Lions Of Carentan The

“Fascinating . . . a must read for those who are interested in the Normandy, Market Garden, and Ardennes Operations” (Henrik Lunde, author of Hitler’s Preemptive War). This is the complete wartime history of one of the largest German paratrooper regiments, the 6th, from its initial formation in the spring of 1943 to its last day at the end of the war. With numerous firsthand accounts from key members reporting on their experiences, they describe the events of 1943–45 vividly and without compromise. These accounts reveal previously unknown details about important operations in Italy, Russia, Belgium, and Holland, and on the Normandy Front, the last German Parachute drop in the Ardennes, and the final battle to the end in Germany. With over 220 original photographs, many from private collections and never before published, this book fully illustrates the men, their uniforms, equipment, and weapons. Also included is an appendix with maps, battle calendar, staffing plans, a list of field numbers, and the Knight’s Cross recipients of the regiment. Having earned the respect of the Allied forces who fought against it during World War II, this work will inform current readers of the full record of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 6, and why the Allied advance into German-held Europe was so painstaking to achieve. “The great value of Griesser’s superb, richly detailed, and fabulously illustrated work is that it fills in a very wide gap in our knowledge about one of Nazi Germany’s elite branches of service . . . The Lions of Carentan represents a treasure trove for anyone interested in German airborne forces.” —Flint Whitlock, author of If Chaos Reigns

Although it is known that Allied airborne forces landed into a German buzzsaw on D-Day, far less is known about the troops they encountered in the dark night of June 6, 1944. One of the formations they encountered was a similarly elite group of paratroopers, who instead of dropping from the skies fought on the defensive, giving their Allied counterparts a tremendous challenge in achieving their objectives. This is the complete wartime history of one of the largest German paratrooper regiments, 6th , from its initial formation in the spring of 1943 to its last day at the end of the war. With numerous firsthand accounts from key members, reporting on their experiences, they describe the events of 1943Ð45 vividly and without compromise. These accounts reveal previously unknown details about important operations in Italy, Russia, on the Normandy Front, Belgium, Holland, the last German Parachute drop in the Ardennes, and the final battle to the end in Germany. With over 220 original photographs, many from private collections and never before published, this book fully illustrates the men, their uniforms, equipment and weapons. Also included is an appendix with maps, battle calendar, staffing plans, a list of field and post-MOB-numbers, and the Knight's Cross recipients of the regiment. Having earned the respect of the Allied forces who fought against it during World War II, this work will inform current readers of the full record of FallschirmjŠger Regiment 6, and why the Allied advance into German-held Europe was so painstaking to achieve.

A retired U.S. Army Master Parachutist, strategist, and military historian analyzes the actions of one German special forces group during World War II. In June 1944, Allied forces fighting desperately to establish a foothold in Normandy and then breakout of the confining bocage found themselves opposed by a bewildering array of formations of the German Wehrmacht. Among them were the newly formed German II Parachute Corps. This gripping new account examines the exploits of Germany’s II Parachute Corps and its commander, Eugen Meindl, from the Allied invasion on June 6 to the end of August 1944. Meindl was the epitome of the senior German airborne commander in the Second World War. Tough, experienced, and aggressive, he cared deeply for his troops. His Parachute Corps fought stubbornly for three weeks, before being forced to fall back. Trapped along with the bulk of the German Seventh Army in the Falaise pocket, Meindl and his paratroopers maintained their discipline and were selected by the Commander in Chief of OB West to lead the German breakout to the east. That they managed to do so, despite suffering grievous losses, while so many around them died or surrendered, is a testament to their dedication and fighting ability. Theirs is a story that deserves to be told.

An examination of how the Waffen-SS fared in Normandy in June 1944 and whether they deserve their reputation of being the ultimate fighting soldiers. One of the greatest paradoxes of the Battle of Normandy is that the German divisions found it much harder to reach the front line than the Allies, who had to cross the sea and then deploy in a cramped bridgehead until the American breakthrough of late July 1944. The Waffen-SS were no better off than the Heer units and German high command never quite got on top of operations, as the divisions were thrown into the melee one by one. During the month of June 1944, the Panzer divisions present succeeded in containing the Allies in a small bridgehead. In July, the arrival of more SS divisions should have finally allowed the Germans to counterattack decisively. This was not the reality. The Allies had also strengthened in number and kept the blows coming, one after another. Each SS-Panzer division had a different experience of the fighting in July. This Casemate Illustrated looks at the divisions one by one throughout Operations Goodwood and Cobra which saw large tank battles and the collapse of the German front in Normandy. It includes over 100 photographs, alongside biographies of the commanders and color profiles of trucks and tanks which played a key role in operations as the Americans succeeded in breaking through the German line of defense. “A superb series.” —Miniature Wargames

An illustrated profile of the Marine Corps component of USSOCOM, its origins & history, training & missions, and special equipment & weapons. The United States Marine Corps has a rich tradition of special operations, from World War II’s famed Marine Raiders and Para Marines to Korea and Vietnam’s legendary Marine Force Recon companies. Indeed, when Navy underwater demolition teams, the direct predecessors to the SEALs, performed the preinvasion reconnaissance of Iwo Jima, recon Marines were part of the mission. But when US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was created in 1987 in the wake of the abortive Desert One hostage rescue mission, the Marines did not join in. Spec ops on land, sea, and air were covered by the Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Corps felt it needed to keep its top warriors with its conventional forces. In the post-9/11 world, however, the need for special operations forces dramatically increased. With the creation of the Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) in 2006, Marines officially become part of USSCOM. Initially drawn from the ranks of Force Recon companies, these highly skilled and combat-proven Leathernecks joined their spec ops brethren in taking the war to al-Qaeda and the Taliban in America’s global war on terrorism. MARSOC’s mission is to win wars before they begin, taking combat beyond the frontlines. When America needs to respond to aggression in distant lands, the call comes to send in the Marines. With the creation of MARSOC, chances are special operations Marines are already there.

From Stephen E. Ambrose, bestselling author of Band of Brothers and D-Day, the inspiring story of the ordinary men of the U.S. army in northwest Europe from the day after D-Day until the end of the bitterest days of World War II. In this riveting account, historian Stephen E. Ambrose continues where he left off in his #1 bestseller D-Day. Citizen Soldiers opens at 0001 hours, June 7, 1944, on the Normandy beaches, and ends at 0245 hours, May 7, 1945, with the allied victory. It is biography of the US Army in the European Theater of Operations, and Ambrose again follows the individual characters of this noble, brutal, and tragic war. From the high command down to the ordinary soldier, Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews to re-create the war experience with startling clarity and immediacy. From the hedgerows of Normandy to the overrunning of Germany, Ambrose tells the real story of World War II from the perspective of the men and women who fought it.

Covering the fiercely contested US sectors of D-Day, including the beaches of Omaha and Utah, this new Campaign Book for Bolt Action allows players to refight the fierce American beach landings, beach head breakouts, and Airborne assaults. New, linked scenarios, rules, troop types, and Theatre Selectors provide plenty of options for both novice and veteran players alike.