Resources required

• Resource P: Captain J S D Hardy
• Resource Q: Private Rowberry
• Resource R: Captain C A Harrison, MC
• Resource S: Intelligence Corporal F A Ventris Jenkins
• Resource T: Corporal W J Collings
• Resource U: Major J E Blackwood
• Resource V: Commentary on Operation Market Garden
• Resource W: Photographs from Operation Market Garden
• Resource X: Modern day photographs of sites relating to Operation Market Garden
• Resource Y: Map of Operation Market Garden

Rationale and learning intentions

This enquiry is designed to expose students to the people who took part in actions, regardless of the operation’s success or failure. If taught in conjunction with the accompanying Arnhem themed materials (Victoria Cross and the Dutch occupation experience), then a fuller picture of the war and its impact upon everyday people will emerge. In particular, students will begin to comprehend war from a human and individual level.

Aims and objectives:

• To offer students a range of accounts that describe the experience of participating in Operation Market Garden, specifically the actions in and around Arnhem and Oosterbeek
• To encourage students to extract and analyse information from a range of primary source material in order to construct a historical interpretation
• To understand why Operation Market Garden failed
• To enable students to reflect upon some of the challenges faced by soldiers in a combat situation

Starter  - the purpose of this is to stimulate initial interest. 

What connects James Bond to the Liberal Democrats?

Context: This enquiry would benefit from photographs of Sean Connery as James Bond and Sir Menzies Campbell, the current (2006) Liberal Democrats leader.

The connection between James Bond and the Liberal Democrats is not immediately obvious. Students could have a short discussion, after which the teacher would explain that Sean Connery played Major General Urquhart in the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’ and Sir Menzies Campbell is actually married to Urquhart’s daughter.

Examining the Nature of warfare from different personal perspectives

Ask students to carry out one of the following activities, depending on their ability level:

• In groups or pairs, examine what Resources P, Q, R, S, T and U convey about the nature of warfare and the mindset of the men who fought in the Second World War
• Invite some students to choose and research an account from Resources P to U and then ask other students to interview them about the character they have read about. Students could then compile a report in pairs or groups based on their interview findings
• Ask groups of students to research one of the accounts from Resources P to U and present their findings to the rest of the class
• Alternatively, Resources P to U can be divided into categories that accentuate the positive outcomes of the Operation and the negative. The research into these could serve as the basis for a debate based around Montgomery’s quotation about ‘fewer glorious episodes than Arnhem’.

(AV suggestion: Students could watch extracts from ‘A Bridge Too Far’ or ‘Theirs is the Glory’ (this film was made shortly after the war and some of the actors were soldiers who actually participated in Operation Market Garden) Students could also examine the merits of the films as a historical source.
 
Why did Operation Market Garden fail? Ask students to construct a report and a dossier of evidence for Montgomery and members of High Command based on their investigations into the accounts in Resources P to U that will help to explain the failure of Operation Market Garden.

For students with a higher ability level, ask them also to consider why Operation Market Garden is celebrated today, even though Arnhem is considered a defeat.

Ask students feedback their findings to the rest of the class.

• Do other groups agree with the analyses on offer?
• If so, why?
• And if not, why not?
• What other factors might they identify?
• Furthermore, can students identify any areas of success in Operation Market Garden?
• Would students agree with Monty’s judgement that ‘there are few episodes more glorious than the epic of Arnhem’?

Students should also use Resources V to Y to help them carry out this activity.

Activity extension and follow up work

As follow up work, students could do one of the following:

• Type up their report using ICT
• Devise a newspaper article from either the Allied or German point of view
• Create a display about the significance of Arnhem and Operation Market Garden