D-Day +60 Years: A Small Piece of History [Paperback]

Jerome McLaughlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2004

This unique account of D-Dayhistory provides an unusual look into the US Army's preparation of a new typeof World War II warfare, that of airborne operations. The book describes, usingpersonal interviews with the veterans involved, how young men who had nevereven flown in an airplane before the war were trained to fly into combat, or toparachute into the dark of night.¿ Thenarrative personalizes the events of D-Day for a small group of men of the 77thTroop Carrier Squadron and G Company of the 501st Parachute InfantryRegiment.¿ Most, including the author'suncle, did not survive to see the dawn on D-Day morning.¿ The story then moves forward more than half acentury, when research to find out what happened to his uncle led the author tomeet some of the survivors of that night, resulting in what is believed to bethe first reunion of a D-Day pilot with the men he dropped on that fatefulmorning, 56 years earlier.¿ Many childrenof the "next generation" are making efforts to find out what happened to theirfathers and uncles in World War II.¿ Thisstory is a classic example of the joy and heartbreak that can result from thesuccess of such a search.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jerry McLaughlin is a native of Queens, New York, and was raised on Long Island, where he graduated from Lynbrook High School and Long Island University .¿ He began a careerwith the federal government by serving in the US Army from 1969 until 1971, andretired from the Central Intelligence Agency in 2003 as a senior trainingmanager.¿ Mr. McLaughlin began researchfor this book in 1980, including several trips to Normandy.The most recent visit took place in 2001, when he and other family members andfriends dedicated plaques commemorating the bravery of 40 men, including hisuncle, who lost their lives on D-Day, June 6, 1944.¿ Mr. McLaughlin andhis wife, Denise, currently live in Alexandria, Virginia, along with a Wheaten Terrier whogoes by the name of Murphy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (April 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1418402699
• ISBN-13: 978-1418402693
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,294,175 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Books in One, July 1, 2004

By 

Dan Wagner (Chocowinity, NC (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: D-Day +60 Years: A Small Piece of History (Hardcover)

"D-Day +60 Years" is a great read! It's really two books in one. It's a military history based on 20 years of thorough research as the author doggedly sought to learn how his uncle died on D-Day in Normandy. It's also a throat-swelling story of a handful of D-Day heroes in their twilight years who-with the author's help-reconnect and bring some closure to the enormous experiences and sacrifices that they shared. As I read this book, I was mesmerized by its powerful, true story. I laughed, and I fought back tears.

Military histories come in two varieties-they're either the intense and personal "grunt's-eye view" of a small and hellish piece of the battlefield, or an aloof and critical overview of an entire battle, campaign, or war. This book is the soldier-level sort, following a handful of 101st Airborne Division paratroopers and the intrepid pilots who flew slow and level through murderous flak to get them to their drop zones. Reading this book, I once again marveled at the courage it took to win that war and at how the tiniest of details separated survivors from those who fell. I also enjoyed the humor and resourcefulness of remarkable people coping with challenging times-stories that ranged from the "Urgin Virgin" pin-up artwork on a C-47 aircraft to a wedding gown made from parachute silk. As a Vietnam vet and a paratrooper, I was amazed at how little the tactics, equipment, and human antics had changed from a time before I was born to my own service a quarter-century later.

But what makes this book truly unique, in my opinion, is the mystery and human emotions that unfold as the author follows one lead after another in his quest to learn who his uncle was and what sort of men these were who won history's greatest war. The cast of characters begins with a few troop carrier crews, but grows to include paratroopers, French civilians, the soldiers' girl friends and wives, and their children today. The author lived an adventure that anyone would envy-he met true heroes, and was of service to them for all they did for us.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Told Story, June 7, 2009

By 

Thomas W. Wilson (Huntington, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: D-Day +60 Years: A Small Piece of History (Paperback)

A plethora of books have been written in recent years about the airborne assaults at Normandy on June 6,1944, especially about the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, all of which are fine reading. However, little has been written about the Troop Carrier Squadrons who delivered them there. Most of these pilots and crews had never been in combat before and the courage they displayed flying through the dark into torrents of anti-aircraft fire while maintaining as best they could a level flight path in order to deliver those men and equipment needs to be told. These are the forgotten heroes of D-Day.

This book is one man's quest to learn what happened to his uncle who was a navigator on one of those planes who didn't return. He served on one of the three planes of B Flight of the 77th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 435th Troop Carrier Group carrying the third platoon of G Company, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Two of the three planes were shot down by enemy fire including the plane carrying the authors uncle. It iells the tale both from the authors research and reminiscences of men who were involved. The authors quest resulted in plaques being erected in France for the men lost on these planes and a rare reunion of a Troop Carrier Squadron and paratroopers who they carried.

I bought this book from Ray Geddes, T4 in G Co., 501st Parachute Infantry, who jumped from the third plane in B Flight and who is quoted and pictured several times in the book. He was selling them for the author at the Maryland Arms Collectors Show at Baltimore, MD in March,2009. It was a great pleasure to meet and talk to him. He graciously inscribed it for me;the author had previously signed it. It is a fine book full of human interest and I highly recommend it. The subtitle of the book is "A Small Piece of History". It is certainly more than that! I was haunted for days after I finished reading it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best documentation of Airborne Operations in support of D-Day, August 25, 2009

By 

Russell Weaver - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: D-Day +60 Years: A Small Piece of History (Paperback)

"D-Day +60 Years: A Small Piece of History" has been researched and documented by personal interviews with French citizens and the actual veterans that were involved in the 77th Troop Carrier Squadron flying the C-47's that transported the paratroopers from Company G, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. It includes many rare photographs and documents. In reading the vivid details of the veterans stories, one feels transported half a century in time and half a world in location. It provides the most realistic insight to the U. S. Airborne night attack into Normandy short of actually being there. This book is invaluable to anyone interested in World War II, the Normandy invasion, Troop Carrier Squadrons and Parachute Infantry Regiments, or the 101st Airborne Division.