| Spearhead of the Fifth Army: The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Italy, from the Winter Line to Anzio Contributor(s): Van Lunteren, Frank (Author) |
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ISBN: 161200427X ISBN-13: 9781612004273 Publisher: Casemate OUR PRICE: $29.66 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: September 2016 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Military - World War Ii - History | Military - United States - History | Europe - Italy |
| Physical Information: 1" H x 6.2" W x 9" (1.50 lbs) 320 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1940's - Cultural Region - Italy - Holiday - Veteran's Day |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This work is the third book by Frank Van Lunteren on the 504th P.I.R. in World War II, focusing on their role in the Italian theater. Upon the completion of the Sicily and Salerno Campaigns in 1943, the paratroopers of Colonel Reuben Tucker's 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment were among the first Allied troops to enter Naples. A ghost town at first sight, the residents soon expressed their joy at being liberated. Four weeks later the 504th--upon the special request of General Mark Clark--spearheaded Fifth Army's drive through the notorious Volturno Valley--the Germans' next stand. January 1944 seemed to promise a period of rest, but the landing at Anzio meant deployment for the paratroopers again, this time by ship. A bombing raid during their beach landing was a forecast of eight weeks of bitter fighting. Holding the right flank of the beachhead along the Mussolini Canal, the paratroopers earned their nickname "Devils in Baggy Pants" for their frontline incursions into enemy lines, as well as their stubborn defense of the Allied salient. In this work H Company's attachment to the British 5th Grenadier Guards are painted in comprehensive light for the first time. Using war diaries, personal journals, letters and interviews with nearly 80 veterans, a close-in view of the 504th P.I.R. in the Fifth Army's Italy Campaign is here provided in unsurpassed detail. This work is the third by Van Lunteren on the 504th P.I.R. In World War II following The Battle of the Bridges and Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper. As readers will see, however, the Italian theater held second place to none in terms of grueling combat and courage against formidable odds, and an extremely expert enemy. |
Contributor Bio(s): Van Lunteren, Frank: - "Frank van Lunteren was born and raised in Arnhem, the Netherlands. His interest in military history dates to the 1980's, when as a child he first visited the Airborne Museum in Oosterbeek. He went on to study political history at the Radboud University in Nijmegen, while privately researching the exploits of the paratroopers, and at the 61st convention of the 82nd Airborne Division Association in Harrisburg, PA in August 2007, he was Guest Speaker at the 504th Regimental Dinner. He originally conducted research on the wartime service of Ted Bachenheimer (1923-44), the famous top scout of the 504th PIR during World War II. But his contacts proliferated, as did his project, and he eventually met and interviewed so many veterans that the present work - on the entire 504th PIR's service in Market Garden - is the Result." |