The fortunes of war and clear-headed decisions by commanders on the scene combined to make Utah Beach the most successful and least costly of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944. Strong ocean currents and the confusion of battle placed the landing force a mile south of its target, but further away from German artillery and in a sector that was less heavily defended because the land inland was flooded. The first craft ashore happened to contain Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. who immediately brought order to what might have been a chaotic situation. The U.S. 8th Infantry Regiment quickly began to move inland for a crucial linkup with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, all of whose landing zones were behind Utah Beach. The personalities, units and individual actions of this dramatic D-Day landing are all covered in the usual Battlegroud Europe fashion, with numerous illustrations, maps and a guide to the area as it is today.

This major addition to our Battleground WW2 Series covers the U.S. airborne and seaborne landings on the Cotentin Peninsular on D-Day 6 June 1946. It tells a dramatic story of near disastrous drops by the U.S. 101st (The Screaming Eagles) and 82nd (The All American) Airborne Divisions and how they gallantly regrouped and gained their objectives at St. Mere Eglise and Carentan. Meanwhile the 4th U.S. Infantry Division were the first American seaborne troops to land (at Utah) followed closely by the 90th Infantry Division.This book graphically describes how these divisions eventually linked up and succeeded in cutting off the vital port of Cherbourg. The book also describes the 'big picture' leading up to D-Day and is particularly interesting in its revelations about the notorious 'Operation Tiger' when over 700 American troops died during training.

Includes accounts of landings at corps level and below and relates the course of VII Corps combat operations which resulted in the capture of Cherbourg on June 27, 1944. This is the last of three narratives dealing with American military operations in Normandy.

In June 1944 the Allies opened the long-awaited second front against Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, and this was to be the start of a long struggle throughout Western Europe for the Allied forces in the face of stiff German resistance. The European Theatre was where the bulk of the Allied forces were committed in the struggle against Nazi Germany. It saw some of the most famous battles and operations of the war – Normandy, Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge – as the Allies sought to liberate Western Europe in the face of bitter and hard-fought German resistance. From the beaches of D-Day through to the final battles in war-ravaged Germany, the war across the breadth and depth of Western Europe is brought to life through scores of carefully researched and intricately detailed maps.

Description: Utah Beach. Normandy, France. A woman in military uniform stands amidst uniformed servicemen and women.

The you-are-there story of one of the most ferocious small-unit combats in US history . . . As part of the massive Allied invasion of Normandy, three airborne divisions were dropped behind enemy lines to sew confusion in the German rear and prevent panzer reinforcements from reaching the beaches. In the dark early hours of D-Day, this confusion was achieved well enough, as nearly every airborne unit missed its drop zone, creating a kaleidoscope of small-unit combat. Fortunately for the Allies, the 505th Regimental Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division hit on or near its drop zone. Its task was to seize the vital crossroads of Ste Mère Eglise, and to hold the bridge over the Merderet River at nearby La Fière. Benefiting from dynamic battlefield leadership, the paratroopers reached the bridge, only to be met by wave after wave of German tanks and infantry desperate to force the crossing. Reinforced by glider troops, who suffered terribly in their landings from the now-alert Germans, the 505th not only held the vital bridge for three days but launched a counterattack in the teeth of enemy fire to secure their objective once and for all, albeit at gruesome cost. In No Better Place to Die, Robert M. Murphy provides an objective narrative of countless acts of heroism, almost breathtaking in its “you are there” detail. No World War II veteran is better known in 82nd Airborne circles than Robert M. (“Bob”) Murphy. A Pathfinder and member of A Company, 505th PIR, Bob was wounded three times in action, and made all four combat jumps with his regiment, fighting in Sicily, Italy, Normandy, and Holland. He was decorated for valor for his role at La Fière, and is a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. After the war, he was instrumental in establishing the 505th RCT Association. A selection of the Military Book Club