The Fighting First: The Untold Story of the Big Red One on D-Day

My Dad, Donald Gurdison, a 5th Engineering Special Brigade soldier, landed with the 1st Divison on D-Day in the 5th wave. There are special monmuments for these two units on Omaha Beach just outside the side gate of the American Cemetery fence. This book filled in the gaps of the story after my visit. And I recognized many of the names from the exhibits. If you're heading to Normandie and you can, read this first. It's a wonderful account of some very brave people who saw the atrocities of war and served our country proudly

Wow! This is a fantastic story about one of the most important days in the history of the world. The amphibious assult on the beaches of Normandy, truly inspriational and abolutely worth reading. If you see a WWII Vet, shake their hand and thank them!

THE FIGHTING FIRST is an excellent book. There are many, many details of the 1st's actions in WWII. From the perspective of the soldier on the ground, you gain a true understanding of what they experienced during their campaigns. The D-Day section, in particular, contains many stories from the men on the beaches and in the hedgerows. A must read for anyone desiring to understand the bravery of those who served to protect our freedom.

The Fighting First: The Untold Story Of The Big Red One On D-Day is the untold story of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division's role in the D-Day invasion of France at Normandy. Drawing upon official records, interviews, unpublished memoirs of veterans, author and former U.S. army officer Flint Whitlock paints a crucial and unforgettable portrait of the storming of the beachhead, as well as their deadly battles in France, Belgium and Germany itself. Black-and-white photographs intersperse a personal touch to this often harrowing, but ultimately inspirational true story of immeasurable courage in dire times.

When I met my Wife, her Grandfather was already in the late stages of Alzheimers. He could barely remember who he was, let alone share the millions of stories he must have had locked away in his mind. After his death, I wanted to know more about what he had seen and lived so I started reading just about anything I could on the 1st Infantry Division.I found this book shortly before the 60th Anniversary of D-Day and read it non-stop. The book is largely a collection of interviews and letters from the soldiers themselves. The stories are fasicinating, heartfelt, and harrowing. I saw many personal accounts from his unit (18th Regiment, 1st Infantry Division) and started to get an idea of the hell this man lived. I even learned that one of the company commanders interviewed in the book was the Grandfather of one of my old childhood friends. I had hoped to learn a lot from this book, but I got much much more.