Elite formations such as the airborne divisions attract a disproportionate amount of attention in published military accounts. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of memoirs and combat accounts of paratrooper actions in World War II. These are reinforced by scores of other books dealing with paratrooper uniforms and equipment, as well as photographic accounts. The list below can only cover a few of these and concentrates on historical studies. Besides published accounts, there are a wealth of wartime after-action reports and other studies on the airborne operations that are more difficult to find except at archives. The author consulted the collections at the Military History Institute (MHI) at the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, and the US National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at College Park, Maryland. MHI is a particularly rich repository of archival holdings relating to the airborne including an extensive collection of TO&Es, after-action reports, and personal papers and photos of key commanders including Gen. Ridgway and Gavin, and army historian S. L. A. Marshall.
IX Troop Carrier Command, Tactical and Non-Tactical Operations during the Final Phase of the War in Europe including Operation Varsity (1945)
IX Troop Carrier Command, Activities: Final Phase—European War (1945)
17th Airborne Division, Operation Varsity (1945)
101st Airborne Division, Vital Statistics of the 101st Airborne Division in Holland and Belgium 1944–45 (1945)
82nd Airborne Division, Operation Neptune: Normandy 6 June–8 July 1944 (1944)
82nd Airborne Division, A Graphic History of the 82nd Airborne Division, Operation Market, Holland, 1944 (1944)
British Army of the Rhine. Battlefield Tour: Operation Varsity (1947)
USAAF, Airborne Assault on Holland: An Interim Report (1945)
USAAF Evaluation Board, The Effectiveness of Third Phase Tactical Air Operations in the European Theater 5 May 1944–8 May 1945 (1945)
USAF Historical Study No. 36, Ninth Air Force: April to November 1944 (1947)
USAF Historical Study No. 47, Development and Procurement of Gliders in the Army Air Forces 1941–44 (1947)
USAF Historical Study No. 74, Airborne Missions in the Mediterranean 1942–45 (1955)
USAF Historical Study No. 97, Airborne Operations in World War II: European Theater (1957)
USFET General Board, Types of Divisions—Post-War Army (US Army 1945)
USFET General Board, Organization, Equipment and Tactical Employment of the Airborne Division (1945)
Adelman, Robert, and Walton, George, The Champagne Campaign: The Spectacular Airborne Invasion that Turned the Tide of Battle in Southern France in 1944 Little, Brown: 1969
Anzuoni, Robert, “I’m the 82nd Airborne Division”: A History of the All American Division in World War II in After Action Reports Schiffer: 2006
Bando, Mark, 101st Airborne: The Screaming Eagles at Normandy MBI: 2001
Bilstein, Roger, Airlift and Airborne Operations in World War II USAF History Program: 1998
Blair, Clay, Ridgway’s Paratroopers: The American Airborne in World War II Dial: 1985
Blythe, William, The 13th Airborne Division Atlanta: 1945
Brereton, Lewis, The Brereton Diaries Morrow: 1946
Dawson, W. Forrest., The Saga of the All-Americans: the 82nd Airborne Division 82nd Div. Assoc. 1946; Battery Press reprint
Deschodt, Christophe, and Rouger, L., D-Day Paratroopers: The Americans Histoire & Collections: 2004
Devlin, Gerard, Paratrooper: The Saga of Army and Marine Parachute and Glider Combat Troops in World War II St. Martin’s: 1985
Devlin, Gerard, Silent Wings: The Saga of Army and Marine Combat Glider Pilots during World War II St. Martin’s: 1979
Esvelin, Philippe, D-Day Gliders, Les planeurs Americans du Jour J Heimdal: 2002
Gavin, James, On to Berlin: Battles of an Airborne Commander 1943–46 Viking: 1978
Hamlin, John, Support and Strike: A Concise History of the US Ninth Air Force in Europe GMS: 1987
Hays, J. J., US Army Ground Forces Tables of Organization and Equipment World War II: The Airborne Division 1942–1945 Volumes 3/I and 3/II Military Press: 2003
Huston, James, Out of the Blue: US Army Airborne Operations in World War II Purdue University: 1972
Isby, David, C-47/R4D Units of the ETO and MTO Osprey: 2005
Koskimaki, George, D-Day with the Screaming Eagles 1970; Casemate reprint: 2002.
Margry, Karel (ed.), Operation Market-Garden: Then and Now 2 vol., After the Battle: 2002
Marshall, S. L. A., Night Drop: The American Airborne Invasion of Normandy Little, Brown: 1962
Masters, Charles J., Glidermen of Neptune S. Illinois University Press, 1995
Mrazek, James, The Glider War St. Martin’s: 1975
Nordyke, Phil, All American-All the Way: The Combat History of the 82nd Airborne Division in World War II Zenith: 2005
Pay, Don, Thunder from Heaven: The Story of the 17th Airborne Division 1943–45 1947; Battery Press reprint: 2001
Rapaport, Leonard, and Northwood, A., Rendezvous with Destiny: The 101st Airborne Division Infantry Journal 1947; Battery Press reprint
Saunders, Tim, Battleground Europe: Hell’s Highway–US 101st Airborne Division & Guards Armoured Division Leo Cooper: 2001
Saunders, Tim, Battleground Europe: Nijmegen–US 82nd Airborne and Guards Armoured Division Leo Cooper: 2001
Shama, H. Rex, Pulse and Repulse: Troop Carrier and Airborne Teams in Europe during World War II Eakin: 1995
Taylor, Maxwell, Swords and Plowshares Norton: 1972
Wolfe, Martin, Green Light: A Troop Carrier Squadron’s War from Normandy to the Rhine Univ. Of Pennsylvania: 1983
Young, Charles, Into the Valley: The Untold Story of the USAAF Troop Carrier in World War II PrintComm: 1995