101st Airborne Division was activated in August 1942 in Louisiana, and
its first combat mission was Operation Overlord. On D-Day--June 6,
1944--101st and 82nd Airborne dropped onto the Cotentin peninsula hours
before the landings, tasked with capturing bridges and positions, taking
out German strongpoints and batteries, and securing the exits from Utah
and Omaha Beaches. Things did not initially go smoothly for 101st
Airborne, with cloud and antiaircraft fire disrupting the drops,
resulting in some units landing scattered over a large area outside
their designated drop zones and having to waste time assembling--stymied
by lost or damaged radio equipment--or trying to achieve their
objectives with severely reduced numbers.
Casualties were high in some areas due to heavy pre-registered German
fire. Nevertheless, the paratroopers fought on and they did manage to
secure the crucial beach exits, even if they only achieved a tenuous
hold on some other positions. A few days later, 101st Airborne were
tasked with attacking the German-held city of Carentan as part of the
consolidation of the US beachheads and establishment of a defensive line
against the anticipated German counteroffensive. The 101st forced their
way into Carentan on 10 and 11 June. The Germans withdrew the following
day, and a counteroffensive was put down by elements of the 2nd Armored
Division.
This fully illustrated book details the planning of the airborne element
of D-Day, and the execution of the plans until the troops were withdrawn
to prepare for the next big airborne operation, Market Garden.
