St Louis County Library

The St. Louis County Library is pleased to present military historian and Missouri University of Science and Technology professor John C. McManus for a discussion and signing of his book "September Hope: The American Side of a Bridge Too Far" on Tuesday  July 31, at 7:00 p.m. at Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd.

The program is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase at the event from Barnes & Noble.

In "September Hope," acclaimed historian John C. McManus explores World War II's most ambitious invasion, an immense, daring offensive to defeat Nazi Germany before the end of 1944. Operation Market-Garden is one of the war's most famous, but least understood, battles, and McManus tells the story of the American contribution to this crucial phase of the war in Europe.

August 1944 saw the Allies achieve more significant victories than in any other month. Soviet armies annihilated more than twenty German divisions and pushed the hated enemy deep inside Poland. General Eisenhower's D-Day Invasion led to the liberation of France. Encouraged by these triumphs, British and American armored columns plunged into Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg. The Germans were in disarray, overwhelmed on all fronts as Allied bombers pulverized their cities. Rumors swirled that the war would soon be over and that everyone would be home for Christmas.

Then came September, and Holland. On September 17, the largest airborne drop in military history commenced--including two entire American divisions. Their mission was to secure key bridges until British armored forces could relieve them. However, the Germans were much stronger than the Allies anticipated. In eight days of ferocious combat, they mauled the airborne and prevented the Allies from crossing the Rhine.

For the first time, using countless personal interviews, "September Hope" reveals the American perspective on one of the most famous and decisive battles of World War II.

John C. McManus earned a Ph.D. in American History and Military History from the University of Tennessee, where he served as assistant director of the Center for the Study of War and Society, helping oversee a project collecting the firsthand stories of American veterans of World War II. He is currently associate professor of U.S. military history at Missouri University of Science and Technology. He also currently serves as the official historian for the United States Army's Seventh Infantry Regiment.

Program sites are accessible. Upon two weeks notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Contact St. Louis County Library by phone 314-994-3300 or visit www.slcl.org. 

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