A Great Work of Historical Fiction
Mode of Transportation!
?Night Drop? by S.L.A. Marshall recognizes that a parachute drop is just a method to bring very tough individuals to battle. Night Drop does tell a very riveting story of how American paratroopers fought and died after landing in Normandy in circumstances that would have made lesser men shiver and hide from fear and sheer exhaustion. Marshall tells a story about individuals and small groups of men who braved steel and lead to accomplish their mission: clear the way for the exit of troops from Utah Beach on D-Day 1944. The foreward by Carl Sanders states that he recommended the book to young men who wondered what combat would be like. In many ways, Sanders was correct. Much of the book reads like the opening scenes to "Saving Private Ryan" over and over again. There is very little glory but a lot of blood, injury and death. In the end, the American paratroopers prevailed at great personal cost and sacrifice.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a story about paratroopers, D-Day 1944 or small unit infantry combat. Once you start, it is difficult to put the book down. I have read it countless times! There is no problem with the book itself, only those who read it. It is a "story" loosely based upon facts taken from interviews of many individuals. If you are looking for a detailed history based upon good investigative techniques and verifiable facts taken from many perspectives, this book is not for you. If you are looking for a great work of historical fiction which tells a story from the point of view of American paratroopers in June 1944, then look no further. If you are a former paratrooper and avid paratrooper junkie like I am, ?Night Drop? will not disappoint you.
