Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault Into Fortress Europe, July 1943

Ed Ruggero's "Combat Jump" is a wonderfully written and engaging piece of story-telling! Based mainly upon interviews with veterans of the 82nd Airborne Division (most specifically members of the 505th PIR), Ruggero has crafted a real page turner that takes the reader from the initial theoretical ideals of American Airborne forces to the first major combat - the Sicilian invasion of 1943 - seen by the fruits of the imaginative "fathers of the Airborne". Particularly interesting is the description of how initial concepts of the US Airborne Army were brought to fruition, and how a young West Point Captain, James ("Slim Jim") M. Gavin, played into these early events. Gavin is of course central to the entire story of the 82nd as he was a company commander in the 503rd PIR (Parachute Infantry Regiment) during training at Fort Benning, later regimental commander of the 505th PIR on its jump into Sicily and combat through Italy, and finally division commander of the 82nd Airborne (promoted to this post in August '44). While initially not of rank and stature to play a significant role in pushing the Airborne concept into reality, "Slim Jim" was certainly a major player in keeping the Airborne on the map - this is exemplified by his leadership of the 505th in the Sicilian campaign, which is so eloquently relayed here in "Combat Jump". It is the strong and steadfast picture of Gavin as a commander leading from the front that comes shinning through in "Combat Jump". It is no wonder that the US Airborne Army succeeded (in spite of many perceived tactical failures and let downs) with man like Gavin at the helm! Ruggero should be commended for bringing to life again the larger than life character that was Jim Gavin.From the standpoint of precision of presented historical facts "Combat Jump" suffers in a fashion not uncommon in similarly presented second-hand "oral histories", such as works by Stephen Ambrose. Mr. Ruggero has no doubt taken the relayed oral histories of veterans at face value (in fact Ruggero essentially conveys this message in the last paragraph of his Author's Note at the end of the book) as historical inconsistencies are present in the text. One glaring example is the common reference to battles with numerous Tiger tanks during the first 3-4 days of battle in Sicily. No doubt lightly-armed paratroopers fighting as essentially as foot infantry without support of mechanized forces and little by way of supporting artillery would "see" any German tanks as the dreaded Tigers. In reality just 17 Tiger 1 tanks were actually present on Sicily at the time of the invasion on July 10, 1943, and were essentially rendered non-combatant by pressing US Naval Gunfire. Moreover, by D-Day+3 ten of these tanks were destroyed by the Germans themselves to avoid their capture (six of the remaining seven met a similar fate in the days that followed). It therefore seems almost certain that many of the "Tigers" fought by the 82nd on Sicily were in fact

I've been fascinated by paratroopers since watching Band of Brothers on HBO and reading the late Stephen Ambrose's book that inspired this series. During one of the episodes of Band of Brothers, as the 101st Airborne is headed for Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, while the regular infantry is hightailing it to the rear, one of the members of Easy company explains why they're headed toward the sound of the guns when American forces are on the way to being surrounded: "paratroopers are always surrounded." My own terror in jumping from the parachute tower at Fort Benning also feeds my respect for paratroopers: they are among the best troops the U.S. produces. Combat Jump tells you why: the rigorous physical training, far more demanding than regular soldiers; the fighting spirit often manifest in rebellious trouble-making prior to deploying, and disdain for Army regulations and routine. Airborne history tends to focus on the later jump on D-Day. This book gives the scoop on the first major U.S. deployment of airborne, when the concept of using entire divisions of paratroopers was still in doubt. The author has done his research homework, yet tells a lively story of the personalities such as Colonel Jim Gavin, commander of the unit responsible for capturing a key crossroads to protect the regular Army's beach landings in Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. Few books focus on the airborne in this particular battle. It is entirely appropriate that airborne forces have such an outstanding reputation. This book tells the reader why, even from the initial use of mass formations of paratroopers, such a reputation is well deserved.

This book reminded me of Band of Brothers. The author is a true storyteller - the story of the first airborne invasion in Sicily 1943 is completely riveting. It is a true tale of men of uncommon courage - completely inspiring and told in an inspiring way. I believe that there is a documentary with the same name that will run on The History Channel that is based on this book; I am eagerly awaiting to see if it is every good as bit as the book is.

Led by Legendary Colonel Jumpin' Jim Gavin, 3500 paratroopers jumped into the darkness on July 9th, 1943. "Combat Jump" by Ed Ruggero is the story of these young men who lead the assault into fortress Europe. 225 transports, 35 miles an hour wind, Mr. Ruggero describes in vivid detail with superior writing the incredible mission of the 82nd Airborne spread out over 60 miles, no where near their DZ (drop zone) in Sicily.Their mission almost becomes secondary! You do not have to be an aficionado of World War II, to follow Mr. Ruggero's writings. You will come to know Jim Gavin, Jack Norton, and Ed Sayre...their mission, bravery, and most of all... their brotherhood.I cried when I read the Epilog....watched Seinfeld, re-read the Epilog, and cried some more.A must read.

Ed Ruggero's Combat Jump is superb in every respect. Thoroughly researched and wonderfully well told, this story of the "Young Men Who Led the Assault into Fortress Europe" has a great deal to offer to a wide range of readers, from military historians to those who simply relish action-filled narratives. As has been the case in previous books--and as suggested by the book's sub-title--Ruggero focuses on the experiences of individual soldiers and officers, and the result is a collage of vignettes, filled with human interest, that gradually resolves itself into a detailed depiction of a single Army parachute regiment's heroic role in the Allied invasion of Sicily. This is a book for those who have an interest in how great leaders like James Gavin train and inspire their followers; in how the Army recruited its early airborne soldiers and the kinds of men who signed up; in the after-hours carousing that went on in the GI honky-tonks in the towns outside of Ft. Benning; in the horrific conditions that troops faced in their North African cantonments in the months leading up to the invasion of Sicily; in what it was like to jump from a C-47 that is seriously off course into a dark sky filled with tracer bullets and anti-aircraft fire; in the fear and confusion of the first minutes and hours on the ground; in what a green, lightly-armed WWII infantryman felt when, with his back to the sea and with reinforcement from over-the-beach invasion forces still hours away from arriving, he clashed with the Wermacht and its tanks for the first time. Above all, it's a book for those with an interest in what courage really means. Ruggero knows that topic very well, and in Combat Jump he does an excellent job of telling us what he knows.