Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing And Airborne Operations On D-Day, June 6, 1944

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.: Stackpole Books, 2005. Hard Back. Very Good/Very Good. 6 1/4" X 9 1/2. 380 Pages Indexed. Black boards with gold spine lettering. No defects noted. Faultless interior text. Dust jacket shows minor edge wear. On June 6, 1944, a fleet of U.S. Army Air Force C-47s roared through the skies over Normandy as 13,000 U.S. paratroopers dropped into the marshes and villages behind Utah Beach. A few hours later 21,000 American infantrymen surged out of landing craft and rushed the beach itself. D-Day had begun. Yet Allied commanders were troubled. The plan for Utah Beach had not existed four months earlier but was tacked onto Operation Overlord at the insistence of Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower and British Gen. Bernard Montgomery. A combined airborne and seaborne invasion of this magnitude had never before been attempted. Many feared that the American troops executing the assault would be slaughtered. Not only was Utah the most isolated of the five D-Day beaches -- which meant the troops could be cut off for days -- but the German defenders had flooded huge tracts of land behind the beach in the airborne drop zones. To move inland, the infantry would have to trudge over a few narrow causeways secured by the paratroopers at the opposite ends. This bold operation would end in either a secure footing on the coast of France, or a bloody repulse back across the English Channel. Success would mark the beginning of the end for Germany and the liberation of Europe. Failure would paralyze the Allies and prolong the struggle for months, if not years. American troops knew the stakes were high. Nevertheless, from the sea and sky they confidently cascaded into that far corner of Normandy and contributed decisively to the Allied triumph on D-Day. The author shows how American soldiers, sailors, and airmen gained that victory in the face of long odds. Included are firsthand accounts, meticulously detailed maps, and dramatic storytelling in the first truly comprehensive narrative of this critical World War II battle. Contents in Eleven Chapters: An Uncound Operation of War, Steadfast and Loyal, Overture to Overlord, Night of Nights, Hitting the Silk, All-Americans, So This Is France, Gete in There and Take Chances, Something to Behold, Proud of You, and The First Day of a Long Struggle.