A Bridge Too Far: by Cornelius Ryan.

It is difficult to describe in short the whole humongous war machine and the excellent men that came together in the fight for survival of humanity on one side, with glory of one nation out to conquer civilisation on the other. Cornelius Ryan has attempted that in his several excellent books on various parts, this one being about the attempt to control the bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem.

The plan was ambitious and not impossible but only practical with some guaranteed miracles, and much of men were lost in the process. Was it all for the glory of one prima donna, is not clear.

This is what they did, this is how they fought and died so we can live as free men and women, and it is worth a look or more, several looks, reads. And the film is excellent too.

The film version of the book by Cornelius Ryan is an excellent job with many, many superlative actors in comparatively small roles all worthy of notice, telling the story of battle to capture the bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem. Liv Ulmann, Sir Laurence Olivier, Sean Connery, and many more actors make it even more worth watching especially with their stardom bowing to the need of the characters being played well and stardom being forgotten. Robert Redford is very new, and yet memorable with just one silent expression when asked to do an impossible job. The end where the bitter officer questions the need of loss of quite so many men by a premature action is very memorable.