Overview

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 moved, 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 contextualise 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, travelled miles around the UK, 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. AUTHOR: A prolific author, Dilip Sarkar has been obsessed with the Second World War for a lifetime. An MBE for 'services to aviation history', and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, unsurprisingly, for a retired police detective with a First in Modern History, his work has always been evidence-based - often challenging long-accepted myths. Firmly focussed on the 'human' experience of war, his many previous works include the authourised biographies of Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader and Air Vice-Marshal 'Johnnie' Johnson, the best-selling Spitfire Manual and The Few. Dilip has presented at such prestigious venues as Oxford University, the Imperial War and RAF Museums, and National Memorial Arboretum; he works on TV documentaries, both on and off screen. 50 b/w images

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9781526732736

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The author takes an unconventional approach and focuses on the individual stories of soldiers and civilians who died at Arnhem. -- WWII History Magazine a fabulous example of historical story-telling at its finest-- Avon Napoleonic Fellowship

"""...a fabulous example of historical story-telling at its finest...""-- ""Avon Napoleonic Fellowship"" ""Mr. Sarkar employs all his powers to remind us the men of the British 1st Airborne Division and their many comrades in arms paid a high price for strategic failure.""-- ""War History Online"" ""The author takes an unconventional approach and focuses on the individual stories of soldiers and civilians who died at Arnhem.""-- ""WWII History Magazine"""

The author takes an unconventional approach and focuses on the individual stories of soldiers and civilians who died at Arnhem. --WWII History Magazine a fabulous example of historical story-telling at its finest--Avon Napoleonic Fellowship

...a fabulous example of historical story-telling at its finest... -- Avon Napoleonic Fellowship Mr. Sarkar employs all his powers to remind us the men of the British 1st Airborne Division and their many comrades in arms paid a high price for strategic failure. -- War History Online The author takes an unconventional approach and focuses on the individual stories of soldiers and civilians who died at Arnhem. -- WWII History Magazine

Author Information

Dilip Sarkar has now written over sixty well-received books. Having enjoyed a privileged relationship with many of The Few, he is a globally acknowledged expert on the Battle of Britain, currently working on a career-topping eight volume official history for The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust and National Memorial to The Few. Described by the late Dr Gordon Mitchell, son of the Spitfire’s designer RJ Mitchell, as an ‘aviation detective’, Dilip Sarkar did actually begin his professional life as just that – a police detective. His evidence-based approach and ability to discover new material is well-known – in 2023, for example, he was responsible for having Air Chief-Marshal Sir Keith Park, a New Zealander, officially recognised as one of The Few. Made an MBE for ‘services to aviation history’ in 2003, Dilip was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society in 2006, achieved First Class Honours in Modern History as a mature student in 2010, and in 2024 was made both a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and member of London’s Royal Air Force Club. During his long career, Dilip has exhibited and spoken internationally at such prestigious venues as Oxford University, the RAF Museum, IWM Museum, and Airborne Museum, Oosterbeek; he has worked on many TV documentaries, on and off screen, again internationally, and has an engaging presence on YouTube and Facebook in particular. For more information, please see www.dilipsarkarauthor.com

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