Inhoudsopgave:
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âA gem of a book that highlights the âfog of warâ as seen by American, British, and Canadian airborne units when they parachuted behind enemy lines.â âWWII History Magazine  âGentlemen, do not be daunted if chaos reigns; it undoubtedly will.â So said Brigadier S. James Hill, commanding officer of the British 3rd Parachute Brigade, in an address to his troops shortly before the launching of Operation Overlordâthe D-Day invasion of Normandy. No more prophetic words were ever spoken, for chaos indeed reigned on that day, and many more that followed.  Much has been written about the Allied invasion of France, but award-winning military historian Flint Whitlock has put together a unique packageâthe first history of the assault that concentrates exclusively on the activities of the American, British, and Canadian airborne forces that descended upon Normandy in the dark, pre-dawn hours of June 6, 1944. Landing into the midst of the unknown, the airborne troops found themselves fighting for their lives on every side in the very jaws of the German defenses, while striving to seize their own key objectives in advance of their seaborne comrades to come.  Whitlock details the formation, recruitment, training, and deployment of the Alliesâ parachute and glider troops. First-person accounts by veterans who were thereâfrom paratroopers to glidermen to the pilots who flew them into the battle, as well as the commanders (Eisenhower, Taylor, Ridgway, Gavin, and more)âmake for compelling, âyou-are-thereâ reading. If Chaos Reigns is a fitting tribute to the men who rode the wind into battle and managed to pull victory out of confusion, chaos, and almost certain defeat. |
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