Pegasus Bridge: June 6, 1944
Stephen E. AmbroseThis book is based on eyewitness accounts from British, French and German sources and includes many photographs and documents never before published. They reveal a tale of drama, suspense, humor, tragedy and marvelous human detail: The Nazi sentry who had just dropped his trousers in the local brothel when the fighting started; the owner of the cafe beside the bridge who welcomed Howard's men by digging up 99 bottles of champagne he'd burred after the fall of France; and the stories of the anxious women who waited for the glider pilots back home in England. There were many heroes at Pegasus Bridge and each played a role in its final success. This is the story of heroism and cowardice kindness and brutality the stuff of all great adventures.
**SUMMARY:
In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, a small detachment of British airborne troops stormed the German defense forces and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe. Pegasus Bridge was the first engagement of D-Day, the turning point of World War II. This gripping account of it by acclaimed author Stephen Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed. Ambrose traces each step of the preparations over many months to the minute-by-minute excitement of the hand-to-hand confrontations on the bridge. This is a story of heroism and cowardice, kindness and brutality -- the stuff of all great adventures.