Put on Your Boots and Parachutes!: Personal Stories of the Veterans of the United States 82nd Airborne Division from the Second World War by Deryk Wills (1992-03-01)

Put on Your Boots and Parachutes!: Personal Stories of the Veterans of the United States 82nd Airborne Division from the Second World War by Deryk Wills (1992-03-01) by Wills, Deryk. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780951845103.

Excerpt from the Introduction: For many years I have sat enthralled at 82nd Airborne Reunions listening to war stories. The characters and the situations recalled were, I found, fascinating, and in the end I decided that they should be recorded as an historical document. My collection grew and I began to realise that these stories all dovetailed together, linking themselves in a remarkable way. I have not set out to write the Divisions war history, but just to record these personal stories that would have been lost forever in a few years time. The names of these men will be unknown to many of you, but we do owe them our gratitude. These men came from across the Atlantic Ocean and helped fight Hitlers army to bring about peace in Europe. Some of them were first and second generation Germans. Many had Eastern European names. All knew what the word freedom meant.These are not stories from Generals, but the ordinary front line soldiers view of combat which is rare and so important.