Night Drop: The American Airborne Invasion of Normandy

by S.L.A. Marshall

Hours before dawn on June 6, 1944, the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions dropped in Normandy behind Utah Beach. Their mission--to establish a firm foothold for the invading armies. What followed if one of the great and veritable stories of men at war. Although the Germans defenders were spread thin, the hedgerow terrain favored them; and the American successes when they eventually did come were bloody, sporadic, often accidental. As the threads of the operation twine together, combat soldiers emerge as they really are...face to face with danger and with themselves. Seldom before have Americans at war been so starkly and candidly described, in both their cowardice and their courage. Brigadier General S.L.A. Marshall collected information for this direct interviews with the men in the field within days after the action took place in June, 1944. His notes have served as the raw material for several histories, written by others, of the Normandy invasion. But now for the

Genres: History, War, World War II, Military Fiction, Military History, Nonfiction

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

S.L.A. Marshall (full name, Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall) served in World War I and then embarked in a career in journalism. In World War II, he was chief combat historian in the Central Pacific (1943) and chief historian for the European Theater of Operations (1945). He authored some 30 books about warfare, including Pork Chop Hill: The American Fighting Man in Action, The River and the Gauntlet and Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command in Future War.

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the night of June 5-6, 1944 25,000 young American men dropped into German occupied Normandy, France. They were the men of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, highly trained parachute and glider infantry there to seal off the road access to Utah and Omaha beaches, where the American main force was arriving. There was a whole detailed plan for the airborne element with a number of specific tasks. But then the flak came up at the relatively poorly trained transport aircraft, the delivery method, and the pilots were less than careful about dispensing their flock of parachutists and gliders, leading to most "sticks" getting spread over large areas, far from their intended Landing Zones. And the layout of the ground on which they descended was not quite like their maps either, several meadows were actually now marshes. And yet these two Divisions, mixed together and often operating on a skeletal shoestring, made their reputation on this very battlefield, overwhelming and defeating most Germans they faced in detail, even as they blundered around trying to get their jobs completed.

All I can tell you is that it is not as linear as "Band Of Brothers" makes it seem. SLA Marshall is at his best here, interviewing EVERYONE involved, so he is able to delineate about 15 fights/skirmishes that went together to make this battlefield, as the Paratroopers struggle to make sure traffic on the beach is one way. We follow along several groups as they gather the dropped soldiers, and then try to fulfill their tasks. Sometimes Mr. Marshall seems to want to overpurple his prose, at other times it is nice to have clear descriptions, even if they can be wordy. All along its very compelling as the sense of urgency to open the Overlord Invasion drips off every page.

Anyone, but especially the junior reader, should read this with a map at hand, as the multiple maps and diagrams are great, but not easily connected. Since wounds are discussed frankly, I'd suggest 12 as the minimum age to read this. For the Military Enthusiast/Gamer/modeller- this is PURE GOLD. This book alone could be a club's Bolt Action/Flames Of War/BattleGroup Campaign for at least a month. It WILL improve scenarios/dioramas, for sure. And for those interested for other reasons in small action combat, will be richly rewarded. A strong recommendation.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a person who does not often read nonfiction and especially not war books, it was very well done! I really enjoyed the central themes of the confusion and unknowns of the Normandy invasion as well as the idea of each individual man making a massive difference in the survival of the other men around them and of the overall Normandy campaign. I definitely got lost at some points with names and things, but it was still quite interesting

[Alyssa Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this was a very detailed description of the paratroopers' drop into Normandy, but it was arduous. It was written in the 60s, I believe, and it definitely shows that. The writing style was dry and long-winded.
Overall, glad I read it, but I won't be going back to it.

[Guy Lamunyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books by SLAM (SLA Marchall). In addition to chronicling the history of WWII, SLAM made a great contribution to psychological debriefing and tactics for the Vietnam War.

Guy C. Lamunyon
Combat Medic - 101 Vietnam
Army Psych Mental Health Nurse
LTC, USAR, RET

[Xestobium25 · Rating 3 out of 5]

an examination of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Division’s deployment, D-Day to D+2; small unit tactics in great detail without the verve and style of Stephen Ambrose; but lots of maps and drawings; for the infantry professional only

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great study of the men and their stories in Normandy in June 1944. Excellent source of information feeding my Leader Development Program

[David Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the book during the summer of the 80th anniversary of D Day. I recommend to anyone interested in a regiment-by-regiment account of the airborne and glider operations and follow-on ground / combined arms operations of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions during the D-Day Invasion in 1944.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

S.L.A. Marshall might be outdated, but his prose is still entertaining. The book functions like an expanded report on the actions of the American paratroopers on D-Day. It goes over their activities in detail, but offers little background information on the invasion or the Germans. The book is also structured in a haphazard manner meaning that it might be difficult to follow along for people not already familiar with this event. Marshall, ever concerned with how fighting men behave and how the Army responds to this behavior, offers up a number of observations that are fascinating, but can often feel like speculation. Still, the individual anecdotes in the book are thrilling, and it comes with a number of really detailed maps.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book retells the first days of the Allied invasion of France, focusing on the Airborne units that were the leading force. The 82nd and 101st Airborne dropped behind enemy lines the night before the D-Day landings in order to help create a foothold for the units crossing the Channel. The author was the combat historian for the operation and therefore was able to retell the story from the level of the individual foot soldiers up to the generals trying to organize their scattered forces. A great look at a part of D-Day that is sometimes overlooked.

[Michael Romo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book that I ever read about the 101st Airborne Division and it got me hooked to a lifetime of interest in the U.S. Airborne. Published just 18 years after the events chronicled in the book you'll find a lot of personal accounts of the fighting. Of course at that time the war and the invasion were recent history for the participants and not the ancient history that some consider WWII to be today. Well worth reading.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Night Drop" is a remarkable history of how American forces prepared advance positions to support the World War 2 Normandy invasion at Utah Beach. I was especially moved by how forces coped with missed airborne and glider drops. Marshall's history places the reader at the center of action. It is a military tactical primer --truly a masterpiece

[Iain · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, I found Marshall's narrative as chaotic and disjointed as the actions on that faithful night. HE displays none of the gift that a writer like Ryan brings to disparate actions and chaotic vignettes.

[Jennyfer Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed and concise on the history of the formation and chronology of the Airborne. An excellent way to learn more than simply what is generally known.
Great read.