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The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach

The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach Hard cover - 2014

by McManus John C

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardcover

Description

New York: NAL Caliber, 2014. 3rd Printing. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. 6x1x9. Third printing. An exceptional copy. 2014 Hard Cover. 367 pp. From the author of Fire and Fortitude and Island Infernos, a white-knuckle account of the 1st Infantry Division’s harrowing D-Day assault on the eastern sector of Omaha Beach—acclaimed historian John C. McManus has written a gripping history that will stand as the last word on this titanic World War II battle. Nicknamed the Big Red One, 1st Division had fought from North Africa to Sicily, earning a reputation as stalwart warriors on the front lines and rabble-rousers in the rear. Yet on D-Day, these jaded combat veterans melded with fresh-faced replacements to accomplish one of the most challenging and deadly missions ever. As the men hit the beach, their equipment destroyed or washed away, soldiers cut down by the dozens, courageous heroes emerged: men such as Sergeant Raymond Strojny, who grabbed a bazooka and engaged in a death duel with a fortified German antitank gun; T/5 Joe Pinder, a former minor-league pitcher who braved enemy fire to save a vital radio; Lieutenant John Spalding, a former sportswriter, and Sergeant Phil Streczyk, a truck driver, who together demolished a German strong point overlooking Easy Red, where hundreds of Americans had landed. Along the way, McManus explores the Gap Assault Team engineers who dealt with the extensive mines and obstacles, suffering nearly a fifty percent casualty rate; highlights officers such as Brigadier General Willard Wyman and Colonel George Taylor, who led the way to victory; and punctures scores of myths surrounding this long-misunderstood battle. The Dead and Those About to Die draws on a rich array of new or recently unearthed sources, including interviews with veterans. The result is history at its finest, the unforgettable story of the Big Red One’s nineteen hours of hell—and their ultimate triumph—on June 6, 1944.
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Details

  • Title The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach
  • Author McManus John C
  • Binding Hard Cover
  • Edition 3rd Printing
  • Condition Used - Fine
  • Pages 367
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher NAL Caliber, New York
  • Date 2014
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Bookseller's Inventory # 2344207
  • ISBN 9780451415295 / 0451415299
  • Weight 1.3 lbs (0.59 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 in (23.11 x 16.00 x 3.56 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects World War, 1939-1945 - Campaigns - France -, World War, 1939-1945 - Regimental histories
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2013044309
  • Dewey Decimal Code 940.542

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Summary

A white-knuckle account of the 1st Infantry Division’s harrowing D-Day assault on the eastern sector of Omaha Beach—acclaimed historian John C. McManus has written a gripping history that will stand as the last word on this titanic battle.

Nicknamed the Big Red One, 1st Division had fought from North Africa to Sicily, earning a reputation as stalwart warriors on the front lines and rabble-rousers in the rear. Yet on D-Day, these jaded combat veterans melded with fresh-faced replacements to accomplish one of the most challenging and deadly missions ever. As the men hit the beach, their equipment destroyed or washed away, soldiers cut down by the dozens, courageous heroes emerged: men like Sergeant Raymond Strojny, who grabbed a bazooka and engaged in a death duel with a fortified German antitank gun; T/5 Joe Pinder, a former minor league pitcher who braved enemy fire to save a vital radio; Lieutenant John Spalding, a former sports writer, and Sergeant Phil Streczyk, a truck driver, who together demolished a German strongpoint overlooking Easy Red, where hundreds of Americans had landed.

Along the way, McManus explores the Gap Assault Team engineers who dealt with the extensive mines and obstacles, suffering nearly a fifty percent casualty rate; highlights officers such as Brigadier General Willard Wyman and Colonel George Taylor, who led the way to victory; and punctures scores of myths surrounding this long-misunderstood battle.

The Dead and Those About to Die draws on a rich array of new or recently unearthed sources, including veteran interviews. The result is history at its finest, the unforgettable story of the Big Red One’s nineteen hours of hell—and their ultimate triumph—on June 6, 1944.

INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS

From the publisher

John C. McManus, author of September Hope: The American Side of A Bridge Too Far, earned a PhD in American and Military History from the University of Tennessee, where he served as Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of War and Society and was a Normandy Scholar. As a leading authority on the Normandy invasion, he holds a Cantigny First Division Museum Fellowship. He is currently a full professor of U.S. Military History at Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he teaches a variety of courses, including one on World War II and another on the Modern American Combat Experience. He also serves as the official historian for the United States Army’s Seventh Infantry Regiment.

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Media reviews

Praise for September Hope

“A testament to men assigned the impossible who, through sheer willpower, almost pulled it off.”—The Wall Street Journal

“A riveting and deeply moving story of uncommon courage.”—Alex Kershaw, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Longest Winter

“A fine account of one of the Second World War’s most fraught and frustrating battles. John C. McManus’s extensive research allows him to tell the story with verve and authority.”—Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize–Winning Author of An Army at Dawn

“An absolutely riveting and vivid narrative.…This is military history at its finest.” —Andrew Carroll, Editor of the New York Times Bestsellers War Letters and Behind the Lines

About the author

John C. McManus, author of "September Hope: The American Side of A Bridge Too Far," earned a PhD in American and Military History from the University of Tennessee, where he served as Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of War and Society and was a Normandy Scholar. As a leading authority on the Normandy invasion, he holds a Cantigny First Division Museum Fellowship. He is currently a full professor of U.S. Military History at Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he teaches a variety of courses, including one on World War II and another on the Modern American Combat Experience. He also serves as the official historian for the United States Army s Seventh Infantry Regiment."

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