[Abbott Shaull]

Originally Posted by Adm.Lee

Not just Monty, but especially the air and airborne planners. No one thought of packing a bridge onto a glider (OK, lots of gliders)? What about seizing and opening an airfield to airlift supplies (like AT guns or bridges)? IIRC, Eindhoven had an airport.

Me, I've become something of a Montgomery fan over time, recognizing that he had to work with the tools he had-- a British army that had been defeated more often than not, and was on the wrong side of the manpower curve. The British seemed to do well in controlled, "set-piece" battles, and not when improvising. Against the Germans, one needs to bring one's "A" game, and not just slap something together. That's something Alanbrooke tried very hard to impress on US staffers prior to D-Day, too.

I think the near failure of this operation force home to the US and UK the lessons that were learned by the Germans. Russians had learned enough watching the German at Malta and is why they didn't conduct any large Airborne operation during the war, even though they had several Airborne Corps. Malta itself had stopped the Germans from using it airborne troops in such assaults. Operation Market Garden was the last major operation of this type. When the 17th Airborne Division made the next combat jump it was only to the east of German position on the other side of the whatever river it was... I want to the Rhine into Germany itself, in an operation that would be conducted by Airmobile and Air Assault troop as oppose to Airborne units.