Men at Arnhem

Book excerpt: When Men at Arnhem was first published in 1976, the author modestly concealed his identity behind a pseudonym and changed the names of his comrades in arms. But the book was at once recognized as one of the finest evocations of an infantryman's war ever written and those in the know were quick to recognise the characters as well as the author. With his cover long since blown, in this edition Geoffrey Powell adds an introduction in which he identifies the men who fought with him in those eight terrible days at Arnhem in September, 1944. In many ways this book is a moving and personal account of the action but it is a fitting tribute to all those who fought with legendary courage and tenacity against an enemy vastly superior in numbers and equipment. What is certain is that Men at Arnhem is destined to remain the most vivid first-hand account of the ill-fated MARKET GARDEN operation; a disaster which we British, in our paradoxical way, seem to cherish above and beyond the most glorious victories. Book jacket.