A Bridge Too Far - The Takeoffs

[Trashcansam123]

My god those horsas look so flimsy, even if they were replicas, hard to imagine how they held together when airborne.......

[82ghall]

REMIND'S ME OF THE B-25'S TAKE OFF IN CATCH 22.....

[Geense1963]

my father was living in Dordrecht, a town in the Netherlands near Rotterdam; he was 17 years old in september 1944 and his town was in the flying route from England to Arnhem. On a sunny and warm sunday, so he often told me, he saw hundreds of airplanes with their gliders filling the sky. All the Dutch people came out of their houses and watched this armada of airplanes. It was a magnificient sight, he often said...

[BuddyFantastic]

I wonder how many Dakotas they managed to assemble for this memorable scene?

[flyingtoday]

As a old DC3 pilot, its fun to watch a few of these old timers still fly. Now out of 10,000 built, only a few are in flyable condition anymore. Some are turboprops now. Radial engine birds are few.

[nijmegen1964]

'Hoosieryank1967' - the guy on the flight line actually shouts "Get that goddam jeep out of here!" to the driver of the vehicle parked in front of the Dakotas. Thought I'd just set the record straight. Brilliant film. My mother and her family were liberated in Nijmegen by the 82nd Airborne - we will always be eternally grateful.

[D4g4marc4]

The mistakes are small and would have been too expensive to correct--like WW2 brown boots instead of later 1960s era black boots. Any period film correct for the year. But given those limitations, this was a very good effort.

[hoosieryank1967]

"Right, let's get these goddamn things out of here!"

Had to laugh.

[cactuschris2002]

would u really take off in this tight a formation?, sems dangerous, and u can reform once airborne

[DocMEDICK]

Made the jump for this movie. Jumping out of a C-47 using a T-10 we all earned our jump pay for the month. It was a lot of fun got to meet several of the actors, Seam Connery, Eliot Gould, and Olivier. Will never forget it, I retired in 1991 as CSM.

[hevblade]

this music is perfect for this scene.

[JustPhilNY]

For a film about one of the Allies' largest defeats, the soundtrack is quite optimistic.

[schizoidboy]

Remember folks this is before CGI so they had to use real planes and people for the realistic effects:)

[BuddyFantastic]

@schizoidboy And of course, a bloody impressive good job they made of it.

[davvvvo]

c47/dc3

[sgtSoupy]

I'm definitely buy that movie along with Saints and Soldiers, and Patton for my birthday. Superb movie 9/10 or 10/10

[billace90]

Such a great war movie! Thanks for posting. The only thing is that apparently the film editors missed the airman with 1960's uniform, field jacket, cap, and boots at 4:34. Other than that, a flawless production.

[cannonski]

Respect to all those who took part in Market Garden.

[UltimateVenomFan]

This made my day...thanks!

[MotorsportLegends]

To all present and former paratroopers of all nations:

AIRBORNE!

former units:

1st Batallion, 503rd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

4th Batallion, 9th Infantry Regiment (Arctic)

1st Batallion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division

1st Reconnaissance Batallion, 1st Marine Division

[rumrich]

I think i'd rather parachute than be in a glider

[grimofhell]

very nice, c47's filled with pride and courage, i wouldnt miss it for the world mate

[friat1992]

le cable se deroulant en coordination avec la musique.Magnifique

[ColonelChamberlain]

one of the best scenes in one of the greatest war films ever created.

[moonrules]

That's what I like about these old movies, now days its all CGI that doesn't look real.

[Hyper399th]

Aw, see, this is the kinda thing that get's me going. C-46's, Airborne guys, great music ( Where's the popcorn and butter ). Great upload, great scene!

[Sannyboy45]

C-47's -.-

[bmgm3]

Great scene ! Remeber being blown away as a kid as to the scale and logistics of this film - must have cost a fortune !

[ffmarv]

My great uncle Tom was a troop sergeant with the British Airbourne at Arnhem, he assissted the author and film makers of a bridge too far with first hand accounts, and is aknowledged in this clip with his name chalked on the side of the glider "SGT T HOLLINGSWORTH" 4:07 mins in. Brave man, set the standard for us younger Hollingsworths and every other Englishman to aspire to!!

[AeroSpaceBoy130]

thats so cool! my two great uncles were pilots with the USAAC dont know exactly what they flew though

[Tomacatos]

heh Gene Hackman as Polish general Stanislav Sosabowski... I'm so proud. ;)

Never surrender like in Polish old saying, "How sweet and honourable is die for homeland".

[AmersfoortTristan]

Which is derived from Latin ?: Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori.

[Tomacatos]

Yes, we also use the "Amor Patriae nostra Lex!" - Miłość Ojczyzny naszym prawem! it means "Love to homeland is our love".

[Warriorking1963]

And Right you are to be proud of the Polish Army.

A neighbour of mine fought at Monte Cassino alongside them, said they were some of the best soldiers he'd ever come across.

I don't think Gene Hackman was very good as Sosabowski though...

[Tomacatos]

Thank you for your kind words, Sir.

I hope in in this time of peace, we will reflect on the errors in our history and once againt we'll build strong commonwealth like centuries ago.

[rlang23]

any of your relatives fight for the polish paras?

my grandad was a Lt at Arnhem

[Tomacatos]

Nope, Some of them died in Monte Casinno, some fought in resistance in homeland army.

[rlang23]

i forget which polish division fought at monte casino, i beleive they were the ones who broke through though, i could be wrong,

my grandad left poland before the war, and joined the polish paras when they were formed, fought at Arnhem and was captured i think

[dargay]

this movie sure must have a cost a TON of money. I really like the glider idea, simply brilliant!.

[tumsabai]

This movie was made in 1976. A lot of

ww2 equipment was still available at

that time. Tanks, airplanes, guns etc...

[hafizwewe]

sure this movie cost a lot of money..

[delablake]

but in the end you get one of those famous British Last Stand.

[shackattackit]

Operation Market Garden was simply a shot in the day. :P

[2ndscreagle102]

dude what are ya'll arguing about? Operation Market Garden was simply a shot in the dark, the british saw german tanks,artillery,etc in aerial photos and still monty went on with the shot off, the american 101st and 82nd Airborne took their main objectives near Eindhoven and Nijmegen but the british and polish airborne forces at and near Arnhem was surrounded and crushed and the british XXX Corps chose not to go to Arnhem said it was too dangerous and the operation failed, nuff said

[loganstars]

I LOVE Airborne!!!!

[stikpusher]

A very well filmed, edited, and scored sequence. It catches the moment of a waiting force being unleashed just right.

[alexmswiss]

A great scene. It gives you a real feeling of invincibility and the size of the enormous air assault. I love the music, it seems perfectly set off against the airplanes taking off, one after the other.

[tattiemanie]

Yes, its Magnificent piece of cinema. Almost captures the reality. thanks for the post.

[bawad]

This is one of my favourite parts in the movie.

[njgahol]

This is one of my favourite scenes!!!!

[Tuxedo12]

I wouldn't want to be in that glider, it's gonna be a lot bumpier:P But this movie is so great, authenticity played a main part.

[kerwick80]

best movie ever!!! =]

[kerwick80]

Nice, whit all that Dakot's. Best airborne operatie ever

[HenryvKeiper]

I love the authentic feel this movie has.

No movie is 100% historically accurate, but this film certainly has the feel of it, which many others do not.

[AmersfoortTristan]

If you like the feel of it... as in this film... actually it was the worst airbourne operation ever.

[hoadmaback]

Please do not state the obvious.

It is the true account of a major operation in which tens of thousands of German, British, American, Polish, Soldiers,not to mention the Dutch civilians who also died.

You have to admire the British Parachute regiments shear tenacity.

How many operational jumps have you done AmersfoortTristan?

[AmersfoortTristan]

None. But there was no operation that went worse for those involved then this one.

Unfortunately many died that didn't have to die if they simply would have listened to the latest information and postponed the drop.

I know my history-hoadmaback

[hoadmaback]

I know your history too, - But your first comment kind of implicates the guys who were involved at a lower level.

The screw-up of this operation lay on the shoulders of those who were not in the line of fire.

That´s my point.

[AmersfoortTristan]

Entirely right. Those that died died in vain for the vanity of Monty and his second in command.

If the information would have been used it would have saved some lives. But then again-advancing over a broad front would have been better. Advancing to the Ruhr and into the West would have been too ambitious anyways. They gambled here and gambled wrong. (it is also my governments decision to call of a railway strike that I did find stupid- it killed people during the Hongerwinter).

[hoadmaback]

Dude, are you Dutch? You sound like it - We were allies during this. I am an ex-Military Brit.

[AmersfoortTristan]

I am Dutch :) Yes I know. My family fought alongside the British during the war (and I have British foster parents myself. What regiment were you in ?

[hoadmaback]

AmersfoortTristan

I´ll message you on that answer. I´m not pasting personal stuff on an open board. Check your in-box.

[AmersfoortTristan]

Thank you- I'll check it.

[slizzler1]

The German drop in Crete though successful was pretty bad.

The Russians had a major airborne operation nobody hears about because it was so poorly executed. It occurred at Kanev in '43.

That was the worst major airborne operation in the war.

[RenerDeCastro]

let me guess.did those russian paras land on an entire panzer division and were slaugtered?

[slizzler1]

Actually it was more like their airborne units just vanished-they were widely scattered and nearly inconsequential in assisting a large soviet ground offensive going on at the same time.

[slizzler1]

below comment about Soviet airborne attack at Kanev