First to Jump: How the Band of Brothers was Aided by the Brave Paratroopers of Pathfinders Company

With firsthand accounts of WWII heroism from the US Army Pathfinders, New York Times bestselling author Jerome Priesler chronicles their escapades scouting behind enemy lines ahead of the Band of Brothers.

"When you land in Normandy, you will have only one friend: God."
--General "Jumpin'" Jim Gavin to the Pathfinders of the 82nd and 101st Airborne divisions before D-Day, June 1944

When the invasion of Sicily almost ended in disaster, General Jim Gavin was determined to form a unit of special operations commandos who would jump ahead of the airborne forces--including the now legendary Easy Company--stealing across enemy terrain to scout and mark out drop zones with a unique array of homing equipment. The first into combat and the last out, their advance jumps were considered suicide missions by those who sent them into action.

Sporting Mohawk haircuts and war paint, they were the best of the best. Their heroic feats behind enemy lines were critical to nearly all of the Allies' major victories from Normandy to Bastogne--where they saved the day for thousands of American troops in an operation almost forgotten by history--to the attack on the Ruhr Valley in Germany.

This is the story of the U.S. Army Pathfinders--their training, bonding, and battlefield exploits--told from the perspectives of the men who jumped, and those who risked everything to fly them into action.

INCLUDES PHOTOS

Author: Jerome Preisler
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 09/01/2015
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780425265987

About the Author
Jerome Preisler is the author of thirty books including the New York Times bestselling series Tom Clancy's Power Plays. His most recent nonfiction includes All Hands Down: The True Story of the Soviet Attack on the USS Scorpion, Code Name Caesar: The Secret Hunt for U-Boat 864 During World War II, and Daniel's Music: One Family's Journey from Tragedy to Empowerment Through Faith, Medicine, and the Healing Power of Music.