A Bridge Too Far, a book by Cornelius Ryan published in 1974, tells the story of Operation Market Garden, a failed Allied attempt to break through German lines at Arnhem in the occupied Netherlands during World War II. The title of the book comes from a comment made by British Lt. Gen. Frederick Browning, deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army, who told Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery before the operation, "I think we may be going a bridge too far." Cornelius Ryan (5 June 1920 – 23 November 1974) was an Irish-American journalist and author mainly known for his writings on popular military history, especially World War II. His two best-known books are The Longest Day (1959), which tells the story of the D-Day (day one of the... Combatants United Kingdom United States Poland Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Gerd von Rundstedt Strength XXX Corps, 35,000 airborne 20,000 Casualties 17,000 casualties 8,000 casualties Operation Market Garden (September 17-September 25, 1944) was an Allied military operation in World War II. Its tactical objectives were to... The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... Arnhem is a municipality and a city in the east of the Netherlands, located on the Lower Rhine, and the capital of the Gelderland province. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Sir Frederick Arthur Montague Browning, KBE, CB, DSO (December 20, 1896 - March 14, 1965) was a British military officer. ... Badge of the First Allied Airborne Army The First Allied Airborne Army was part of the Allied Expeditionary Force in North West Europe in 1944 and 1945. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ... Bernard Law Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (November 17, 1887 - March 24, 1976) was a British military officer during World War II often referred to as Monty. ...

The book was also made into a film, with an ensemble cast including Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Anthony Hopkins, and Robert Redford. A Bridge Too Far is a 1977 film based on a 1974 novel of the same name. ... Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth in Batman Begins Sir Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, CBE (born 14 March 1933), known professionally as Sir Michael Caine, is a double Oscar-winning English film actor. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery KBE (born August 25, 1930 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is an Oscar-winning Scottish actor and producer who is best known for his portrayal of James Bond. ... Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, CBE (IPA: ) (born 31 December 1937) is an Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning Welsh-born film, stage and television actor. ... Robert Redford (born Charles Robert Redford, Jr. ...