18 September 2025 19:30
Andrew Wheale - "Operation Market Garden" - 17th to 25th September 1944.
The Talk: Operation MARKET GARDEN looms large in the in the anglophone popular memory of the Second World War, influenced strongly by Richard Attenborough’s 1977 film, A Bridge too Far.
Expectations and Planning – Where did the plan originate and who was responsible for its creation and detail? What were the key characteristics of the plan, and how did it differ from previous Allied airborne operation plans?
Intelligence and Resources – Where the forces available substantial enough to deliver success for the Allies, and did their intelligence mosaic give a clear picture of the German forces in the area of operations?
The Action – A day–by–day breakdown will show where things began to go wrong, and to what extent Allied leadership was able to take remedial action. Answers are need for some key questions–
Where was Allied tactical air power? Could it not have ‘blasted’ XXX Corps through?
What factors assisted the speed of German reaction to the landings? Did the operation make the best use of the airborne assets available?
About the Speaker: Andrew Wheale has enjoyed a life-long interest in military history and lives in Oxfordshire. His research interests include the World Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, Special Forces, combat effectiveness, leadership and military technology. He is a member of the British Commission for Military History and the Society of Army Historical Research. He has presented papers at conferences regarding British Airborne Forces during the Second World War. In 2019 he was awarded his DPhil by the University of Buckingham.
The thesis was published in 2022 by Helion and Company as Ham & Jam: 6th Airborne Division in Normandy - Generating Combat Effectiveness: November 1942 – September 1944, which in 2023 won the Templer First Book Prize.
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