A Street in Arnhem by Robert Kershaw

A Street in Arnhem by Robert Kershaw

In this long-awaited book, Robert Kershaw follows up his best-selling account of Operation Market Garden It Never Snows in September to focus on the experiences of Dutch civilians and British and German soldiers in one street while fighting to survive at the heart of one of the most intense battles of World War II. He tells the story from the perspective of what could be seen or heard from the Utrechtseweg, a road that runs seven kilometers from the Arnhem railway station west to Oosterbeek.This stretch of road saw virtually every major event during the fighting for Arnhem the legendary Bridge Too Far during September 1944. The story is about the disintegration of a wealthy Dutch suburb caught unexpectedly in the war it had escaped for so long. The book charts the steady destruction of an exclusive rural community, where wealthy Dutch holiday-makers had relaxed before the war. The destruction of this pretty village is charted through the eyes of British, Polish and German soldiers fighting amid its confused and horrified inhabitants. It portrays a collage of human experiences, sights, sounds, visceral fears and emotion as ordinary people seek to cope when their street is so suddenly and unexpectedly overwhelmed in a savage battle using the most deadly weapons of the day.Kershaw's new research reveals the extent to which most people in this battle, whether soldiers or civilians, saw only what was immediately happening to them, with no idea of the larger picture. Many original Dutch, German and English accounts have been unearthed through interviews, diary accounts and letters, as well as post-combat reports charting the same incidents from both sides. The story is told as a docudrama following the fortunes of participants within a gripping narrative format. Holland had not witnessed conflict since the Napoleonic wars. What happens when your street, where you have lived for generations, is suddenly overwhelmed by conflict? A Street in Arnhem with its alternating revelations of horror and courage tells that story and provides some of the answers.REVIEWS This is well written account of the battles along the Utrechtseweg, including some great descriptive passages on urban anti-tank operations by PIAT wielding paratroops. The Germans had a surprising amount of armor in the Arnhem area, including quite a few StuG III's, and several French Char B flamethrower tanks. By the end of the nine day ordeal, even Tiger II's were appearing on the battlefield as well. As well as the great text written from a military perspective, there are a great many well written, very descriptive passages from the civilian perspective. These passages give the book a welcome extra viewpoint. The use of first person accounts used throughout this book make the text very readable, giving the reader a good sense of what it was like for those involved. Armor and Modeling Preservation Society Can you possibly imagine what it would be like if your quiet neighborhood, where yourfamily has lived for generations, suddenly became a battlefield? A Street in Arnhem, with its alternating revelations of terror and valor, tells that story and supplies some of the answers.Toy Soldier and Model Figure Magazine I recommend this book to those readers interested in WWII and in Operation Market Garden because of the insights Kershaw provides. The author promises examining one street will offer new insights- and he delivers. I also recommend the book to readers interested in modern combat because of the lessons the author reveals about urban warfare.Military Review - September- October 2015

Robert Kershaw is a former Para, having joined the Parachute Regiment in 1973, commanded 10 Para and left as a full Colonel in 2006. His active service includes tours in Northern Ireland, the first Gulf War (during which he was awarded the US Bronze Star) and Bosnia.
He is now a professional writer and has written ten highly praised books of military history. He has been interviewed on numerous TV documentaries and has published articles in the Times, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Mail and Express. He recently edited Paradata, an online encyclopaedia covering the living history of British Airborne Forces, which won the Outstanding Achievement Award in the Military category of the 2008 Interactive Media Awards. Kershaw has led site-specific battlefield touring groups across the world, including at Waterloo. He has also given lectures at the National Army, Airborne and Tank Museums and aboard the Queen Elizabeth cruise liner.
Full details are available on the author's website at www.robertjkershaw.com.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781612002644
ISBN 10	1612002641
Title	A Street in Arnhem
Author	Robert Kershaw
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Casemate
Year published	2014-09-19
Number of pages	336
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.