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Out now, published by Frontline Books: Arnhem 1944 – The Human Tragedy of the Bridge Too Far by Dilip Sarkar MBE.
The airborne battle for the bridges across the Rhine at Arnhem ranks amongst the Second World War's most famous actions – inspiring innumerable books and the star-studded 1977 movie. This book, however, is unique: deeply moving, the author provides a fresh narrative and approach – concentrating on the tragic stories of individual casualties.
These men were killed at different junctures in the fighting, often requiring forensic analysis to ascertain their fates. Wider events contextualize the author's primary focus – effectively 'resurrecting' casualties through describing their backgrounds, previous experience, and tragic effect on their families. In particular, the emotive and unresolved issue of the many still 'missing' is explored.
During the course of his research, the author made numerous trips to Arnhem and Oosterbeek, traveled miles around the U.K., and spent countless hours communicating with the relatives of casualties – achieving their enthusiastic support. This detailed work, conducted sensitively and with dignity, ensures that these moving stories are now recorded for posterity.
This raw, personal, side of war, the hopes and fears of ordinary men thrust into extraordinary circumstances, is both deeply moving and revealing: no longer are these just names carved on headstones or memorials in a distant land. Through this thorough investigative work, supported by those who remember them, the casualties live again, their silent voices heard through friends, relatives, comrades and unpublished letters.
