But does Jack Ryan care? No. He’s just glad someone actually read his book in enough detail to offer a good analysis of his work even if they disagree on his conclusions.
Sorry if I’ve said this before but the most accurate part of Red October is when Jack Ryan mentions he’s a naval historian and Marko Ramius asks him what he’s published. Then Ryan mentions his book. Ramius is surprised the author of a book he’s read is in front of him and critiques the book well.
Throughout the fall of 1944 the Allied offensives on all fronts started running out of steam as they reached a strategic culmination point for the 1944 and needed to consolidate and reset.
Had it even been a success the Allies would’ve still had to pause due to logistical constraints.
Band of Brothers, A Bridge Too Far, and Patton all focus on Market-Garden as the reason the 1944 western offensives culminate and have shaped public perception as a result. I have no problems with the films but if we had more films on Hurtgen and Metz then it would give the public context.
The problem with Market Garden was less the execution of the plan and more of the concept that a single drive could end the war in 1944. Metz and Hurtgen Forest occur during this period but those stalemates don’t make for good films.
Whoa!
For those who play DnD…just assume your DM is gonna have a reflecting pool in the next two years. Just walk away. It’s a trap.
Market-Garden is a part of a pattern. Trust me, a lot of Allied generals looked bad in late 1944 because they had reached the end of their operational momentum which happens in war. So why the fascination with Market-Garden? It’s the only real attempt at a decisive blow in late 44 and came “close.”