CONTENTS
Foreword. By Colonel Mark J. Alexander
Part I: “No Better Place to Die.” By Bob Murphy
Chapter 1: Soldiers Tell the Tale
Chapter 3: Operation Overlord: A Pathfinder’s View
Chapter 4: The Battle at La Fière: The Mission of the 1st Battalion, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment
Chapter 5: Across the Causeway
Chapter 6: The Battle of Chef-du-Pont
Chapter 7: D-Day Plus One: June 7, 1944
Chapter 8: Advance across the Marsh
Chapter 9: Last Enemy Attack and the End of the Normandy Campaign
Part II: Eyewitness Reports: Paratrooper Accounts
Landing Alone on D-Day. By Howard Huebner
The Tank Attack on La Fière Causeway; June 6, 1944. By Marcus Heim
Letter to General Gavin. By John Dolan
“Chief” Turner Turnbull: The Action at Neuville-au-Plain. By Bob Murphy
D-Day in Ste. Mère-Eglise. By Spencer F. Wurst
Part III: Eyewitness Reports: Gliderist Accounts
A Brief History on Gliders. By Bob Murphy
D-Day Glider Landing. By Clinton Riddle
Landing with the Tank Force at Utah Beach. By Lucius P. Young
The 325 Glider Infantry Regiment Attack across La Fière Causeway. By Lee Travelstead
A Medic in Normandy. By Chester Walker
The Fighting at Cauquigny and Le Motey. By Wayne Pierce
Part IV: Eyewitness Reports: French and German Accounts
The Opposition: Panzer Ersatz und Ausbildungs Abteilung 100
The Battle of La Fière, Seen from the Manoir. By Madame Louis Leroux
Manning the Bell Tower at Ste. Mère-Eglise: A German Perspective. By Rudolph May
The Light of Day: June 6, 1944. By Alexandre Renaud, Wartime Mayor of Ste. Mère-Eglise
Robert M. Murphy: Bronze Star Medal with Bronze V Device
Marcus Heim: Distinguished Service Cross
Charles DeGlopper: Medal of Honor
Appendix B: Historical Notes and Documents
Timeline: 82d Airborne Division
The Activation of the 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment
Pathfinder Employment for Operation Neptune
Appendix C: Stories for the Next Generation
In Memory of Bill Owens. By Bob Murphy
The Rabbit’s Tale. Or, How a Big French Jackrabbit Helped Win the War. By D. Zane Schlemmer
Christmas in the Bulge, 1944. By D. Zane Schlemmer
Living History, Keeping History Alive: A Tribute to the 82d Airborne Division. By Emile Lacroix