for the first time.  One of the best war movies I've seen.  Tons of era hardware, great acting, some stunning scenes (I didn't blink once during the jump sequence or the river crossing).  And holy crap, the cast!

James Caan
Michael Caine
Sean Connery
Elliot Gould
Gene Hackman
Anthony Hopkins
Laurence Olivier
Robert Redford

I know you guys have all seen it, just wanted to rave.

Yep, great WWII movie.

"We haven't got the proper facilities to take you all prisoner!"  

One of my favorite movies.  The parts with Robert Redford were a bit cheesy –– and Gene Hackman's Polish accent was horrendous –– but otherwise an excellent film.

A friend of mine (from England) mentioned that her grandfather was at Arnhem (sp?).  He was captured by the Germans and put into a POW camp.  Must have been quite an experience.

I like the scene where James Caan tells the doctor to operate on his supposedly-dead friend, "Or I'll blow your f*cking head off" (with a cocked 1911).




 

One of few historically accurate WWII depictions of the era. Connery was excellent, and I LMAO at Elliot Gould's character.

The only other one that possibly trumps it is The Longest Day in terms of pure casting for a war movie.

SUPER movie!

Welcome to the 1970's!

Great flic. And yes, Gene Hackman saying "German" with a hard 'g' not a soft 'g'  was a riot.

Makes me want to get a Dennison smock and a hunting horn every time I see it!

The film included the largest concentration of DC3's/C47,s since WWII.  The jump sequence was real and carried out by paratroopers from several European countries.  Even a few gliders were built and used.  Tanks were gathered from just about anywhere they could find them  Many off of static displays.  Only of few of them actually worked.  I saw it when it came out on the big screen.  Seeing the rolling artillery barrage coming at you on the big screen was pretty impressive.  When Patton first was briefed on the plan he couldn't believe that Montgomery could actually came up with such a daring plan.  He thought it was brilliant but also made a comment that it was too bad that Montgomery was leading it.   After the failure of the plan the Dutch civilians paid a heavy price in German reprisals.

Those scenes are amazing. No CGI back then; it's all real.





 

The German tanks were mocked up Lepard Is.

I am in Nijmegen right now..where the Waal river crossing happened.  Wanna see one of the actual boats?  Took photos of one today.  My great uncle was in the first wave of boats going over!

Plenty of CGI in the '70s...

I remember reading about all the Museums that were raided for equipment for the movie, heheh, this was before Computer Generated Stuff, so at the time, this was pretty much considered the last, big budget WWII movie that would include all original gear. I'm glad they were wrong. Every year, we have more and more Tanks, and Aircraft being resurrected, and put back into working order.

I stand corrected.






 

My uncle, John Isom was a Sergeant in the United States Army, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division.  He was one of the first members of that proud division.  He died two years ago of natural causes.  His flag hangs in my office today.  He was in every operation the 82nd was assigned during World War II. He was in combat in Northern Africa, Italy, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. He was wounded three times and received three purple hearts and two bronze stars.  He made the famous crossing of the Maas-Waal River depicted in the movie, "A Bridge Too Far." He continued after the War in the U. S. Army Reserves.  The only war story he ever told me was about the Maas-Waal River crossing and the German counter-attack after the 504th took the bridge.  Here is a good story about his regiment.  This looks like a good place to post it.  God rest your soul Uncle John and thanks for your service.



504th Parachute Infantry Regiment

Unit History


American parachutists –– Devils in Baggy Pants –– are less than 100 meters from my outpost line. I can’t sleep at night; they pop up from nowhere and we never know when or how they will strike next. Seems like the black-hearted devils are everywhere.........

(Translated from the diary of a dead German Officer at Anzio - February 1944)

On 1 May 1942 The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) was activated at Fort Benning, Georgia and was later attached to the newly designated 82nd Airborne Division under the command of General Omar N. Bradley.

After arriving in Casablanca, French Morocco on 10 May 1943, the 504th began the gruelling preparations for the drops into Sicily from their base in North Africa. Finally, On the night of 10 July, the 504th was ordered to jump on Farello Airstrip, which was held by the Americans. However, disaster soon struck. One anti-aircraft gunner opened up on the transports and soon other itchy trigger fingers jerked in response. Twenty-three of 144 USAAF transports were shot down by friendly fire and a total of 318 American troops were killed or wounded in the operation.

Meanwhile, a political uprising in Italy resulted in the removal of Mussolini. This event sparked Hitler's decision to send additional troops to the region to deter the possibility of the Italians'defection to Allied forces. To counter Hitler's move the 82nd Airborne's mission changed from making a para/glider assault at Salerno to attacking Rome itself. The 504th would jump and seize key airfields around Rome. Additional troops would then be flown into these airheads while the heavier tank destroyer units would make amphibious landings. However due to the Italians' unwillingness to fight the Germans the operation was called off on 8 September.

Salerno - The Oil Drum Drop

At 0330 on 9 September 1943 the amphibious landings at Salerno began. The Allied hold on the beachhead became tenuous when, on 12 September, the Germans launched a successful counterattack. The situation became so critical that Gen. Mark Clark ordered the 82nd to prepare to drop directly on the beachhead (see map). In order to guide the C-47 pilots to the shrinking dropzone, oil drums filled with gasoline soaked sand were ignited every 50 yards when signaled. On the night of 13 September, 1300 504'rs took off and parachuted on to a dropzone that was a mere 1200 yards long and 800 yards wide south of the Sele River near Salerno. The sight of the paratroopers floating down gave the defending troops a morale boost as well as badly needed reinforcements. The days that followed were, in the words of General Mark Clark, Commander of the 5th Army, "responsible for saving the Salerno beachhead." As the 504th (minus 3rd Battalion) took the high ground at Altavilla, the enemy counterattacked and the Commander of 6th Corps, General Dawley, suggested the unit withdraw. Epitomizing the determined spirit of the Regiment, Colonel Tucker vehemently replied, "Retreat, Hell! –– Send me my other battalion!" The 3rd Battalion then rejoined the 504th, the enemy was repulsed, and the Salerno beachhead was saved. By 18 September the Germans withdrew, conceding the success of the landings.

"Leg Infantry"

To outflank the German defenses along the Gustav Line, an amphibious invasion at Anzio was planned. Assigned as part of the invasion force was the 504th Parachute Combat Team (PCT), consisting of the 504th PIR, the 376th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion, and Company C, 307th Parachute Engineers. The 504th had been fighting as "leg infantry" during the advance towards Rome until pulled from combat on 4 January 1944 to prepare for the Anzio operation. The 504th PCT was assigned to seize the town of Borgo Piave on 24 January. Although successful they were soon driven out by German tanks and artillery. They then held a defensive position along the Mussolini Canal until relieved on 28 January. After withdrawal the third Battalion, 504th PIR was assigned to the 1st Armour Division, while the remainder of the PCT was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3/504th soon saw intensive combat fighting off a German counterattack. As a result of this action they became the first US parachute unit to receive a Presidential Unit Citation.

Rejoined by the decimated 3rd Battalion the 504th PCT was soon back in their defensive positions on the right flank where they carried out aggressive small unit infiltration patrols across German lines. This demoralized the Germans as was noted by a German officer who referred to them as "Devils in Baggy Pants", a name proudly carried by the 504th until this day.

In late March the 504th was ordered withdrawn to England to join the 82nd Airborne. They departed aboard the "Capetown Castle". Although Nazi broadcasters warned the unit by radio that German submarines would never let the ship past the Straits of Gibraltar, the only danger the ship encountered came when all the troops rushed to the same side of the vessel as it pulled into Liverpool on 22 April 1944. The 82nd Airborne Division band greeted them with "We’re All American and proud to be ...," and it was assumed that the 504th would rejoin the 82nd for the upcoming invasion at Normandy. As D-Day approached, however, it became apparent that the 504th would be held back. A lack of replacements prevented the Regiment from participating in the invasion, so only a few dozen 504th troopers were taken as pathfinders.

Operation Market Garden

On 9 September 1944 Field-Marshal Montgomery proposed a plan, called Operation Market Garden, to secure a bridgegehead across the Rhine. The operation called for a combined armor and airborne assault to seize and hold key bridges and roads deep behind German lines in Holland. The airborne phase of the operation consisted of capturing five bridges ahead of the armored force. The 504th now back at full strength rejoined the 82nd, while the 507th went to the 17th Airborne Division.

The 504th's mission was to capture two bridges across the Maas-Waal Canal. The operation began on 17 September. The 504th quickly secured one of the most important objectives, the nine-span bridge over the Maas River, by hitting both ends simultaneously.

On 20 September the 504th carried out an heroic assault crossing the Waal. With artillery support the first wave of the 504th assaulted, in twenty-six assault boats, under intense fire, taking 200 casualties in the process. Finally on D+4 the 504th finally secured their hold on the bridge, fighting off another German counterattack just before noon. It was in this skirmish that Pvt. John Towle won the Medal of Honor.

The Regimental motto, "Strike Hold," had never before been more forcefully demonstrated on the battlefield. The 504th, tired yet determined, had gallantly kept its commitment to accomplish every mission without ever relinquishing any ground it had once occupied.

Its success, however, was short-lived because of the defeat of other Allied units at Arnhem. The gateway to Germany would not open in September 1944, and the 82nd was ordered back to France.

Battle of the Bulge - The Ardennes Offensive

Suddenly, on December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a surprise offensive through the Ardennes Forest which caught the Allies completely by surprise. Two days later the 82nd joined the fighting and blunted General Von Runstedt's northern penetration in the American lines.

On the morning of 19 December the 504th was getting into position north of Bastogne, while the 101st Airborne Division was assigned to Bastogne itself. The Germans quickly infiltrated and cut off the road between the two elements and the "Battle of the Bulge" offensive flowed around the two airborne units. The 82nd as a whole faced great difficulty in holding position along the northern edge of the German penetration. The 504th faced particularly heavy German attacks, winning their second Presidential Unit Citation in the process.

Driving deep into the heartland of Germany, the 504th finally took up positions along the West Bank of the Rhine River. Then on 6 April 1945 A Company  crossed the Rhine near the village of Hitsdorf as a diversionary tactic to mislead the Germans from the full scale crossing. The fierce fighting which ensued won A Company a Presidential Unit Citation.

Occupation

The war offically ended in Europe on 5 May 1945 and the 82nd Airborne Division was called upon to serve as the occupation force in the American Sector of Berlin.  Here the 82nd Airborne Division earned the name, "America’s Guard of Honor," as a fitting end to hostilities in which the 504th had chased the German Army some 14,000 miles across the European Theater.

The 504th PIR distinguished themselves as being a force to be reckoned with. They succeeded where others failed. They fought the toughest battles. They became one of the most decorated parachute units of the War. All things considered it is safe to say that the legacy of the "Devils in Baggy Pants" will live on forever.

Uncle John died July 24, 2006 in Ocala, Florida.  He is buried in the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.

They were further than you think..  They had texture mapping of curved surfaces even!(1974)

That is a LONG movie.  I remember seeing it in the theater with my dad.  
My ass went to sleep, but the rest of me was wide awake!

Great war movie.

Later, I was stationed in the NL for 3.5 years and saw most of the locations for real.

Would love to see any pictures of the area you could post.

Ever since Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far came out, I've been extremely interested in the Market Garden campaign.

(And yes, it is a great movie too!)

I own less than 20 movies on DVD, "A Bridge Too Far" is one of them.

Great movie.

I will be at the waal river crossing memorial in a few days.. I was at the 508th dropzone today because that is where my great uncle(82nd 3-504) was killed 3 days later.  There is a reenactment jump tomorrow, and there are 2 original guys jumping!!!!  89 and 92yo!

 

"A Bridge Too Far," "The Longest Day" and "Saving Private Ryan" are the top 3 war movies of all time IIRC.

excellent movie

the James Caan Jeep scene was great.

and yes the C47's

That is freakin' awesome! Hope they land OK.





 

Gosh I wish I could see it!

My son is talking to you. My uncle was in H Company of the 504, First Platoon. Do you know what company your uncle was in? Most likely H or I, since they went in the first wave and captured the bridges. My uncle helped capture both bridges.

I am in Nijmegen and will see some WWII veterans from H & I company this week. Maybe they will recall your uncle!

Strike Hold!

I remember standing out in middle school while doing a WW2 unit in English class, we were supposed to write a paper about some feature of the war.  Every dumbass in the class chose either Pearl Harbor or something related to "the bomb".  I, on the other hand, did Operation Market Garden and did pretty well on it.  When I presented about it, everyone in the room was like, "What's that?  I've never heard of that." with eyes glazed over and jaws slack.

Company A

http://www.allamerican82nd.com/Company_A_504th_roster.html

ok..so it was A!  They crossed in the 3rd wave of boats!  Ill send you photos of where it went down!

 

Ok, so I saw A Bridge Too Far DVD in the bargain bin at the Hadnot Point Annex on base the other day and purchased it.  I hadn't seen it since I was a young teen.  I'd forgotten about it since it paled in comparison to Saving Pvt Ryan in terms of sheer horror and graphic content, but it was an epic movie for its' time-almost as good as The Bridge Over The River Kwai.

Anyway, I saw the thread and had to comment on it because I too had just watched it a couple of times this week.

The best part of the movie, IMHMFO, is the fact the the German characters spoke German (no shit?), instead of accented english (which is just fucked).   Hardy Kruger did an excellent job as an SS general (having served in the Der Hitler Jugen as a young man in the waning days of WWII, it must have been wierd for him to actually portray one), along with the actor who portrayed Herr General Von Rundsedt (and Maximillian Schell, of course).

All those actors seemed so young back then.  I guess we're right behind them.    

Now just go watch Battle of Britain and you're all sweet .......

That would be great!  He went to Holland a few years ago for a (reunion?)  There was one Dutchman that was writing a book.  His name was, "Marnix" (not sure on this either)?

OK. We had dinner tonight with the author of a book about A Company that quotes your uncle!!

"Brothers in Arms" about A Company of the 504th Parachute Regiment.

Very cool!

[/quote]

That would be great!  He went to Holland a few years ago for a (reunion?)  There was one Dutchman that was writing a book.  His name was, "Marnix" (not sure on this either)?

[/quote]

This book I mentioned was by Frank Van Lunteren. I haven't heard from Marnix in a while...many years.

Not sure how I could verify this, but after cleaning my newly purchased .303, I found this. I have been meaning to watch the movie ever since.

That would be great!  He went to Holland a few years ago for a (reunion?)  There was one Dutchman that was writing a book.  His name was, "Marnix" (not sure on this either)?

[/quote]

This book I mentioned was by Frank Van Lunteren. I haven't heard from Marnix in a while...many years.[/quote]

I think that's the book my cousin has.  It's a large paperback.  I confess I haven't read all of it, mainly just the parts where the author mentions my uncle.

One of the best ever.