Book contents
- The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy
- The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 Paratrooper
- 2 Overseas
- 3 Occupied France
- 4 Liberators and Friends
- 5 Days of Friendship, Hope, and Waiting
- 6 The Longest Day in Graignes
- 7 Escape, Exile, and Annihilation
- 8 Graignes in Historical Memory
- Afterword
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Unpublished Primary Sources
- Index
2 - Overseas
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 November 2022
- The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy
- The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Introduction
- 1 Paratrooper
- 2 Overseas
- 3 Occupied France
- 4 Liberators and Friends
- 5 Days of Friendship, Hope, and Waiting
- 6 The Longest Day in Graignes
- 7 Escape, Exile, and Annihilation
- 8 Graignes in Historical Memory
- Afterword
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Unpublished Primary Sources
- Index
Summary
“Overseas,” explores the experiences of the defenders of Graignes in their journey toward the battlefield. The paratroopers trained in western Nebraska and did a variety of demonstration jumps in the area, including near Denver, to stimulate the sale of war bonds. Thereafter, they made the arduous journey by train to New York and across the Atlantic Ocean. They trained in Portrush, Northern Ireland and near Nottingham in England. The chapter makes the point that the socio-cultural experiences of the paratroopers in the United Kingdom would be similar to their experiences in Graignes. The chapter concludes with General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s decision to overrule Sir Arthur Trafford Leigh-Mallory’s opposition to using paratroopers on D-Day.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Lost Paratroopers of NormandyA Story of Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in a French Village, pp. 40 - 64Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022