Tonight We Die As Men The untold story of Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Tocchoa to D-Day

by Gardner, Ian; Day, Roger

• ISBN13: 9781849084369
• ISBN10: 184908436X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-21
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Summary

The exploits of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment have long been overshadowed by those of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion. Yet the actions of the 3rd Battalion during the D-Day landings were every bit as incredible. This is the astounding story of how, after suffering many immediate casualties on landing, the surviving paratroopers fought on towards their objective against horrendous odds. Using fascinating first-hand accounts of the soldiers and the French civilians who witnessed the Normandy campaign, and illustrated with black and white photographs and maps throughout, the authors offer a unique and comprehensive account of the experiences of the 3rd Battalion from training through to D-Day and beyond.

Author Biography

Ian Gardner served for five years in Support Company,10th Battalion the
Parachute Regiment as a medic, before leaving the Territorial Army in 1993 due to a parachuting injury. Ian has always loved military history but it was several years after leaving 10 Para that his interest in WWII US Paratroopers really began. Inspired after a visit to Normandy in 2000 he decided to focus on the 101st Airborne Division and in particular the 3rd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Currently a
self-employed graphic designer, this book is his first historical work co-written with Roger Day. He is married, has two teenage children and lives near Aldershot in Hampshire.

Roger Day's family have lived in and around the village of Ramsbury, Wiltshire, for generations. During his childhood and early adult years he became very interested in the wartime history of the village and the surrounding area. In addition to co-authoring Tonight We Die As Men with Ian Gardner, Roger has previously written Ramsbury at War (1999) and a history of the World War II ammunition depot that was located in Savernake Forest, Wiltshire.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 1
Preface	p. 3
Acknowledgements	p. 5
Introduction	p. 8
ôHit it-13 weeks of painö
Creation of the 506th PIR	p. 16
ôTime, gentlemen, pleaseö
The 506th at Ramsbury, UK	p. 32
ôHere's to your dog tagsö
Preparations for D-Day	p. 71
ôJump into the fightö
Operation Overlord begins	p. 103
ôGod, let me live 'til morningö
D-Night part 1	p. 123
D-Night part2	p. 156
D-Day-June 6, 1944	p. 180
ôNo word from 3rd Battalion, 506th PIRö
D-Day+1	p. 206
D-Day+2	p. 230
ôDon't shoot, we're Americansö
Regrouping and consolidation	p. 244
ôStill an American paratrooperö
POWs and Counterattacks	p. 256
ôI ain't dead yetö
The battle of Bloody Gully, June 13, 1944	p. 281
ôThings are pretty calm right nowö
Operations on the Main Line of Resistance	p. 300
ôGo on, Yank, have a drinkö
Return to Ramsbury	p. 323
Epilogue	p. 333
Bibliography	p. 334
Index	p. 336
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.