Operation Market Garden, commemorating its 80th anniversary from September 17-25, is remembered as a strategic failure. Initiated by Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, the operation aimed to expedite the end of World War II. The plan involved deploying around 35,000 British, American, and Polish parachute and glider troops from the First Allied Airborne Army to capture a series of bridges in the Netherlands. This would allow Allied armored units to cross the Rhine and advance into Germany. Although the Dutch towns of Eindhoven and Nijmegen were successfully liberated, the crucial bridge at Arnhem remained under Nazi control despite the brave efforts of British paratroopers. These efforts, along with those of their comrades elsewhere, have frequently been highlighted in popular culture, as have the details of the broader operation. Here are five films and TV shows that delve into the origins, impact, and aftermath of the Allies’ strategic gamble in September 1944.
“Theirs is the Glory” was the first film to narrate the story of Operation Market Garden, and in my opinion, it remains the best. Filmed on location in the Netherlands, it includes original wartime footage and staged reenactments, with many British soldiers and Dutch civilians who actually participated in the fighting. The film, widely praised for its authenticity at the time of its release, focuses specifically on the battle at Arnhem and is dedicated as an “everlasting memorial” to those who lost their lives.
First aired in November 1976, this television film (a joint production between the BBC and the Dutch) provides an interesting perspective on the aftermath of the battle for Arnhem. It centers on the true story of Colonel Graeme Warrack (portrayed by John Hallam), a British doctor who chose to stay with the wounded after the Allies withdrew. He was eventually captured by the Germans and spent weeks caring for the injured before escaping back to Allied lines. In 1963, he wrote a memoir about his wartime experiences, titled “Travel by Dark,” which inspired this production.
The most famous production about Operation Market Garden is based on a book by Cornelius Ryan, directed by Richard Attenborough, and featuring a star-studded cast including Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Dirk Bogarde, Gene Hackman, Robert Redford, and Laurence Olivier. The film covers the operation from its planning to execution with meticulous attention to historical detail. It narrates the stories of many key players and highlights some of the Anglo-American tensions during the operation. Despite its historical focus, its accuracy has been critiqued, and many contemporary reviewers found it overly long. It can be compared to the similarly epic 1962 film “The Longest Day,” also based on a Cornelius Ryan book.
Following the success of his 1998 film “Saving Private Ryan,” Hollywood director Steven Spielberg brought his talents to the small screen as a producer with the 2001 HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers.” Based on a book by historian Stephen Ambrose, the series follows “Easy Company” of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and 101st Airborne Division, detailing their journey from training in the US, through their D-Day drop into Normandy, and up to the war’s end in Austria. In episode four, titled “Replacements,” the men participate in Operation Market Garden, parachuting into the Netherlands and aiding in the liberation of Eindhoven. The following episode, “Crossroads,” continues the story in the weeks after the operation, showing the company’s involvement in Operation Pegasus, which aimed to rescue British paratroopers isolated after the Arnhem withdrawal.
The aftermath of Operation Market Garden holds a complex place in Dutch memory. Allied troops were welcomed warmly by Dutch civilians, and local resistance fighters were actively involved in the combat. However, the operation’s failure had severe consequences for the Dutch, with around 20,000 people starving to death during the winter of 1944-45, partly due to a German policy that halted food transportation in the western Netherlands in retaliation for Dutch railway workers (and the exiled Dutch Government in Britain) supporting the Allies during Market Garden. “The Forgotten Battle,” an Anglo-Dutch production, explores these complexities. Focusing on the post-Market Garden Battle of the Scheldt, the film narrates the Allies’ attempts to secure the area around the port of Antwerp in Belgium. Central to the film is the story of Teuntje Visser, a young Dutch woman who joins the resistance following her brother’s death at the hands of the Nazis. Another key character is a British sergeant from the Glider Pilot Regiment, who finds himself isolated behind German lines after Market Garden’s failure.