"A Bridge Too Far" and History

Some information added 12-1-21 to clarify performers roles in the film or to give background to their acting profession.  

The movie "A Bridge Too Far" is based on a non-fiction book of the same name about "Operation Market Garden," a combined Allied airborne and ground attack against German forces in Holland. The subject was long a sore spot for many British, American and Polish political and military leaders, as the operation failed at great loss of life. The book was written by Cornelius Ryan,* published in 1974 by Simon and Schuster in New York. The movie, directed by Richard Attenborough, was released in 1977 by United Artists, and it features a long list of international stars, including, in no particular order: Laurence Olivier (as Dutchman Dr. Spaander), Michael Caine (as British Lt. Colonel Vandeleur), Sean Connery (as British Major General Urquhart), Gene Hackman (as Polish Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski), Robert Redford (as Major Julian Cook, U.S. 82nd Airborne Division), Edward Fox (British Lt. General Horrocks), commander, British XXX. Corps), Anthony Hopkins (as British Lt. Colonel John Frost, a battalion commander in the British 1st Airborne Division), Ryan O'Neal (U.S. Brigadier General Gavin, U.S. 82nd Airborne Division), Hardy Krüger (see further below), Maximilian Schell (see further below), Liv Ullmann (as Dutch housewife Kate ter Horst), James Caan (as U.S. Staff Sergeant Dohun, U.S. 101st Airborne Division), Wolfgang Preiss (see further below), Dirk Bogarde (as British Lt. General Browning, commander of the British Airborne Corps), Elliott Gould (as Colonel Stout, regimental commander with the U.S. 101st Airborne Division) and many others.

Historically, the Allies had invaded France on June 6, 1944, D-Day, by landing a large force in Normandy. While the landing operation was successful, the advance inland was slow to proceed due to difficult terrain and tough German resistance until late July and early August, when a breakout was accomplished. The Allies rolled across France and into Belgium, as disorganized German forces fled into Holland. The Allied advance had been so swift, they began to experience supply shortages, which forced a slowdown in the advance by September.** This respite allowed the Germans to regain their footing somewhat, although the staggering losses suffered by the Germans during the summer made an end to the war still seem possible before the end of the year.*** In an effort to launch a major drive into the heart of Germany, British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery had plans drawn up for a large scale airborne operation to drop and glider land thousands of troops behind German lines in Holland to capture key bridges, near Eindhoven, at Grave, at Nijmegen, and at Arnhem, to be held until a simultaneous ground offensive advancing through Holland could reach each bridge and advance. If the operation were successful, the Allies would be able to go around the German defensive line known to the Allies as the "Siegfried Line" (German: "der Westwall," "the West Wall") and they would have a direct route into the Ruhr industrial area of Germany, which lay not far away. With the industries of the Ruhr out of operation, the Germans would not be able to continue the war for long.

The German situation and perspective in the movie is presented through various scenes with Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, Field Marshal Walther Model, and SS General Willi Bittrich, as well as an SS General Ludwig (a made up character based on real SS General Heinz Harmel).**** The scenes are in German with English subtitles, so if you are learning German, or if you need to brush up a little, these will give you a great way to do so. Von Rundstedt was known for his snide remarks, and the movie accurately displays this a couple of times, as when a staff officer, who had just related the terrible state of the German forces to the field marshal, asks him what they should do, and von Rundstedt answers, "Quite simply, end the war" ("Ganz einfach, den Krieg beenden"). When the officer later explains to von Rundstedt that the Allies must have supply problems and that he can't otherwise imagine why they haven't advanced into Holland, the field marshal smiles and replies, "I believe the reason is, we're retreating a lot faster than they can advance" ("Ich glaube der Grund ist, dass wir uns viel schneller zurückziehen, als sie vorrücken können").

The movie, available on DVD, briefly, but essentially, addresses this overall military situation and the possibilities for a stunning Allied victory. It also addresses the desire by some military leaders for the operation to go forward, in spite of some intelligence reports indicating German armored forces being in the area. The reports are dismissed, but the lightly armed Allied paratroopers later are vulnerable to these German forces. The Allied ground offensive encounters problems, slowing the advance, and they are "the cavalry, riding to the rescue of the paratroop forces," to use a frequent American "Western" movie plot. The paratroops desperately hold on against mounting German forces, but with mounting casualties.

Historically, the Germans had withdrawn the remnants of two badly mauled Waffen SS Panzer divisions to the Arnhem area prior to their being reequipped. While a number of the divisional units had already shipped out, enough remained to form a striking force against the Allied paratroopers, which, by their very nature, had no heavy combat gear, as once landed, paratroopers are light infantry. Also historically, another thing was, the German commanders threw together any and all small units they could get their hands on to oppose the Allied paratroops and sent them into combat. With Germany not far away, various replacement and training units were quickly dispatched to Holland to help contain and smash the Allied landings. In the end, the operation failed, even though the early objectives were reached, although more slowly than hoped, but the Arnhem bridge remained in German hands,*****  and thousands of Allied paratroops died or were captured, as the "rescuing cavalry" couldn't make it to them quickly enough, if at all. The movie depicts all of this, but with lots of individual stories about British, American and Polish soldiers, as well as some Dutch civilians, including a Dutch father and son who relay information to Allied intelligence about German forces.****** The movie is very much based on fact, but it is not a documentary, and there are liberties taken for the flow of the film and to maintain interest.
        
The film also points out the mistakes made by the Allies, as the rushed operation had errors in the details. In the end, Field Marshal Montgomery sends word that he's pleased with the results, but this was a positive spin put onto a virtual disaster, similar to the oft quoted line by a doctor, "The operation was a success, but the patient died," as the Allies suffered about 17,000 casualties in just one week, and German morale was boosted by their near decimation of the Allied airborne force. It would take the Allies another six months to really move decisively into Germany. World War Two saw the first large scale use of airborne forces, with their advantages and their limitations much in evidence. Earlier in the war, the Germans used a major airborne operation to capture the Greek island of Crete. While successful, their casualties were high, and thereafter Hitler never again used his paratroops (German: "Fallschirmjäger") for such a large operation, most often committing these well trained men to ground fighting, and only to limited jump operations. In fact, as the war went on, fewer and fewer German "paratroops" were actually even trained to make jumps.  

I've read the book, which is very good, and the movie is well worth seeing, especially if you like war movies. There is the human side to the movie too, including the Dutch civilian population, and one American soldier who goes through hell to get his wounded buddy to a field hospital, where he can't get the doctor to examine his friend (I won't disclose the outcome). Of course, courage is on display in various instances, and there is a brave, but light touch to one scene, where the surrounded, badly outnumbered and outgunned British paratroopers are told by an English speaking German officer that "my general is willing to discuss surrender." The British officer replies that, "We don't have the facilities to take all of you Germans prisoner, so we have to reject the offer." The confused German officer walks away.

* Cornelius Ryan was an Irish journalist and author who later moved to the United States and worked as a journalist for some magazines, the most prominent of which was "TIME."

** The Allies had to transport supplies hundreds of miles from Normandy across France to reach their forces in eastern France and in Belgium.

*** The Allied belief that the war could soon be over was not without justification, as the Germans had suffered some 550,000 to 650,000 casualties (killed, wounded, missing/captured) in western Europe from the time of D-Day until September (including southern France, where another Allied invasion took place along the Mediterranean coast in August). Estimates are difficult, but perhaps 20,000 casualties had been taken in Italy in the early summer, where Rome fell on June 4, 1944, and German forces withdrew to northern Italy. In Russia, the southern sector of the front had been pummeled, and Rumania, a German ally, had surrendered and changed sides in August, with German losses of about 250,000 killed, wounded and missing/captured. In the north, Finland, a German ally, battered by Soviet attacks, agreed to a ceasefire in early September, in preparation for the signing of a formal armistice about two weeks later. In central Russia, a huge Soviet offensive in late June brought the virtual destruction of an entire German army group (Army Group Center), and casualties of at least 350,000 killed, wounded and missing/captured (figures vary) in just six weeks time.

**** Von Rundstedt is played by long time German actor Wolfgang Preiss, who played many a German general or other German officer in World War Two movies during his extensive career. SS General Willi Bittrich is played by well known actor Maximilian Schell, who was born in Vienna, but then moved to Zurich, Switzerland with his family because of the Nazis. He was the brother of actress Maria Schell and he won an Academy Award for his performance in "Judgment at Nuremberg," and he was nominated for Academy Awards in other films. Field Marshal Model is played by Austrian actor Walter Kohut, who was married to Immy Schell, another sister of Maximilian Schell. Kohut died just about three years after "A Bridge Too Far" from a circulatory disorder at the age of 52. SS General Ludwig is played by German actor Hardy Krüger (usually as 'Kruger' in English), who is known for a number of non-German films like "Hatari," with John Wayne and "The Secret of San Vittorio," with Anthony Quinn. 

***** As the Arnhem bridge didn't fall to the Allies, thus, "a bridge too far," a comment one British general made about the operation.

****** As with the German scenes, the Dutch scenes are in Dutch, with English subtitles, so if you are learning Dutch, this would be good practice.

Photo from MGM Home Entertainment DVD release, 1998

WORD HISTORY:
Grim-This word goes back to Indo European "ghrem," which had the meaning "to thunder," but also the figurative "to be angry." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "grimmaz," which meant "furious, fierce," and by extension, "gloomy." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "grimm," which meant "fierce, dire, severe, with pain."  This then became "grim," where it has remained for many centuries. The modern meanings of "gloomy (for outlook), downcast (for demeanor), evil looking (for appearance), fierce (for determination), all generally trace back to the old meanings. Old English also had a noun form, "grima," which meant "warrior mask," which "seemingly" led to an association with death, and the further meaning "ghostly figure," and that association with death and ghostly figure most certainly had influence on the development of the term "the Grim Reaper" in the 1800s. Forms in the other Germanic languages: German has the noun "Grimm" (intense feeling of anger, fury) and the adjective "grimmig" (fierce, severe, grim, ferocious); Dutch has "grimmig" (harsh, unpleasant, sullen, gloomy of outlook); Danish has "grim" (ugly); Icelandic "grimmur" (fierce, cruel);   Swedish has "grym" (cruel, wild, fierce); Frisian and Low German Saxon once had "grim," but no longer use the word, and I could not find a form in Norwegian.