Military Model Scene

Title: Arnhem-Oosterbeek 1944
Author: Guus de Vries
Publisher: After the Battle
ISBN: 978-1-03610-699-3

A new title in the popular After the Battle series of books, and tackling the story of Arnhem, particularly focussed on the fight in Oosterbeek, right at the heart of the battle for the famous Bridge Too Far. A 208-page hard-cover book.
There are many books on Market Garden and Arnhem, including of course the previous 2-volume set from After the Battle, but this one is new and I think rather different. There are 12 chapters, starting with
the Plan, then going through the events day by day, from the landings on Sunday 17 September through to the evacuation on Monday 25th. While each one focuses very much on the events in Oosterbeek, there are frequent mentions of the progress of XXX Corps in their efforts to reach the paras. There is the story of events at the bridge itself, the landings of the Poles and the efforts to resupply the paras. Many of the photos are well known, but they are presented with plenty of new ones which show many of these well known scenes as they are today, ideal for anyone visiting the battlefield today. Then there are the final two chapters, first illustrating the Aftermath and finally, there is a beautifully detailed walking tour around the perimeter of the battlefield. This includes the various memorials around the area and shows the positions of so many of the key stories seen in the photos. In thinking about writing this review I wondered how to pick out what to tell you about. I think the example I will use are a couple of archive photos shown on page 162, which are also referenced to a couple of others on the earlier page 154. The bulk of the archive photos come from British official photographers who went on the mission, along with others from the German PK (Propaganda Kompanie) cameramen and still more from civilian citizens in Arnhem. One of the nice things was to see a photo of the British cameramen together having managed to get out safely in the final evacuation from the town.
Regular readers of my book reviews will know I have long been a fan of After the Battle publications and this one is no exception. The author was born in Oosterbeek, years after the war, but he explains how he became fascinated by the story of the battle there in 1944, and as a youngster, a keen collector of the wartime memorabilia, at a time it was still readily available in the town. As someone who has lived there for many years he is in a great position to showcase the story in this way. There is just so much to enjoy in this new book, especially the detailed walking tour, and I only wish I had had this with me when I visited Arnhem, many years ago. Despite all the books on Arnhem already published, I think this will be enjoyed by anyone with an interest in the story of Arnhem, and if you plan to visit the battlefield, then what a great choice to take with you.
Thanks to After the Battle, an imprint of Pen & Sword, for the review copy.

Robin