The US Airborne force fielded some of the toughest, best-trained, and
most resourceful troops of World War II--all necessary qualities in a
force that was lightly armed and which would in most operational
circumstances be surrounded from the moment it landed on the
battlefield. The German Wehrmacht grew to rely on a series of defensive
measures to combat the airborne threat, including fortifications,
localized reserves, and special training to help intercept and disrupt
airborne troops both in the air and on the ground. Despite such methods
it was cool-headed command and control that would prove to be the real
key to blunting the Airborne's edge.
Using specially commissioned artwork, this book examines the development
of the American airborne forces that spearheaded the Allied effort in
Sicily, Normandy, and Operation Market Garden, and the German
countermeasures that evolved in response to the threat of Allied
airborne landings.