All American, All the Way

The 82nd Airborne Division - known as the "All-Americans" - parachuted into history as America's first airborne division to see combat. Always at the forefront of some of the heaviest fighting in WWII, the 82nd helped spearhead the Allied drive to victory. This book is the first to tell the full combat history of these gallant All-Americans -- from their first perilous night drop into Sicily to their acclaimed victory parade up New York's 5th Avenue in 1946. Currently, the 82nd remains the only active American parachute division. The 82nd Airborne Division — dubbed the All-Americans during WWI, when Sgt. Alvin York was among its soldiers — parachuted into history on July, 9, 1943, as the opening salvo in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. This book, the first to tell the full story of the 82nd — America's first airborne division to see combat, and the only American parachute division still active today — follows these all-Americans from their first perilous drop to their victory parade up 5th Avenue in January 1946. From the shore of Sicily to the beaches of Normandy, from the Rhine to the Elbe to the German surrender and the U.S. occupation of Berlin, this is military history at its best, often told in the words of the soldiers themselves. It is a fitting — and long overdue — tribute to the valorous service of one of America's most celebrated fighting divisions.