Fighting the British at Arnhem Book Review

[John P. Moore]

“Fighting the British at Arnhem” by Bob Gerritsen is an excellent and refreshing book, the like of which does not often appear. I very much enjoyed reading this book. The author has a writing style that makes the book very readable and the events of September 1944 are presented in such a manner that holds the reader’s attention. This book is not just about the SS-Unterführer Schule Arnhem, but includes all German units (Army, Luftwaffe Navy and SS) that were part of Kampfgruppe von Tettau that fought against the British troops in the air landing areas west of Arnhem in the Wolfheze district. The actions of the Germans and British are described in a chronologic manner in great detail. The author was fortunate to have become friends with the former SS-Obersturmführer Erwin Rübenstrunk , who was on the staff of the SS-Unterführer Schule Arnhem during September 1944. Rübenstrunk himself did considerable post-war research about the battle of Arnhem and conducted extensive interviews with eye-witnesses, to include the school commander , SS-Standartenführer Michael Lippert, along with other unit commanders and ordinary soldiers. All of Rübenstrunk’s research was turned over to the author. Interviews were also conducted with British commanders and other participants. The author skillfully weaves these recollections together in a manner than enhances the reading experience. I was particularly impressed by the author’s anecdotes of small unit actions where the German experience is presented first such as the capture of a British unit off 228 men along with its commander, a major. Following that report the captured British Major Michael Forman relates his version of those events. Early in the book is a report by a former German Army Obergrefretr of how he became one of the many forced into the Waffen-SS. While retreating from France into Holland he was intercepted by the SS. In his Solbuch his Army rank was crossed out and changed to Rottenführer, assigned to a Waffen-SS unit and given a new tunic SS collar tabs. Throughout the book are references to the “requisition” of the homes of Dutch civilians by the German forces. These people were thrown out of their homes and told not to return or they would be shot. There are plenty of original photos of both British and Germans in this book and the reproduction is first-rate. The author is an older gentleman who has spent his entire life in this area and fully understands what he is writing about. I highly recommend this book.

[Annelie]

Thank you for the review of this book.

Shall be putting this on my list to buy in very near future.

Checked on several amazons.....found no results.
Where would this be available please?

[hucks216]

Available from here - on page 3 (as of today's date): http://www.kurland-docs.com/shop.php

[Truckman]

Available from here - on page 3 (as of today's date): http://www.kurland-docs.com/shop.php

Word/code search will take you right to it... ...Ben

[Annelie]

Thankyou...ordered

Whoops...tried too but the shipping is noted to be 9999....EU
total being 1003300 Eu?

Think I should contact them lolol

[John P. Moore]

People should also be able to order directly from the publisher in Holland - [email protected]

I don't find this book on Amazon yet.

[Annelie]

Thanks John.

Wrote the above an email to get details.
I checked several places including amazons etc. but as you saw
nothing.

This book should be of interest to lots of readers.

[j keenan]

These two as well are an excellent account of the battle as John says some of the best researched books out there
Retake Arnhem Bridge: An Illustrated History of the Kampfgruppe Knaust September to October 1944
Arnhem, a Few Vital Hours: The SS-Panzergrenadier-Ausbildungs Und Ersatz-Bataillon 16 at the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944

[krichter33]

I've been trying to find a less expensive version of both books, Retake Arnhem Bridge, and Arnhem, A Few Vital Hours, but to no avail! I'll definitely buy the new one Fighting the British at Arnhem before it becomes too expensive!

[j keenan]

You can find the above books here
https://paulmeekins.secure-chrislands.com
provides an excellent well packed service

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi John P. Moore,

The book sounds interesting. Thanks for drawing our attention to it.

Edited by Andy H

Cheers,

Sid.

[Andy H]

Hi All

Firstly thank you JPM for the initial review, its been appreciated by all.

A review and its contents are personal and indicative of persons unique writing style and temperament.
No matter how we may like to see something, we aren't always blessed with that vision and we compromise.
No rule was broken in the format of the review and though a comment on its style may have been made with the best intent
it wasn't perceived that way, and then were off to the races with individual comments.

I host this section and I host it on the whole with a light touch, because I like to believe that were all adult and mature enough
to stop slinging verbal stones at each other.

I'll say no more because I hope you understand I shouldn't have to!

Kind Regards to All

Andy H

[Revellations]

John,

Thanks for the review. I had a hand in reviewing the text of this fantastic book and totally agree that Bob has done a fantastic job. He has spent years on this project painstakingly making sure the details and content were accurate and trying to source photos that complimented this project. The author having befriended a former member of the SS-Unterführerschule 'Arnheim' who was an avid researcher himself, made the job somewhat easier but the additional research and cross-referencing mixed with British first-person accounts has produced a top-notch book. R.N. Sigmond Publishing has also lived up to their reputation in producing another high-quality book about the Battle of Arnhem. Must have for any Arnhem enthusiast or military researcher.

cheers

Scott

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Andy H.,

I did not object to being told to "bugger off", not least because such things are, as you say, "indicative of a person's style and temperament".

I see no reason to chastise John P. Moore, as we are old sparring partners.

Cheers,

Sid.

[John P. Moore]

Excellent comments Scott! I would like to add a few additional words about the publisher, R.N. Sigmond. "Fighting the British at Arnhem" was actually printed in Holland, just like the previous books by this publisher. This is in contrast to what we see from many other publishers these days who have their books printed in Asia. These Sigmond publications are printed on top-quality glossy paper with excellent photo reproductions and sharp text. The binding is superior and even includes a ribbon sewn in for use as a page marker. Furthermore, the price is very reasonable. It is a fortunate author indeed that has R.N. Sigmond for their publisher.