when this movie was released in 1977 and I am happy to say I experienced it on big screen the way it was intended
I was a 19 yr old US Army Soldier stationed in Germany when this movie played at the post theater. 12Bravo Combat Engineers DO NOT hold bridges. We either build them or destroy them🇺🇸👍
@@armandogonzales9304all hands to the pump, in combat
General Gavin commander of The US 82nd Airborne summed him up best
"He was truly a unique general officer and his qualities of leadership were greater than any I have ever seen. In lecturing at the American service school I stated frequently that General Horrocks was the finest general officer I met during the war, and the finest corps commander"
Lt.General James Gavin- USA
Horrocks had his strengths. I'm not sure that Gavin's praise does Horrocks any favours though. If Gavin had have got on with the task in hand, Horrocks, and all the others, would have been able to get on more too.
Gavin took a day to set up an HQ and then holds it against ... no opposition - during a three day mission. The logistical fallout was immense. But he was commanding one of the Allies' most loved Paras, so we must all say no more.
@@Nounismisation he would have been a great field army commander but he had been badly wounded. British Army practice was you were taken out of consideration for promotion in that situation or captured but later escaped. Dempsey did a good job as 2d Army CG and I suspect Horrocks would have done as well.
@@NounismisationI agree with you! his job as to take a bridge fast! instead he sets up a defence on the heights in case of mass enemy armor attack that neve came! then he goes after the bridge which by that time was defenede by the germans! a good book to read on the subject is It never snows in September
@@williamscottshelton945 Yes, also read "Lost at Nijmegen".
Great performance by Edward Fox here, he won the British Academy Award for it.
Same thing with Gandhi or nominated?
It's truly a great performance but ... I'm a bit surprised because this film has a massive ensemble cast and Fox is only in it for about two scenes. Anthony Hopkins (among others) had a much bigger role.
Brilliant performance
I very much liked the way Horrocks enters the noisy briefing room with a loud and authoritative "Thank you, gentlemen!" I guess only a few people can deliver that line in an authentic manner like Edward Fox did. The rest of the briefing was good too. nice and loud, very inspirational, completely different from the mumblings of Gen. Browning.
I met someone who thought this was 'pompous'. I had to refer to a dictionary. I still can't see what is pompous about it. Very upper class British etc but there is no 'lording it' over anyone! Quite the opposite. In this scene, Horrocks' life, bacon and eggs, family, toast and marmalade is exactly equal to that of the the people he's talking to.
Horrocks is interviewed extensively in "The World At War". He speaks of Operation Market Garden on the episode entitled "Pincers: August 1944 - March 1945". Amazing bravery from 2 Para and American 82nd and 101st Airbourne.
I found his published memoirs in my university library and enjoyed reading it immensley.
During the 1960s he hosted his own WW2 tv documentary
"The Irish Guards under the command of Colonel Vandeluer will take the lead." "Christ not us again!"
**
"What you'd say to that Joe?"
**
"Oh delighted sir, truly delighted!"
[laughter]
" have you ever been liberated "
When the camera focuses on the audience, look at front row right hand side, there is Horrocks himself making a cameo at the briefing!
"This is a story you will tell your grandchildren - and mightily bored they'll be!"
We're not bored at all.
" What do you say Joe?!!"
Joe: Errrrr, delighted
I could never get bored. Being a grandson of two WW2 veterans...I'm always proud to tell my son...
Richard Attenborough made nobody bored with this movie he directed, spared no expense.
Brilliant. It didn't work but worth a go. Everyone did their best. It showed ambition. Helped to end that horrible war.
It only needed 1 or 2 breaks to go the other way or a few slightly different decisions and it would’ve worked.
1. Brereton allowing 2 drops in a day getting the whole of 1st airborne there on day 1.
2. 82nd Airborne prioritising Nijmegen bridge rather than leaving it until last. If they had gone for it even by tea time it was completely undefended.
3. Browning not taking up a whole battalions worth of gliders on day 1 moving his Corps HQ which didn’t need to be there at all.
4. 1st Airborne making the initial move to the bridge with the stronger air landing brigade and leaving the parachute brigade to hold the drop zones. Either that or the whole brigade taking 1 route to the bridge instead of spreading out on 3 routes.
5. XXX Corps attacking at dawn instead of waiting until 14:30 to get moving.
Any of those things would’ve probably changed the result of the Operation, they really would’ve ended the war by Christmas.
@@martyndawson5768 lack of intel on the SS units on R & R in the locale
@@IndieVolken it was known from Ultra Intercepts that 9th & 10th SS were in the vicinity, one of them was in the process of entraining to head back to Germany.
It’s often not understood that these were intact formations, they had been savaged in France and had next to no actual tanks left. If any of the things I mentioned above had happened their presence wouldn’t have mattered.
The huge and horrendous responsibilities of Horrocks are shown here.
What is shown here are just the senior officers and Corp commanders, and there are several hundreds of them alone.
But, Horrocks had over 50,000 men, and 15,000 vehicles under his command. It's a wonder he and other Generals didn't crack up under the pressures of command.
Edward Fox has never let me down.
🥲
Oddly enough I was drinking last Saturday with a good Polish boy from Harrow, whose father, as a sergeant in the Polish Army, was awarded their equivalent of the Victoria Cross for his actions shortly after Arnhem.
you gotta love this officers leadership method and style, the yank
"In the unlikely event that the Germans ever get you, they will assume from your attire, that they captured a wretched peasant and immediately send you on your way."
The greatest line in this great movie :)
No, sorry. “We haven’t got the proper facilities to take you all prisoner. Sorry. We’d like to, but we can’t accept your surrender!” That line takes the prize IMO.
@@FS2K4Pilot ...LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some of the actors in this film bear a striking resemblance to the persons they portray. Edward Fox looks remarkably like Lt.Gen.Brian Horrocks as does Paul Maxwell to Maj.Gen.Maxwell Taylor. And Anthony Hopkins bears more than just a passing resemblance to Maj.Gen.John Frost.
Great classic ww2 movie
Brian Horrocks was a very popular commander with the men, and yes I agree , Edward Fox plays the part magnificently well.
And Sean Connery not dissimilar to Urquhart
Horrocks was quite an interesting individual. Served in WWI, was captured by the Germans, fought in the Russian Civil War and almost died in a Red Army POW camp, and he apparently took part in the 1924 Olympics too.
Black Rod also of the UK parliament for 14 years, also the every joker while waiting for sessions to end, Horrocks was allegedly betting on football matches, hence why in this scene and the World at war he mentions football matches.
General Eisenhower and General Gavin reckoned that Brian Horrocks was Britain's very best general in the field. Unfortunately, the wounds he had sustained in North Africa ended his military career. When I was a kid he presented a TV programme about battles and castles that I just had to watch. A very great man in so many ways.
shame horrocks wasn't in charge of planning instead of Montgomery then
@@optimisticwhovian1726 Monty wasn't in charge of any of it, which is a pity really. The planning was entirely in the hands of the staff of 1st Allied Airborne Army commanded by Lt. Gen, Lewis Brereton, US Army Air Forces. They were the people who chose the DZ's and LZs and dictated the order of the drop and who went where. Monty was Army Group Commander of 21st Army Group consisting of 1st Canadian and 2nd British Armies. Horrocks's XXX Corp was part of 2nd Army which was commanded by Lt. Gen Miles Dempsey. Contrary to popular belief XXXCorps arrived at the Nijmegen Bridge 8 hours ahead of schedule on D+2 and found that Jim Gavins 82 Abn, had not yet taken their bridge, two days after landing, and having missed the opportunity to do so in the first hour after landing. It was this single failure that doomed the entire operation, though you'll seach in vain for any reference to it in most books on the subject. You will fined it in the US Army Officer History of the campaign however.
@@optimisticwhovian1726 It wasn't planned by Monty, or commanded for that matter. The planning was by the staff of 1st Allied Airborne Army to which ALL Allied airborne formations in the European theatre belonged. It was commanded by a US general, Lewis Brereton who took an a recently discarded plan called Operation Comet (which WAS Monty's idea) and reworked and enlarged it into MG. "Market" was the airborne part of the operation and it is in the planning for that , DZ's & LZ's. etc that most if not all of the well-known mistakes were made. The ground operation, "Garden" was the responsibility of 2nd British Army and in particular XXX Corps, who were to lead the advance (with two further further CORPS in support, one on either flank). This went very well in fact, and only began to break down when the Guards Armoured Division reached the Nijmegen bridge (8hrs ahead of schedule) and found it hadn't been taken, nearly two days after the 82nd had landed in the area.
I like the enthusiasm of the General here
Knowing what a high risk operation it was, he had to sell it . He did an incredible job.
He is what I envision a great man's man general to be.
The name of the village is wrong in the movie. This conference was held in Leopoldsburg, NOT in leopoldsVILLE, which was situated in Congo!
To bad not many peope have this gentlemanly humour in these days
Edward Fox is so English, the coffee I was drinking transformed into tea!
"Out of Ammunition. Will Fight to the end. God save the King".
God Save The Queen
I think Gen Horrocks well played by Edward Fox. seemed noticeably more subdued by the end of the movie when they were considering whether to evacuate what was left of the British airborne.. It didn't help either that Market Garden plans were captured.
Just love this music, if I could get a clear one, will make it my ringtone.
Yes
"Kick off will be 14.35 hours," and in another programme, the actual Gen Horrocks mentions his retreat from Dunkirk with his troops acting like "Tottenham fans celebrating a win at Chelsea." The guy totally loved football together with betting on results while the Black Rod, (waiting through sessions) of the UK parliament for 14 years
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My old dad was in the Staffordshire regiment that was a part of xxx corp under Gen Horrocks and when i was a kid, when this film came out, he told me that if the americans had been in overall command of the operation, the outcome would have been very different. Our commanders were always over cautious and to the book. The americans were a lot more aggresive and would have pushed on and got the job done and i tend to agree.
All very brave men but two very different styles.
Many years later with a reply but that's an odd thing to say because it was actually the caution of two American air generals, Brereton and Williams, which cost the operation dearly. They refused to fly double missions on day one. A fatal mistake.
@@lyndoncmp5751 Correct, But don't forget Gacin;s failure to take the Nijmegen Bridge on Day 1 and immediately after landing, that was what truly doomed the operation. He still hadn't taken it when Horrocks arrived two days later (and 8 hrs ahead of schedule!).
@@paddy864
Thats true yes. The US 101st failed to take the Nijmegen bridge. Also British 1st Airborne failed to take the Arnhem bridge and enough of the town itself. That was largely due to the decisions of Brereton and Williams, and Hollinghurst of the RAF.
@@lyndoncmp5751 It was the 82nd under Jim Gavin actually, and when I say they failed to take it I mean that Gavin didn't seize the opportunity to capture the bridge in the first hours after landing, when it was guarded only by a handful of Germans. It was literally there for the taking. He instead became obsessed with the possibility of an attack from the wooded area to the west of the Groesbeek Heights and wasted the next TWO DAYS as a result. It was the one single thing that doomed the entire operation, had he taken it as ordered "with thunderclap surprise" immediately after landing, then XXX Corps, arriving 8 hours ahead of schedule remember, would have been in Arnhem within a couple of hours. Instead, the Infanty of the Guards Armoured Division ended up helping the 82nd to fight off increasing German counter attacks until they managed to cross the river in boats and seize the Bridge, three days late. All the blather from various Americans about the British being too slow and cautious is nothing more than an attempt at deflecting the blame for the failure of the operation from where it bellongs, with James Gavin. Even the US Army Official history shows that. This wretched film only perpetuated this obscene myth of course, the truth would not have played out well in cinemas across the US as you can imagine, Even Attenborough admitted this.
@@paddy864
Apparently Gavin ordered Lindquist of the 508th PIR of the 82nd Airborne to strike for the bridge after dropping and "move without delay" if the situation was quiet enough, which it was. However Lindquist didn't move on the bridge. When Gavin heard the 508th hadn't moved he was furious and again ordered Lindquist to "delay not a second longer" and get to the bridge. It was then another two hours until elements of the 508th PIR began to move towards the bridge, and by the time they got near it the Germans had already reinforced it and it was too late. So really it was Lindquist who messed up. On the other hand, Gavin has been criticised for picking the cautious Lindquist and his 508th PIR for the task and not the 504th PIR.
XXX Corps were on time. True. They started linking up with the 82nd at Grave, in just 42 hours. Still even if they had the bridge at Nijmegen to cross over on the 19th the British 1st Airborne didn't achieve its objective in Arnhem either. They never captured the bridge, just a small section at the north end and not enough of Arnhem. British 1st Airborne were supposed to have captured a large portion of Arnhem for XXX Corps to form a bridgehead in once they got over the bridge. The Germans controlled the bridge off ramp and 99.9% of Arnhem. There was also a road block on the bridge itself, the wreckage of Grabners force. So XXX Corps could neither have got across the bridge or off it on the other side and fanned out through Arnhem because Arnhem was squarely in German hands. The Germans were too strong by the 19th (the Stug IIIs of Brigade 280 and Tigers of Kompanie Hummel had arrived that day) and already had control of the situation. The air commanders Brereton, Williams and Hollinghurst failed at Arnhem by not allowing double missions flown on day one, by dropping too far from the objective and for not allowing a coup de main on the bridge.
I don't think it comes down to Gavin, but rather Brereton, Williams and Hollinghurst. They cared more about their USAAF and RAF personnel than the paratroopers of the First Allied Airborne Army and subsequently put their men first.
EDWARD FOX THE ACTOR PLAYING HORROCKS IS GREAT IN ALL HIS MOVIE PRESENTATIONS... MY FAVORITE BRITISH ACTOR... PLAYED THE PERFECT GENTLEMAN... EVEN THANKED HIS JEEP DRIVER AT THE FIRST OF THIS FILM CLIP. HOW MANY OFFICERS DO THAT?
Sir Eddie Fox, can’t remember who said it but someone said of him “the only man with a bicep in his cheek”
Perhaps such charismatic leaders who lead armies in such noble causes only exist in novels and films.
Err, Brian Horrocks was a real person you know? He existed, this is generally regarded of an accurate portrayal of him and his style and character.
Best ww2 film ever
Richard Attenborough directed this best movie ever, spared no expense.
One of the best parts of the movie,IMO.
Too bad the actual outcome of the op didn't pan out as explained.
Horrocks did comment on how the road was narrow & the problem was trying to squeeze off that armor & vehicles down it in a timely fashion was going to be a huge problem.
@@nickmitsialis It wasn't that much of a problem and was soon overcome, XXX Corps broke through the initial German defences and arrived at Nijmegen Bridge EIGHT HOURS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, to find the bridge still not taken, 48 hours after it should and could have been.
@jimjam69 Yeah, just the other day Obama addressed a group of British officers and told them they were going to drive right to Arnhem. It was creepy.
Edward Fox is such a badass. Great speech dude! Makes me want to charge an SS Waffen division single-handedly, armed only with a mechanical pencil.
Horrocks apparently did a great job in keeping Thirty Corp (I refuse to call it XXX Corp--it sounds like a porno) casualties relatively low during M/G; I have no doubt he was an outstanding officer & leader.
Edward Fox is an awesome actor. :) this scene is the reason i love this movie. :)
I like this briefing.
Still very good movie music.
And analogue CGI way ahead of its time.
Indeed, can't forget that.
Unforgettable.
In my opinion, it wouldn't have mattered WHO would have been in command, Montgomary or Patton, as the central failings of the operation were faults in Intelligence and the restrictions of the plan itself. Market Garden would have to have been reworked with wider margins for error, a contingency should things have gone wrong and less ambitious goals for it to potentially have success.
Still, the Allies gave it their all - that's one fact that'll never diminish.
Look what Patton did in the Ardennes, might have been a different outcome. Americans much more aggressive. The Brits too conservative in many aspects and still suffering from WWI casualty shock. On the other hand, the British Airborne was pretty audacious and brave men.
Er palpable nonsense!Did Patton cut off the Germans in the Bulge? He relieved Bastogne but that was all.
Hollywood elevated Patton to fame. Montgomery was a better general. Both of them were narcissistic pompous jerks.
@@davidanthony8290 yes to an extent. Omar Bradley was an advisor to the movie and it painted him as saint and got some digs in at Patton that were unfair and untrue all for omars glorification. Anyone remember the screw ups at Huertgon forest and the bulge? Brad got a Bronze star for the bulge because an aide said it was for having a pulse and breathing. Ike recommended BRAD for a 4th star in Jan 1945 and Marshall turned it down stone cold then. IMHO BRAD should have been no more than a Corps Commander in italy. Brad in the Pacific... No more than a Division commander. Who in place of 1st Army/ 12 army group commander? Change history a bit and put Stillwell in. He was designated a Corps Commander for Torch before he was sent to China. Retired chief of staff marlin Craig was suggested Craig for China but flatly turned Marshall down. One of the very few bad decisions Marshall made was to keep him on a a member of the personnel board. He should have been placed to the retired list again right then and there. My 1st choice for SACAEF for Normandy is Marshall. Keep IKE in the med theater. Who becomes CSA us army ? Good question...
@@davidanthony8290 I am a long retired US Army InFantry paratrooper and taught 3 yrs in my 22 years of service and I believe Monty was the greatest British commander period. I also believe MacArthur is The I WAs greatest General. I happen to believe both would have gotten along splendidly. So many Monty and Mac haters out there. Too bad they overdose on the pool aid if you dig?
I think they're the focus of the film. Much of it depicts their bravery at Arnhem.
Wish they still did war movies like this with real planes tanks vehicles battle scenes today
America and England fighting German besides The Longest Day and this.
@@Frankie-O that's what happened during WW2, I'm glad the allies won, it was an epic war
@@Frankie-O WW2 was a hard fight, I'm glad the allies won
A bridge too far was the last major classic WW2 movie, you could not do this movie today like when it came out in 1977, a modern war movie like this would use more cgi and practical effects than live action battle scenes, real planes, tanks, vehicles
One of the best WW2 movies
One of the best briefings.
Edward fox earlier played a British fighter pilot in battle of Britain movie
That was 1969. This was 1977.
@@Frankie-O both battle of Britain and a bridge too far are classic WW2 movies
With Edward Fox in those 2 WWII movies.
@@Frankie-O Edward fox was a British actor in many older movies like in the 1960s and 1970s, not sure if he is still alive, one of my favorite movies with him is the 1983 James bond movie never say never say again where he played mi6 chief M opposite Sean Connery as 007
A pity Sir Richard Attenborough never made a directors cut with commentary. I understand Attenborough shot quite a lot of film that ended on the cutting room floor. An excellent film nonetheless.
There was an extended version that used to air on American television in the 80's. I haven't seen it on dvd though...
Bradley told Ike the MG plan was bad. He was spot on.The bickering between the American generals and Monty wasted so many Allied soldier's lives. Horrocks though a great soldier, by mid 44' should have been put out to pasture.
@HenryvKeiper I wouldnt be bored bcus its part of History that it cant be forgotten
But you still wouldn't miss it for the world.
Looking at IMDB, Michael Byrne, sitting next to Michael Caine, they both were Lt Cols and same name Vandeleur.
We’re they infect brothers?
Cousins- Giles Vandeleur
Great movie
Richard Attenborough made this movie a great one, spared no expense.
Hiw could you not want to serve under General Horrick.
He did such an excellent briefing.
When this movie is now shown on TV,the phrase uttered by Caine"Christ not us again",is deleted..Is the term "Christ" now deemed offensive?
@JohnnyZenith I'd have to agree with Henry; the British Airborne dominate the story; then again, they took the brunt of the casualties. It's really a heroic story, really. Holding out against all odds until the last shell is shot and then fighting on. On the whole, I thought that the film overlooked some major points, but is an acurate depiction of the event.
British Airborne did have it bad but I'd say the Poles had it even worse.
What a great salesman
Pee-Wee's Playhouse salesman went door to door to make everybody an incredible offer.
@KaiserofGermany "This is a story that you will tell your grandchildren, and you might get it for the update."
Um...wow.
😯
that's very true
Thank You Richard Attenborough! May God rest his soul.
@@Frankie-O I rather wish he had told the truth in this film, instead of being obliged to pander to the studio and the American audiences.
The mistake, & it was Montgomery's, was that the plan had no room for error & ignored all the avaliable intelligence. The German army was horribly underestimated at so many points during 1944/5, even with allied air supremacy. This plan was endemic of the urgency to finish the war quickly which was prevalent at the time, even though nazi Germany was on it's last legs . Lives were squandered trying to end the war in time for "Christmas". The planning of Market Garden was disgraceful.
well if you go in with faulty radio equipment when your plan relies on communication between links then youre bound to fail.
Worse still... he did not have the decency to admit any of those mistakes and instead picked a scapegoat to blame instead of his miserable leadership.
@Guesthunter
Absolute myth. Montgomery didn't blame anyone else, which he could have done. Instead in his memoirs he cited his own mistakes. He didn't scapegoat anyone else.
Total horseshit. It was not Monty's plan, blame Lt. Gen. Lewis Brereton, the Commander of 1st Allied Airborne Army for that, and his staff of course who planned the Airborne operation, badly as it turned out. Monty had virtually no say in the operation as he was commander of 21 Army Group and could not interfere with it.
No doubting their bravery though. Harrow lost over 200 in WWI. Subalterns had a life expectancy half that of their troops.
A green scarf
If speed and time is a crucial factor, XXX Corps should have started their attack in the early morning hours.
They could have reached Eindhoven before noon.
Who knows what would be the fate of Market Garden after that. Nevertheless, they're travelling in a single road so that's another factor.
Why in this movie did Montgomery never appear, why as this was his plan was he not part of the movie, was that intentional or just left out as not needed. Would have rounded out the story as it says again and again that this is Montgomery's plan...anyone?
Very good point!! Maybe to make the mysterious Field Marshall, which he was anything but!
Well because he wasn’t
To my knowledge he only met with browning and Dempsey ( who also doesn’t appear because there is no reason to have him ) and didn’t talk about the operation to any of the other commanders.
So that’s why
Can any American tell me what they think of the British in this film? I want to know for my essay. Thankyou :)
I was a us army paratrooper 79-88 having trained with Brits this portrays the Brits accurately the good n the bad either way they never do anything half assed
Why did they start the offensive so late in the day?
@HenryvKeiper Lol it's even better if you read the Translate captions Beta
@BigRIJoe
Nope - MILES (then and now).
The kilOMeter is NOT yet (as it were) Legal Tender here in Good Ol' Blighty.
Unless, it seems, you happen to work for the BBC.........................
This plan is a mirror of what happened at galipoli.
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No he was exactly the same in real life. Many of our commanders are charismatic.
Richard Attenborough was a charismatic director making this movie, spared no expense.
This movie looks real
Richard Attenborough made this movie look real, spared no expense.
we use a wierd mix of imperial and metric in the UK
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Great scene. Edward Fox (as Lt Gen Sir Brian Horrocks) at the top of his game. For history buffs, the real Brian Horrocks appears in The World at War series (episode named "pincers" if memory serves correct). A bridge too far, One of the best (realistic / historically accurate) WW2 movies, unlike the steady stream of dumb nazi bashers churned out in the 1960s and 70s.
The real Horrocks also appears in this scene. He's in the front row of the briefing. Bottom right of the screen at 3:48
Looking at IMDB, Michael Byrne, sitting next to Michael Caine, they both were Lt Cols and same name Vandeleur.
They were in fact 2nd cousins, their grandfathers were brother.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Vandeleur
His promise to press onto arnhem
After waal crossing by 82 airborne wasnt fulfilled by 30corp!
The Allies blitzkrieg that failed for the same reason that the German Blitzkrieg on the way to Dieppe(The Halt Order) failed.... they stopped to rest because the supply lines were too stretched...in both cases the victory would have been total if they had followed through...
No they stopped because general gavin took too long to take his bridge that allowed German counter attacking troops over.
Total balls, see the comment above!!
If only the Brits have a few more officer like Horrock instead of ones like Browning, they would have done much better.
Really? And who was responsible the failure to take the Nijmegen Bridge on time then, a British General or an American one?
I would follow Fox to my death.
The Allies will never get this right .
@HenryvKeiper
Nice one
they arnt operational but guess what they where
...& Mr Brownlow in Oliver Twist(BBC, 2007). ^^
Er... Try 2003.
Go Airborne...If you Dare!
He'd be using YOUR MOM, foo'!
he pronounces "gentleman" instead of "gentlemen"!!...otherwise his accent is good!!
He doesn't have an accent, he's British. Did you think he was American?
There is a way of saying sit down: AT EASE.
You'd think somebody would have fired Monty well before this. His incompetence is legendary in the history of warfare.
Monty was a good general actually
@@MasterCheeks-2552 I agree. Patton and Bradley were better but this doesn't mean that Montgomery was a bad one. He took a risk and it failed. While Patton came from the USA where the exercise grounds were huge and a large scale sweep using armored vehicles was the norm, Montgomery didn't have that. So Patton was way ahead of Monty in understanding large scale armored warfare. Instead, Monty developed a great expertise in set piece battles. This was his strength.
@@georice81 Hurtgen Forest and Metz? Patton and Bradley throwing thousands of lives away for small gains.
Patton's third Army had the lowest casualties of any American Army in WWII. Patton was ordered to take Metz. He instead wanted to bypass it. Eisenhower ordered the taking of the Hurtgen forest. Hodges was the First Army commander in charge of that. Montgomery was a better general than both Eisenhower and Hodges.
@@georice81 Montgomerys corps commanders Richard O Connor and Brian Horrocks understood armoured warfare though 😉
Better than Henry V.
The Movie recently played on TCM. I have to wonder, Why did Eisenhower ever approve of that plan. He knew that Montgomery was a dud.
Montgomery didn’t plan market garden
He backed it to the hilt!!! Bad General, bad person,!! @@MasterCheeks-2552
...and a stiff upper lip!
yes but you see patton would probably not have done something like market garden. he would of for sure not let infantry be away from the tanks .. witch is funny cuase the british tanks wouldnt move up with out infantry even though they had the airborne where american probably would of..
patton would of had a better plan i mean seriously just look at all his battles and plans they where great success.. i would take patton over mont any day.
yes the allies gave there all and i thank them
Matthew Berg Patton was a cunt who sacrificed his soldiers to try to free his son-in-law from a POW Camp.
The reason the British tanks didn't move up from Nijmegen to Arnhem was because the British infantry and American paratroopers were still fighting hard in Nijmegen. If the British XXX Corps tried to move to Arnhem they would have been swamped and knocked out before they got near Frost at Arnhem bridge.
Matthew Berg Except it was Montgomery who planned D-Day. As for Market Garden, it failed due to the failure of 82nd Airborne to take the bridge at Nijmegen on the 1st Day. When it was only guarded by a handful of men. By the time they thought to do it, the SS had arrived. But apparently this is Montgomery’s fault, go figure.
Stuart, quite right! Something not shown in the film and not pointed out in most books on the subject. The 82nd failed in their objective to take the Nijmegen bridge and as a consequence XXX corps had to capture the bridge with the help of the 82nd river crossing. The British tanks where across the bridge before Cook reached the North end of the bridge which is not what is portrayed in the film. This delay was the primary reason why MG failed.
Yes!!! Absolutely correct. The 3 (III, Trois, Tre, Drei) tanks that survived the crossing were supposed to advance 8 miles, unsupported and take on 2 SS Divisions - without Errol Flynn or John Wayne!!!
Why neither Gavin or Browning have the nous to capture the bridge, as planned, is beyond me. But it's easy to blame Montgomery isn't it - it also feeds prejudice.@@stuartwhigham7146
else .. montgomery said it was cuase he didnt get support and supplies when he got all the support and supplies he wasnt man enough to except the blame. all he cared about inmy opinion was beating patton who was better and has proven to be better none of pattons planes failed like. i also lvoe how it was only the americans who actualy did there jobs right in operation market garden. oh and also when the british foudn out there where german tanks there before they dropped they said oh dont worry
Garbage. Monty WAS NOT IN COMMAND OF MARKET GARDEN, he said no such thing, he did not consider himself in competition with (the over-rated, under achieving, blow-hard) Patton, whose plans, such as they were, usually failed, See Metz and Operation Baum for example. The operation failed for one reason above all others, the failure to take the Nijmegen Bridge "with thunderclap surprise" on the first day of the Operation as ordered. That failure was the fault of one man, James Gavin, commander of 82Nd AB Division. He was still sitting and looking at the bridge 48hrs later when XXX Corps arrived, eight hours ahead of schedule and expecting to roll straight across it and on to Arnhem. Instead they had to waste another 24 hrs helping the 82nd to take the bridge which had been reinforced by then. Basically, you don't know what you're talking about.
To be fair no other British officers spoke out casue no one wanted to "rock the boat"
Ah the English arrogance
Great movie
Richard Attenborough directed such a great movie, spared no expense.