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[[File: Bridge too far movieposter.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|<i>A Bridge Too Far</i>]]
In general, the film is very faithful to history concerning the identity of those involved. However, there was one glaring omission from the movie, and that was Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. He was the driving force behind Operation Market Garden, and without him, it is unlikely that it would have even proceeded. The film does not include him, but there are many references to him throughout the movie. Why Attenborough did, this is not really known. In Cornelius Ryan’s book, Montgomery was very prominent. It is believed that Attenborough, like many other Britons, had too much respect for Monty, the victor of El Alamein, to include him as a character.<ref> Ryan, Cornelius. <i>A Bridge Too Far</i> (Pelican, London, 1970), p 67, 89</ref> The movie also shows the diverse nature of the allied forces in Operation Market Garden, including British, American, Canadian, Free Dutch forces and Polish Paratroopers.
[[File:Arnhem.jpg|300px|thumb|left| Captured British paratroopers at Arnhem, 1944]]
One of the main reasons for the failure of Operation Market Garden was the fact that many senior officers ignored the warnings from the Dutch Resistance. The British and Montgomery had believed that the Germans were all but defeated and that their morale was low.<ref> Ryan, p. 37</ref> He also believed that the bridges were only lightly defended, which was correct, but he did not consider that there were substantial German forces near these bridges. In fact, Von Rundstedt had ordered two SS divisions to the area around Arnhem for rest and to be refitted. <ref> Ryan, p. 34</ref> The Dutch Resistance had informed the British of this.
Furthermore, the British intelligence service had passed on evidence that corroborated the Dutch claims to the Allied high command. They had solid evidence that the Germans had regrouped in the Arnhem area and were a formidable fighting force. In the movie, Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning, commander of the airborne operation is shown ignoring warnings. Major Fuller(based on the British intelligence Officer and future diplomat Brian Urquhart), an intelligence officer, shows Browning (Dirk Bogarde) photos of the Panther and Tiger tanks, but this does not stop the Operation. Browning refused to accept that there were German divisions in the target areas.
In fact, despite being told by his own intelligence officer that SS panzers were located near Arnhem, Browning did not even order that the paratroopers landing in the area be equipped with any anti-tank weapons.<ref> Ryan, p. 114</ref>. Browning is shown as placing any officers who called for the Operation to be canceled, such as the intelligence officer, on sick leave, which is correct. The anger of the Dutch Resistance when their intelligence was ignored is also true. The series of intelligence failures that led to Arnhem's disaster is portrayed in the movie very accurately.
====The campaign==Were the individual battles portrayed accurately in <i>A Bridge Too Far?</i>==
The movie was very committed to showing the real campaign, and in general, it does illustrate how the battle unfolded. It somewhat simplifies what happened, but it gives a good overview of the fighting and the operation. The first day of the campaign went well, and the allied paratroopers seized several key targets, including several bridges. By the second day, the paratroopers began to take heavy casualties. It also correctly shows the contribution of the Dutch Resistance to the Allied cause. In one memorable scene, we see Dutch resistance fighters using dead bodies for barricades, and this occurred. The Germans were able to respond very quickly to the airborne attacks.
In one scene in the movie, the Germans are shown as detonating explosives that they had rigged to a bridge. This is what happened. The movie also shows the ferocity of the German resistance very accurately. It shows how the Germans could slow down the British unit's advance, the Irish Guards, as they tried to move forward along the narrow Dutch roads<.ref> Ryan, p. 234</ref>. Holland's geography helped the German defenders because the British tanks could not drive off the roads because of the many canals. This meant that the Nazis inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing allies and fatefully slowed down their advance. The movie, which is quite long even for a Hollywood blockbuster, shows nearly all the key battles, including how the Americans could capture captured the bridge at Nijmegen by rowing across the river and attacking the Germans from behind.
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However, the movie shows that because the British paratroopers could not hold the Bridge at Arnhem, the offensive was costly. The rest of the allied army did not reach them in time, which led to their near annihilation by the SS. Attenborough’s movie shows Operation Market Garden to be a failure, and this was the case. This is the view held by the Allied High Command at the time and by historians since.
====Who wrote the book <i>A Bridge Too Far==?</i>==
<i>A Bridge Too Far</i> was the title of Ryan’s book upon which the movie was based. The phrase a Bridge Too Far accurately sums up the reason for the defeat of the allied advance. In the movie, this phrase is uttered by Browning. This is correct, and he did indeed say it. However, in the movie, he speaks the phrase at the end of Operation Market Garden after the Allied efforts to take the bridge at Arnhem had failed.
In fact, Browning used the phrase a Bridge Too Far in conversation with Montgomery before the operation started. He had some misgivings about Montgomery's ambitious strategy. He stated that he was worried about the timetable and that if the attack was delayed, Arnhem could prove to be a Bridge Too Far. <ref>Ryan, p. 123</ref>. The Polish General Stanislaw Sosabowski also had genuine doubts and stated that he too feared that the Bridge at Arnhem could not be reached in time. This is accurately shown in the movie.
[[File:1200px-Shooting of a scene from A bridge too far.jpg |300px|thumb|left|Shooting a bridge scene from in the movie]]
The movie seems to lay much of the blame for the failure of Operation Market Garden on Browning. In the movie, he is shown as not a very likable character, which seems to have been the case. In the book upon which the movie is based, the ultimate blame for the failure of Market Garden was placed firmly on Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery.<ref>Ryan, p. 401</ref> Most historians would agree with this, but Montgomery is noticeably missing from the movie.
At the end of the movie, Browning's character is shown criticizing Montgomery’s tactics and orders. While Browning made many mistakes, including ignoring the intelligence, the ultimate blame for the failure of Market Garden lay with Montgomery. It was his idea that airborne forces should be used to secure a narrow strip of territory in Holland which would be used to hold key bridges which that would allow the Allies to cross the Rhine, the Nazi’s regime last line of defense in the west.<ref>Badsey, p. 214</ref> The strategy was too ambitious, and the idea of holding territory with lightly armed airborne troops was somewhat reckless and misguided.
Earlier in the war, in Crete, the Germans had learned this lesson, and they had abandoned the idea of large-scale airborne operations by paratroopers. Montgomery did not heed this and instead produced a plan that had a high likelihood of failure. The movie somewhat spares Montgomery, and this is unfair. It seems likely that Attenborough knew that if they blamed the great British hero that it would be controversial and bad for box office. The movie also does not show the unpleasant way the British commanders tried to blame the Polish commander Stanislaw Sosabowski. In fact, he had opposed the plan and had wanted his men to be dropped into his native land to help the Polish Resistance to liberate their country from the Nazis.<ref>Badesy, p. 289</ref>
Hollywood has a long history of getting it wrong on history. Movies often sacrifice truth to enhance entertainment and box-office appeal. This is not the case with Attenborough’s <i>A Bridge Too Far</i>. It is very accurate and gives a good account of Operation Market Garden, its battles, and most of the reasons as to why it failed. The movie’s portrayal of the battles is particularly accurate and shows the intensity of the fighting. However, there are some minor inaccuracies about units and armaments.
The motion picture does show all the leading players in Market Garden, and the only real omission was Montgomery, who was the architect of Operation Market Garden. Indeed, this is perhaps the main failing of the movie. The movie noticeably fails to show who was ultimately responsible for the failure of Market Garden. Browning's rejection of the intelligence offered by the Dutch Resistance and his own intelligence service was critical. However, Montgomery must take the major share of the blame for the disaster, which is not shown in the motion picture. The movie is historically accurate; however, many critics argue that this made the film less dramatic, entertaining, repetitive, and overlong.
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