Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

Ridgway's Paratroopers chronicles the life and career of one of the foremost combat leaders in American history. Clay Blair, a prolific and respected author, takes the reader through Ridgway's career from staff officer through airborne division commander to Corps commander. Along the way, Blair highlights many of the officers who were influential and instrumental in creating the army's first airborne formations and the doctrine for conducting vertical envelopment warfare.

While this book does focus on the officer corps and leadership of the airborne, it provides much information and many insights into the selection, training and combat operations of American paratroopers in World War II. For those who wish a foxhole view, there are many other books that address the combat paratrooper aspect of the airborne more thoroughly.

This book contains numerous photographs and maps. It is widely sourced from a very robust bibliography, fully indexed and contains a roster of every commander and executive officer of every paratrooper unit from corps to battalion level.

Anyone interested in airborne operations in World War II would love this book!

John E. Nevola
Author of The Last Jump - A Novel of World War II