Ridgway's Paratroopers: The American Airborne in World War II [Paperback]

Clay, Jr. Blair (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2002

Written by the best-selling author and longtime editor of The Saturday Evening Post Clay Blair, this powerful study of Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway offers both a detailed account of the legendary general's illustrious World War II career and a comprehensive history of American airborne operations in Europe. Considered one of the Allies' brightest and most forceful commanders, the general fought in every major battle in the Mediterranean and Europe, and his 82nd and 101st airborne divisions came to be called the best in the U.S. Army. But the book makes clear that Ridgway had to justify his faith in airborne warfare because the first drop by the 82nd-during the invasion of Sicily when the pilots were still green and the equipment faulty-had been a fiasco.

Blair tells the story in gripping battlefield narrative to capture the experiences of the soldiers who served in these elite units at Salerno, Naples, Anzio, Normandy, and elsewhere. At the same time he provides a frank analysis of the development of the airborne techniques and of the attention given to the political-military-strategic issues that influenced their deployment. With Ridgway as its central figure, this dramatic account includes such other major players as George Marshall, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mark Clark, and Bernard Montgomery, along with such future greats of American airborne warfare as James Gavin, Maxwell Taylor, and Tony McAuliffe. Densely packed with information, the book, first published in 1985, is widely acknowledged for its engagingly honest analysis of Ridgway and airborne operations in Europe.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...an entirely new perspective." -- Nautical Magazine, March 2004

Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press; Tch edition (November 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557502994
• ISBN-13: 978-1557502995
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #635,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Objective, rather than subjective history, October 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ridgeway's Paratroopers: The American Airborne in World War II (Paperback)

Mr. Blair once again comes through in his in-depth analysis of the US Army Airborne during the Second World War. Especially illuminating is his exposure of LTC Reuben Tucker as THE outstanding wartime regimental commander of the not only the US Army, but of the entire US military. This book is plain and simply a good read. I recommend it to anyone who is serious about military history and battle command.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent history, but quite biased, August 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Ridgway's Paratroopers: The American Airborne in World War II (Paperback)

Make no mistake, this book will give you an excellent history of General Ridgway and the 82nd Abn. I like it for that.

I have a few problems with this book though.
1) Even though Ridgway was in command of the 18 Abn Corps, units that were not the 82nd or sucessfully supporting the 82nd were largely ignored. There are many pages of the defense of St. Vith. There is one paragraph on Bastogne. The accomplishments of the units that were not the 82nd or helping them are handled briefly, regardless of benefit to the overall mission.

2) The author is decidedly pro- West Point. All officers are identified by their West Point class and who their classmates were. Non West Pointers are ignored unless they do something truly amazing. Enlisted men are completely ignored unless they earn a DSC or better (although he ignored a MOH winner in the 101st).

3) He is almost completely uncritical of Ridgway. Mistakes are glossed over or blamed on someone else and acheivements are overly highlighted. I would not call this a balanced history.

These said, I would still recommend this book for it's detail. I would not recommend this book if you are going to use only one source for your research.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good salute to the 82nd Airborne, June 19, 2005

By 

D. D Lawson (Pasadena, Calif. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ridgway's Paratroopers: The American Airborne in World War II (Hardcover)

If you want to read a fitting tribute the 82nd and the Officers of it, then here you go. It is a good solid read but like his other Book on US Submarines it concentrates way too much on the Officers Corp. As a former Enlisted Man it would of been nice to hear a little more about the other side of the house.