Sent by the Iron Sky

The Legacy of an American Parachute Battalion in World War II

Sent by the Iron Sky cover

Sent by the Iron Sky

The Legacy of an American Parachute Battalion in World War II

Description

This gripping, fully illustrated title follows the story of the men of 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, the comrades of the "Band of Brothers," from their formation to their involvement in the D-Day landings, their part in the bitter fighting to hold Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and finally their occupation of Berchtesgaden, Hitler's mountain retreat.

Following on from the success of Ian Gardner's critically acclaimed trilogy on the exploits of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division in World War II, Sent by the Iron Sky tells their exhilarating story for a new readership. From the moment they entered the war in June, 1944, the men of 3rd Battalion were faced with brutal fighting against horrendous odds. Later in the year, nearly five months in combat with no relief led to heavy losses which reduced them to the size of a company. Their heroic defense of Bastogne saw their division awarded a Unit Citation, a first in the history of the US armed forces, and they subsequently fought on across Europe, finishing the war occupying Hitler's mountain retreat of Berchtesgaden.

Drawing on years of research and interviews with veterans of some of the toughest battles of World War II, together with full-color maps and over 200 images, Ian Gardner brings to life some of the most bitter fighting of the war in Europe, laying bare the horrors of war, the deprivations of day-to-day living, and the chaos of the front line. Additional material includes a chapter on the fate of the men captured in Normandy and a foreword by Lee Wolverton, the grandson of the commander of 3rd Battalion, Col Robert Wolverton.

Table of Contents

Introduction / Chapter One: “Guiding Star" Selection, training & Colonel Sink & Bob Wolverton /Chapter Two: “Get Loaded” Deployment to UK & Ramsbury / Chapter Three: “Reclaim The Name” D-Day & Normandy/ Chapter Four: “Searching Souls” POWs 1944 - 1945 / Chapter Five: “Time is Short” Return to UK & false alarms / Chapter Six: “Fire Like a River” Operation Market Garden / Chapter Seven: “Words Like Stone” Bastogne / Chapter Eight: “Dying For A Dream” Hell Night & the final attack on Foy / Chapter Nine: “Distant Flags” Alsace Lorraine & the Colmar Pocket / Chapter Ten: “Earth Stained Tears” Western Germany & The Ruhr / Chapter Eleven: “A Principle of Faith” Southern Bavaria / Chapter Twelve: “Living in the Machine” Berchtesgaden & Austria / Chapter Thirteen: “Tho' Our Pictures Fade” / Coming home

Product details

Published Nov 26 2019
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 260
ISBN 9781472837387
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations Fully illustrated in colour and b&w
Dimensions 242 x 190 mm
Series General Military
Short code GNM
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Ian Gardner

Ian Gardner served for five years in Support Compa…

Resources

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