Bridge Too Far Movie (1977) - Serious Inaccuracies

Bridge Too Far Movie-Serious Inaccuracies David Rendahl Former Intelligence Analyst at British Army Updated May 31 Why does Major Julian Cook's portrayal by Robert Redford involve criticism of the Grenadier Guards, and is there historical truth to those scenes? Historical accuracy in a Bridge Too Far is far from being a truthful account. Hollywood hero The most egregious film distortion was to eliminate more than half Major Cook’s objectives. We watch Robert Redford run off with a dwindling band of extras to storm one bridge singlehanded. Great stuff for Redford’s charismatic career, but the actual objectives for Cook's 3rd Battalion 504th PIR were a bit more involved. Cook’s responsibility that day included: taking and holding a beachhead and securing it for a second wave taking and holding the fortified high ground that overlooked them to the north taking and holding a rail bridge one mile east of the beachhead taking and holding a road bridge half a mile further east of the rail bridge. Cook had three of his own rifle companies, his HQ company, artillery teams and advance elements of the 1st Battalion 504th to accomplish all this. A small village that straddled the road to Arnhem north of both bridges was considered the limit of exploitation, Cook was to cross the river, capture all these objectives then fortify and defend them against expected enemy counter attack. It was a big job. When secure he was to call on the Grenadier Guards armoured battle group then fighting through Nijmegen town centre with the 505th PIR, who would cross the road bridge to join his forces at the village and assist in the defence of their perimeter. No one had orders to advance up the Arnhem road until all was secure in Nijmegen town and Waal beachhead. That next move would be the decision at least of Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks, possibly General Dempsey’s, after all the majors, colonels, brigadiers and major generals had reported in. Cook’s 3rd Battalion achieved the crossing of the Waal river with Cook in the leading boat, but after that dodgy moment the Major couldn't go off seeking solo Hollywood glory, he had hundreds of men, multiple objectives and dozens of tactical problems spread over a one or two mile front to command and control. Once across the river Cook established battalion HQ under the fortified high ground and worked with Captain Kappel’s H Company to secure it. This allowed Capt. Burriss’s I Company to turn east and make for the rail bridge approaches, while Cook arranged fire support with elements of the 376th Parachute Field Artillery who had crossed with them. Once both these objectives had been achieved, Cook concerned himself with the continued defence of the high ground and beachhead while making arrangements for Captain Thomas’s G Company to cross in a second wave, bringing across combat engineer teams to make the bridges safe from demolition and then the 1st Battalion 504th PIR, as well as preparing his expanding perimeter for anything the enemy might throw back at him. Once the second wave was on its way Cook gave Buriss the order to go for the road bridge half a mile further east. Cook then stayed at his command post on the high ground commanding his entire battalion perimeter. He never went to the road bridge during the battle for it. before someone has a hissy fit about me making out Cook was less-than for not living up to Dickie Attenborough’s dramatic direction of Robert Redford - in September 1944 Major Julian Cook was a parachute battalion commander, he could not abandon control of multiple objectives and hundreds of men to seek personal glory acting out a squad commanders job. I don't know of anyone important who says he didn't do a great job as battalion commander in this battle. Those same people would have rightly castigated him for running off fighting jerries and presenting himself as sniper bait like Redford did. Nijmegen Town. This is a sin of omission in the film. The two bridges at Nijmegen were of absolutely no use whatsoever unless Nijmegen town was captured first. No one was getting across the Waal if the substantial German forces in Nijmegen weren't destroyed first. When Major Cook crossed the river Waal on the 20th September the 82nd Airborne had been on the outskirts of Nijmegen town for three days. They had dropped on the 17th September, seized the Grave bridges and canal bridge with alacrity that same day, but failed to take Nijmegen town or either bridge against light resistance. For two days they waited for XXX Corps allowing German reinforcements to cross into Nijmegen and fortify the town center and bridge approaches unmolested. When XXX Corps arrived at Nijmegen late on the 18th September - just under 48 hours since starting off in Belgium, fighting their way through 30 miles of German front line, rebuilding the Son bridge and driving another 30 miles overnight to get back on schedule, they were faced with the job of taking Nijmegen town (pop. 100,000) if they wanted to cross the bridge and drive onto Arnhem. Early next morning (19th September) the Grenadier Guards moved into Nijmegen town from the west while the 505th PIR moved off their positions on the Groesbeek heights and into the town from the east. This force would fight its way through multiple fortified buildings all day and into the next (20th September) when Cook made his crossing. By late o’clock (19:00hrs) on the 20th the Grenadiers reached the southern approaches of the road bridge just as Buriss’s I company made it to the northern end and requested their support. The Grenadiers had to capture one last major fortified position covering the bridge itself, but after 48hours constant fighting through positions that were supposed to have been taken three days earlier, the Grenadier Guards had suffered more battlefield casualties (killed and wounded) than any other similar size unit in Market Garden* they only had one troop of four tanks and no infantry to send in support. Major Cook’s 600 strong 3rd Battalion 504th PIR suffered 24 killed and 70 wounded crossing the Waal and taking their objectives - a costly action, although not the most costly in the 82nd Airborne. The similar sized 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards lost 90 killed and over 200 wounded in the fight for Nijmegen town and to com