History books about the 1944 D-Day air assault – Operation Neptune

D-Day Hour by Hour

This book, richly illustrated, allows to relive hour by hour, minute by minute, the Overlord operation through more than 350 chronological events.

by Marc Laurenceau

Pegasus Bridge: D-day: The Daring British Airborne Raid

This gripping account by acclaimed author Stephen E. Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed. Ambrose traces each step of the preparations over many months to the minute-by-minute excitement of the hand-to-hand confrontations on the bridge. This is a story of heroism and cowardice, kindness and brutality – the stuff of all great adventures.

by Stephen E. Ambrose

The Pegasus and Orne Bridges: Their Capture, Defence and Relief on D-Day

The author who has a deep specialised knowledge of the area and period uses extensive personal accounts to tell this thrilling and inspiring story. He covers events and operations from Ranville in the East to Benouville in the West and this embraces the fierce fighting by 7th, 12th and 13th Parachute Battalions and reinforcements such as the Commandos, seaborne engineers and the Warwicks. This splendid book will be enjoyed by those at home and those who are lucky enough to visit these historic sites.

by Neil Barber

101st Airborne in Normandy: June 1944

This fully illustrated book details the planning of the airborne element of D-Day, and the execution of the plans until the troops were withdrawn to prepare for the next big airborne operation, Market Garden.

by Yves Buffetaut

Air War D-Day: the Build Up

A narrative of events contained in well-placed timelines cuts through the fog of battle to explain the overall situation from well-placed planning to the successful conclusion to give an overall picture of each phase of the battle and supporting air and airborne operations. Well illustrated with well chosen historical photographs gathered from the archives, ‘D-Day: The First Steps To Victory’ provides a fascinating insight into the myriad operations on 6th June 1944.

by Martin W. Bowman

If Chaos Reigns: The Near-Disaster and Ultimate Triumph of the Allied Airborne Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944

First-person accounts by the veterans who were there―from paratroopers to glidermen to the pilots who flew them into the battle, as well as the commanders (Eisenhower, Taylor, Ridgway, Gavin, and more)―make for compelling, “you-are-there” reading. If Chaos Reigns is a fitting tribute to the men who rode the wind into battle and managed to pull victory out of confusion, chaos, and almost certain defeat.

by Flint Whitlock

The Day the Devils Dropped In: The 9th Parachute Battalion in Normandy, D-Day to D+6

The Allied assault on Hitler’s Fortress Europe began in the dawn of 6 June 1944 with daring airborne landings by men of the Parachute Regiment. This book tells of the Paras’ first week of intense fighting from the assault on the vital Merville Battery onwards. Through personal accounts and detailed research a full and dramatic picture is built up of the actions that occurred as the Germans desperately attempted to displace the Allies’ tenuous beachhead.

by Neil Barber

Air War D-Day: Assaults from the Sky

This is the second volume of a comprehensive five part work on D-Day that includes a multitude of personal military accounts from both Allied and German Aviation personnel ‘who were there’. This important episode within the wider history of D-Day is enlivened in classic Bowman fashion, featuring both extensive historical notes as well as deeply personal accounts of endurance and individual gallantry.

by Martin W. Bowman

The Manner of Men: 9 PARA’s Heroic D-Day Mission

The Manner of Men is an epic account of courage beyond the limits of human endurance, where paratroopers prevailed despite intelligence failures and higher command blunders, in what has been described as one of the most remarkable feat of arms of the British Army and the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War.

by Stuart Tootal

An Irresistible Force: Lieutenant Colonel Ben Vandervoort and the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry in World War II 

Phil Nordyke tells the story of Lieutenant Colonel Ben Vandervoort and his paratroopers in their own words using over one hundred written and oral accounts to draw the reader into the close combat experienced by these amazing men. The reader will feel the emotions and realism associated with combat, as conveyed in the words of the veterans themselves.

by Phil Nordyke

82nd Airborne in Normandy: A History in Period Photos

On June 6, 1944, paratroops of the legendary 82nd Airborne Division jumped into Normandy with the mission of seizing the bridges over the Merderet River, Ste. MEre Eglise, and other surronding villages. This large format book contains many first-person accounts from 82nd veterans, and more than 350 photos and maps, as well as a selection of full-color photos of World War II era airborne uniforms and equipment.

by Dominique François

Red Devils: The 6th Airborne Division at Normandy

The British 6th Airborne Division had a vital task in securing the flank at the opposite end of the invasion zone from Utah Beach. The landings, both by glider and parachute, by these intrepid soldiers and their taking of the strategically important Pegasus Bridge and the silencing of the battery at Merville contributed greatly to the success of the invasion. This highly illustrated book, with detailed photo captions, depicts the soldiers and their equipment and analyzes the tactics and success of their mission.

by Georges Bernage