Battling Buzzards: The Odyssey of the 517th Regimental Parachute Combat Team [Hardcover]

Gerald Astor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1993

Survivors of the 517th Regimental Parachute--a troop of about 2,500 men--recall the four major battles they fought in Italy, Southern France, the Ardennes, and Germany. By the author of The Last Nazi.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The 517th saw action in Italy, southern France, the Ardennes Forest and the final thrust into Germany. What makes this account one of the best WW II unit histories is the attention Astor pays to the leadership aspect, particularly the regimental and battalion commanders. The reader gets a clear and detailed look at the bombastic, hard-driving Lt. Col. Louis Walsh's leadership style and that of his low-keyed, self-effacing successor, Lt. Col. Rupert Graves. Their approaches differed drastically, but both elicited a high level of combat performance from the troops, giving the 517th its reputation as one of the U.S. Army's elite outfits. Astor traces the unit from its inception, through its innovative training and confrontation with the realites of war, to its deactivation in 1946. Astor is the author of A Blood-Dimmed Tide: The Battle of the Bulge by the Men Who Fought It. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The newly fledged paratroopers of the 517th never made the famous D-Day drop in Normandy, but they more than made up for it on other battlefields. The 2500 men of one of the U.S. Army's more elite outfits fought major actions in Italy, southern France, the Ardennes, and Germany itself. Like most regimental books, this one by a man who served in the 97th Infantry Division is based on numerous personal interviews and recollections and all sorts of unpublished diaries and journals as well as official documents. Although it is heavy on names and personalities, it never gets bogged down in nostalgic detail, and the narrative is straightforward and exciting. The result is one of the better military unit histories available. Recommended to general collections.
- Raymond L. Puffer, U.S. Air Force History Prog., Los Angeles
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 16 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First Edition edition (July 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556113633
• ISBN-13: 978-1556113635
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,407,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality history of a special unit., August 13, 2002

By 

T. Dahlstrom "T. Dahlstrom" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Battling Buzzards: The Odyssey of the 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team 1943-1945 (Mass Market Paperback)

This is an excellent book about one of WWII's special forces-an Airborne Regimental Combat Team. The accounts range from gruesome to humorous, and cover both the combat and the non-combat parts of this unit's history. Military veterans will appreciate the real life view of life in the service, and others will get a look into this unique world. If you read "Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose, you will appreciate the differences. Different places, different units (it includes the engineers, artillery and medical corps for example, not just infantry), and a different style of history. It's very engaging, and you get to know the people in the book. This should have been made into a movie. My dad, Robert Dahlstrom, was a 517th vet. He told very few stories about his experience. This book did a great job of telling the rest of the story, a very unique story in the annals of army history.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It was like Dad's old war stories, June 11, 2001

By 

Michael Eugene "meugene517" (Los Angeles, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battling Buzzards: The Odyssey of the 517th Regimental Parachute Combat Team (Hardcover)

I grew up listening to the oral history of my Dad's (Don Eugene) experiences in the 517th. From parachuting off course into the vinyards of southern France, to the wild rides on scooters through Rome, Gerald Astor captured, in exqusite detail, every account of the war my father passed on to me. As I reflect on his humble accounts, I now know the significance of the 517th in WWII. Anyone who had a father, son, friend, relative, or interest in WWII must read this book. Anyone who has more information on the 517th and/or knows where to find more copies of the book, pleaseemail me. Thanks!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Battling Buzzards, March 17, 2000

By 

Robert J. Reginato (Benicia, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battling Buzzards: The Odyssey of the 517th Regimental Parachute Combat Team (Hardcover)

Gerald Astor has done a marvelous job in detailing the formation, exploits and termination of the 517th. My brother joined the unit in June 1943, and was with them until he was killed in September 1944, when was only 9 years old. Among my mother's possessions I ran across every letter he wrote to our family from the time he was on the train to Georgia until a week before his death. The "Battling Buzzards" gave me a more complete view of what he went through from boot camp to battle. This narration filled in some of the details that my brother couldn't write about. His letters added that personal touch for our family and also complemented the book's story. I highly recommend this book to those who served in the 517th, their families and friends, and history buffs. I treasure my copy.