“An excellent read for anyone interested in men at war, as well as
for students of the airborne operations, the Italian Campaign, and the
war in Europe” (The NYMAS Review). Upon the completion of the
Sicily and Salerno Campaigns in 1943, the paratroopers of Col. Reuben
Tucker’s 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment were among the first
Allied troops to enter Naples—a ghost town at first sight. The
residents soon expressed their joy at being liberated. Four weeks
later, the 504th—upon the special request of Gen. Mark
Clark—spearheaded Fifth Army’s drive through the notorious
Volturno Valley—the Germans’ next stand. January 1944 seemed to
promise a period of rest, but the landing at Anzio meant deployment
for the paratroopers again, this time by ship. A bombing raid during
their beach landing was a forecast of eight weeks of bitter fighting.
Holding the right flank of the beachhead along the Mussolini Canal,
the paratroopers earned their nickname “Devils in Baggy Pants” for
their frontline incursions into enemy lines, as well as their stubborn
defense of the Allied salient. In this work, H Company’s
attachment to the British 5th Grenadier Guards—and the Victoria
Cross action of Maj. William Sidney—are painted in comprehensive
light for the first time. The story of honorary member of the 504th
PIR, Italian veteran Antonio Taurelli, is also included. Using war
diaries, personal journals, letters, and interviews with nearly eighty
veterans, an up-close view of the 504th PIR in the Fifth Army’s
Italy Campaign is here in unsurpassed detail. From the author of
two previous works on the 504th PIR, The Battle of the Bridges and
Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper, this book shows that the Italian theater
was second to none in terms of grueling combat, courage against
formidable odds, and an extremely expert enemy.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781612004280
Publisert
2016
Utgiver
Vendor
Casemate
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter