Arnhem - it was the last major battle lost by the British Army, lost not by the men who fought there but by the overconfidence of generals, faulty planning and the failure of a relieving force given too great a task. If the operation of which Arnhem formed a part had been successful, the outcome of the war and the history of post-war Europe would have been greatly altered. Yet is it worth another book? I had fulfilled all my literary ambitions by researching and writing thirteen full-length books and was ready to retire from that laborious craft when Peter van Gorsel, head of Penguin's Dutch office, asked me to write a book on Arnhem for the fiftieth anniversary in 1994. It was the first time that my publishers had requested a book; all previous subjects had been my choice. I eventually agreed for several reasons. I had not previously researched and written about the British Army in the Second World War and had not previously done any work in Holland; so two fresh fields were opened up to me. I also felt that the fighting in and around Arnhem had still not been described in the detail that it merited.
Introduction -- The Path to Arnhem -- ‘First Airborne’ and Friends -- The Arnhem Area -- Preparations for Battle -- The Air Armada -- The Morning in Holland -- The Landings -- The Vital Hours -- The Battle in the Town — Monday -- The Battle in the Town – Tuesday -- Waiting for the Second Lift -- The Second Lift -- The Battle in the Woods -- The Battle at the Bridge -- The Formation of the Oosterbeek Perimeter -- The Battle at Oosterbeek -- The Resupply Flights -- The Polish Brigade -- The Sacrifice of the Dorsets -- Evacuation -- The Reckoning -- The Years That Followed -- Order of Battle and Operational Details, 1st British Airborne Division and Attached Units -- Order of Battle, Polish Independent Parachute Brigade Group -- Order of Battle, 38 and 46 Groups RAF and RASC Air Despatch Units -- Arnhem Today
