Introduction

A glimpse inside"Kampfraum Arnheim" (Battle Zone Arnhem), has been in the works for a few years with Remy Spezzano of RZM publication and is based on photos taken by eight German war correspondents, mostly from the Luftwaffee / Kriegsmarine Propaganda Kompanies sent to document the battle, whose 16 rolls of film are the primary focus of this excellent RZM publication. The book displays the chronological photographic documentation of the German ground forces which fought against the Anglo-American offensive, code-named "Operation Market Garden," which took place in Holland during September 1944. The photos and the material was acquired exclusively from the German Federal Archives, Bundesarchiv , Koblenz plus with some help of some new photos and research that depicts Heer, Luftwaffe and Waffen-SS troops in action at Arnhem, Nijmegen, Mook and Oosterbeek.

The book deals with the battle around Arnhem and areas and the German units who fought there. This battle was fought during Operation Market Garden, which if successful was to allow the Allied armies to advance into the heart of Germany and to end the war by late 1944. The Market part of the plan evolved Allied paratroops that would seize key bridges; with the Garden part of the plan was the ground units that were to marry up with the paratroopers. The British 1st Airborne Division was dropped on the last key bridge to make the advance into Germany. The major problem was that the British 1st Airborne Division landed on top of the II SS Panzer Korps ( 9th and 10th SS Panzer Divisions) which were resting and refitting after the long battles of Normandy and Falaise pocket. Of approximately 10,600 men of the 1st Airborne Division and other units who fought north of the Rhine in and

around Arnhem, 1,485 were killed in action and 6,414 were taken prisoner, with one third were wounded. Only 2,398 men were evacuated across the Rhine River to safety.

contents

Each of the photos that are in the book is accompanied by detailed captions that include the date taken, location of each photo, photographer's name and the negative frame number. Also, with each photo is a paragraph which contains a description of who and what is in each of the photos. Written by Harlan Glenn, author of "For King and Country: British Airborne Uniforms, Insignia and Equipment in World War 2", with additional research provided by a team of Dutch experts, "Kampfraum Arnheim" stands out as the definitive visual history of the German units which participated in this crucial battle.

The book is broken down into the following:

Synopsis of the Battle

Ten Photo Sections with detailed Maps
1) Counter-Measure at LZ “N”
2) Kampfgruppe Herman
3) Birds A-Foul on LZ “N”
4) Rolling up the Carpet
5) Surrender at Oosterbeek
6) Into the Cauldron
7) Sector SUD-Riechorst and Mook
8) Silence in the Perimeter
9) Kampfgruppe Knaust
10) Panzers in Elten

Glossary
Bibliography
Acknowledgements

Conclusion

This excellent photo study book shows a very well researched and detailed account from the German perspective using the Bundesarchiv and personal photos, all put together chronologically as the battle unfolded during “Operation Market Garden” which took place in Holland during September 1944. Each photo is explained in great detail with its location and the units evolved during these set piece battles, which was to be Germany’s last major victory.
The only nit picking point is the size of this great book, extra large size,, 12" x 12"!

Author(s): Harlan Glenn & Remy Spezzano
Language(s): English text
Format: Hardcover, extra large size, 12" x 12"
Pages: 308 pages
Photos: 274 wartime duotone photos
Maps: 10 full page, highly detailed, military maps
Publisher: RZM Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9657584-9-9