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这首歌来自电影：The Bridge Too Far

• WOW,Operation Market Garden，看过这段历史记录，多谢，去找电影看去。 -移花接木-

It may take some prerequisites to better understand the movie. There are not only different English accents, but also German or even Dutch. Language is not the only tool for communication, if one can understand the story the German and Dutch language parts can also be comprehended.

The movie 'The Bridge Too Far' is based on the true historical event, an allied military action called Operation Market Garden during WWII, the movie reappeared the WWII battle scenes. Some background knowledge about the history, military terminologies, tasks, are helpful to understand the movie.  

Background knowledge of the movie : The Bridge Too Far

History

Operation Market Garden:

Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful World War II military operation fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 25 September 1944. It was the brainchild of Field Marshal Montgomery and strongly supported by Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. The airborne operation was undertaken by the First Allied Airborne Army with the land operation by XXX Corps of the British Second Army.[13] The objective was to create a 64 mi (103 km) salient (bulge formation of troops) into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, creating an Allied invasion route into northern Germany.[4] This was to be achieved by seizing a series of nine bridges with airborne forces, with land forces swiftly following over the bridges. The operation succeeded in liberating the Dutch cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen along with many towns, creating a 60 mi (97 km) salient into German-held territory, limiting V-2 rocket launching sites. It failed, however, to secure a bridgehead over the Rhine, with the advance being halted at the river.

It was the largest ever airborne action, the overall operation was very daring, ambitious, and risky.  

My question： What is the opinion of Eisenhower， Supreme Commander of the Ally？ 蒙哥马利的主意得到丘吉尔与罗斯福的强烈支持，这个冒险主意如果成功，将打开直通德国鲁尔工业区的大门，Arnhem大桥之后，德国再无险可守，提前结束战争，好大喜功，毫不奇怪被政客喜欢，军人哪？ 为甚么没提盟军总司令艾森豪威尔的意见？

A few military units are mentioned in the movie, knowing the names of the units, help to understand the scales of particular actions in different scenes.  

RAF，英国皇家空军

Luftwaffe 德国空军, German & English pronounciation are the same

Panzer 德国装甲部队。

Field Marshal, 这个发音英语与德语很象

Military ranks：the main roles in the movie are frequently called by names or by their ranks, knowing the ranks help to identify who is who.

In the movie:

Browning & Horrocks are the two highest Lieutenant General,中将 from allied side.

German side highest is : Field-Marshal Walter Model, Lieutenant General Bittrich, etc. 

Tasks and Map: Operation Market Garden

• Market: an airborne assault to seize key bridges, and;
• Garden: a ground attack moving over the seized bridges creating the salient.

Three ally airborne divisions, British 1^st airborne division  including Polish brigade, American 101 airborne division, American 82^nd   airborne division were assigned to three zones, to take all the bridges, 9  in total and hold on.

The British 1^st got the furthest & most difficult task , Arnhem. 所以电影里Browning 中将对Roy Urquharts(Sean Connrey,yes, the 007 )少将，英军第一空降师师长，说  Roy, you got a price. …

Major-General Roy Urquharts, by Sean Connery

Lieutenant-General Frederick Browning

Meanwhile British 30 corps started from Belgium & Netherland boarder punching into German defence lines, totally 64 miles in 48 hours to reach and reinforce all the airborne troops down the road.

Map:

Indentifying the troops is important to follow the course of the movie, where the scenes moving here to there. 

airborne troop armbands:

Uniforms: Indetify different troops by their uniforms, avoid confusion of who is in battle and where the battle ground is.

Brithish military officers： Beret

airborne: red beret,  ground: black beret

British ground spearhead commander, Lieutenant colonel JOE Vandeleur (front) by Michael Caine

and Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks(back) in a jeep.

British airborne troop with helmet:

American 101 airborne division/American 82 airborne division, only difference is their armbands

British infantry uniform:    

电影中的战争场面，可以体会到东西文化的差异，被困英军在医疗设备不够用的情况下，请求德军停战1小时，把伤员交给德军治疗，General Bittrich: we are winning the battle; Dr. Spaander: Win or lose is not important, but life or death is... after 1 hour you can kill us as you want.  德军居然接受。 最后英军撤退时，用伤员做掩护迷惑德军，最后伤员肯定会被德军俘虏并治疗。没有豪言壮语，无处不在的幽默，对上司的牢骚。

Doc. Spaander requested to pause fire for 1 hour to transport wounded British soldiers to German side, German Lieutenant General Bittrich accepted it.

功利主义，及时止损，一河之隔, 距离最终目标4miles, 放弃原计划， Urquharts将军趁黑夜带领2千剩余人员过河撤回，空降时的1万人损失8千, 几个当头儿的共同给出了放弃的客观理由，天气，桥，一条路，交通拥挤。

hardcore美军，虽说美军不是被分配的主角，但奉献精神明显高于英军，

82 airborne division, 不强调客观，急被困英军之所急，Major Julian Cook，大白天带领其营，冒着弹雨用冲锋舟强行渡河抢占大桥。

反倒是英军从RAF 到地面部队，时时刻刻地强调客观困难，天气有雾，不能起飞，坦克原地等步兵，没有命令不能行动，眼瞅着前面伞兵被困，原地不动，气的美军直跳脚。

英雄不论成败，胜负都是英雄

英军 1st airborne; Lieutenant colonel Johnny Frost的Battalion在空降后第一时刻到达Arnhem最后一座大桥，于是有了电影里那句：I'm awfully sorry, but I'm afraid we're going to occupy your house.

原计划坚守桥头48小时的任务，只有轻武器面对德军装甲部队，拒绝德军投降建议，苦战四昼夜援军未到，受伤，弹尽，毫无遗憾，坦然被俘。那座桥入如今被命名为John Frost Bridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Johnny Frost

官僚主义，Browning 将军面对参谋提供空中侦察得到的德国装甲部队照片，竟然自欺欺人，视而不见，或许是最高统帅部的压力，他只能执行，坚持原空降计划，不断提供劝告的参谋Fuller少校后被要求病休。随后剧情中空降部队全部被德军装甲部队包围，损失惨重，最终任务失败，Roy Urquharts少将险些被俘。

Major Fuller

British reconnaissance aircraft, flew over the Dutch underground boy, it is a reconnaissance virsion British fighter plane: Spitfire, only equiped with cameras on weapons.

下级的无奈

波兰旅因天气空降不断推迟，空降地点已经无保密性，面对空降后真接被大屠杀的可能性，指挥官Sosabowski少将，气愤地要求Browning给他证明信，表明不是他愿意领导而是被迫执行勃朗宁的任务。。。。  

Maj. Gen. Sosabowski & Lieutenant Den. Browning