“Paratrooper” explores the background and early lives of the paratroopers who defended Graignes. It examines the concept of airborne assault through history, and it details the development of airborne tactics by Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s. The chapter moves on to describe the background and training of General James M. Gavin, the epitome of a paratrooper and a leading force in the concept of airborne assault. There is a description of the type of rigorous training that men who volunteered to become paratroopers underwent at Ft. Benning. The chapter concludes by looking at the background of the enlisted men at Graignes. Most were deeply affected by the Great Depression, and many volunteered for the paratroopers in order to earn extra pay.

“Liberators and Friends,” recounts the dramatic events of D-Day – the airborne transit from England to Normandy, the jump, and the shock of landing in a place that was not on the maps of the paratroopers. The flooded areas, the marais, further compounded the problems the paratroopers encountered. The commanding officer, Major Charles Johnston, overruled subordinates, like Captain David Brummitt, and decided to stay and defend Graignes. That the paratroopers found themselves able to wage their own private war can only be explained by the astonishing commitment of the people of Graignes. Led by Mayor Alphonse Voydie and café owner Germaine Boursier, the village organized itself to support and feed the paratroopers.

The Introduction provides a synopsis of the book. It presents major themes and a chapter outline, and it reviews the limited historiography on Graignes. What has been written about Graignes has been largely limited to amateur historians who focus on weapons and combat. The introduction highlights that this study is based on multi-national research and that it points to the roles of non-elites in making foreign and military policy. In particular, the women of Graignes played major roles in aiding US paratroopers.