The Lions of Carentan by Volker Griesser
It is said that it is the victors who write the histories of wars, so it is especially revealing to discover a book that was written from the viewpoint of those on the losing side. The great value of Griesser's superb, richly detailed, and fabulously illustrated work is that it fills in a very wide gap in our knowledge about one of Nazi Germany's elite branches of service. Flint Whitlock, editor of WI QuarterlyAlthough it is known that Allied airborne forces landed into a German buzz saw on D-Day, far less is known about the troops they encountered on that dark night of June 6, 1944. One of the formations they encountered was a similarly elite group of paratroopers, who instead of dropping from the skies fought on the defensive, giving their Allied counterparts a tremendous challenge in achieving their objectives.This is the complete wartime history of one of the largest German paratrooper regiments, Fallschirmjager 6, from its initial formation in the spring of 1943 to its last day at the end of the war. With numerous firsthand accounts from key members, they describe the events of 1943-45 vividly and without compromise. These accounts reveal previously unknown details about important operations in Italy, Russia, on the Normandy Front, Belgium, Holland, the last German parachute drop in the Ardennes, and the final battle to the end in Germany.With over 220 original photographs, many from private collections and never before published, this book fully illustrates the men, their uniforms, equipment and weapons. This work will inform readers of the full record of Fallschirmjager Regiment 6, and why the Allied advance into German-held Europe was so painstaking to achieve.
I found this an interesting insight into the combat history of this group of elite troops who earned much respect from their enemies as well for their actions* www.militarymodelling.com *
This is a good insight into the later Fallschirmjager - not as well trained as the original formations but with a fighting spirit that made up for their critical logistic shortcomings. The book is chock full of little titbits, such as squad and platoon composition and the fact that ‘drop’ training was only abandoned in early 1944. * Wargames Soldiers and Strategy *
…wonderfully documented book…Within each chapter are numerous detailed and insightful personal accounts of combat, troop movements and war experiences… provides an excellent account of what it was like fighting in WWII from the German soldier’s perspective. It was an enjoyable and informative read. The many photographs complimented the text nicely, but were also interesting to view as a photo album. * IPMS *
This is a good insight into the later Fallschirmjager - not as well trained as the original formations but with a fighting spirit that made up for their critical logistic shortcomings. The book is chock full of little titbits, such as squad and platoon composition and the fact that ‘drop’ training was only abandoned in early 1944. * Wargames Soldiers and Strategy *
…wonderfully documented book…Within each chapter are numerous detailed and insightful personal accounts of combat, troop movements and war experiences… provides an excellent account of what it was like fighting in WWII from the German soldier’s perspective. It was an enjoyable and informative read. The many photographs complimented the text nicely, but were also interesting to view as a photo album. * IPMS *
Griesser, Volker: - Born in 1969, author Volker Griesser was interested in a wide variety of military subjects. As a paratrooper in the Bundeswehr and a member of the Bund Deutscher Fallschirmjager he maintained numerous contacts with fellow paratroopers as well as historians and collectors from aruond the globe
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781612000060 |
| ISBN 10 | 1612000061 |
| Title | The Lions of Carentan |
| Author | Volker Griesser |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Casemate Publishers |
| Year published | 2011-10-06 |
| Number of pages | 320 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |