Description
Book SynopsisThe exploits of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment have long been overshadowed by those of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion. Yet the actions of the 3rd Battalion during the D-Day landings were every bit as incredible. This is the astounding story of how, after suffering many immediate casualties on landing, the surviving paratroopers fought on towards their objective against horrendous odds. Using fascinating first-hand accounts of the soldiers and the French civilians who witnessed the Normandy campaign, and illustrated with black and white photographs and maps throughout, the authors offer a unique and comprehensive account of the experiences of the 3rd Battalion from training through to D-Day and beyond.
Table of ContentsForeword by Ed Shames, 3rd BN, 506th PIR ·Acknowledgments . Introduction · 1. “Hit it - 13 weeks of pain” - Creation of the 506th PIR · 2. “Time, gentlemen, please” - The 506th at Ramsbury, UK · 3. “Here’s to your dog tags” - Preparations for D-Day · 4. “Jump into the fight” - Operation Overlord · 5. “God, let me live til morning” - D-Night Part 1 · 6. “For Christ’s sake, let’s go” - D-Night Part 2 · 7. “A real feeling of victory” - D-Day: June 6, 1944 · 8. “No word from 3rd Battalion, 506th PIR” - D-Day + 1 · 9. “A pitiful sight” - D-Day + 2 · 10. “Don’t shoot, we’re Americans” - Regrouping and consolidation · 11. “Still an American paratrooper” - POWs and counterattacks ·12. “I ain’t dead yet” - The battle of Bloody Gully , June 13 1944 · 13. “Things are pretty calm right now” - Operations on the Main Line of Resistance · 14. “Go on Yank, have a drink” - Return to Ramsbury · Bibliography · Index
