If Chaos Reigns

The Near-Disaster and Ultimate Triumph of the Allied Airborne Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944

Flint Whitlock

• Publisher: Casemate
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781480406636
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World War II
• Index: History

"A gem of a book that highlights the 'fog of war' as seen by American, British, and Canadian airborne units when they parachuted behind enemy lines." — WWII History
Magazine "Gentlemen, do not be daunted if chaos reigns; it undoubtedly will." So said Brigadier S. James Hill, commanding officer of the British 3rd Parachute Brigade, in an address to his troops shortly before the launching of Operation Overlord—the D-Day invasion of Normandy.No more prophetic words were ever spoken, for chaos indeed reigned on that day, and many more that followed. Much has been written about the Allied invasion of France, but award-winning military historian Flint Whitlock has put together a unique package—the first history of the assault that concentrates exclusively on the activities of the American, British, and Canadian airborne forces that descended upon Normandy in the dark, pre-dawn hours of June 6, 1944. Landing into the midst of the unknown, the airborne troops found themselves fighting for their lives on every side in the very jaws of the German defenses, while striving to seize their own key objectives in advance of their seaborne comrades to come. Whitlock details the formation, recruitment, training, and deployment of the Allies' parachute and glider troops. First-person accounts by veterans who were there—from paratroopers to glidermen to the pilots who flew them into the battle, as well as the commanders (Eisenhower, Taylor, Ridgway, Gavin, and more)—make for compelling, "you-are-there" reading. If Chaos Reigns is a fitting tribute to the men who rode the wind into battle and managed to pull victory out of confusion, chaos, and almost certain defeat.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Germans’ Brilliant Idea
• Chapter 2: Training a Brit Paratrooper
• Chapter 3: America Joins the Fight
• Chapter 4: Canada: Standing on Guard
• Chapter 5: Getting Gliders Off the Ground
• Chapter 6: The Germans on the Defensive
• Chapter 7: The “All Americans” Prepare
• Chapter 8: Pathfinders and Paradummies
• Chapter 9: The British/Canadian Preparations
• Chapter 10: The Sharpening of Knives
• Chapter 11: The Decision to Go
• Chapter 12: The British/Canadian Take-Off & Drop
• Chapter 13: Target: Sainte-Mère-Église
• Chapter 14: The Canadian Drop
• Chapter 15: The 101st’s Jump
• Chapter 16: Shootout at the W-X-Y-Z Complex, the Fight for Brécourt Manor, and Other Skirmishes
• Chapter 17: Battle for the Orne Bridges
• Chapter 18: Disaster at the Merville Battery
• Chapter 19: Securing Pegasus Bridge
• Chapter 20: Death at the Château, Battle at the Crossroads
• Chapter 21: Battle of Sainte-Mère-Église
• Chapter 22: Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer
• Chapter 23: Hell in the Hedgerows
• Chapter 24: The Battle for Chef-du-Pont & La Fière Bridge
• Chapter 25: D-Day Plus 1—And Beyond
• Chapter 26: The Battle for Bréville
• Chapter 27: Final Fight for La Fière
• Chapter 28: The Battles for Carentan & Graignes
• Epilogue
• Acknowledgments
• Sources
• Bibliography
• Copyright