Tonight We Die as Men: The Untold Story of Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Toccoa to D-Day

This book is a crisp and engaging mix of historical detail and personal narratives that moves at a brisk pace. The story of the 3rd Battalion, 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment is one of sacrifice, tragedy and bloody triumph. Personal asides and humor keep the account on a human scale, which the authors manage to balance with a bird's eye view of the hard realities of vigorous training and combat. An overall narrative emerges as the account progresses, without being forced. The narrative threads really come together with the events of June 6, 1944 and the following days, as eyewitness accounts of veterans and French civilians are interlaced with careful analysis of the 3rd Battalion's mission to hold the bridges on the Douve River and subsequent actions in Normandy. Gardner and Day illustrate how these well trained enlisted men, non-coms and junior officers quickly adapted to a grim and chaotic situation, where most of the battalion's leadership were killed or captured. Tonight We Die As Men is an important addition to the airborne canon and stands alone as a fine World War 2 read.

After a lifetime of researching my Uncle Jim, who was killed in Normandy, I have purchased the book written by Ian Garnder and Roger Day. I was overwhelmed by the depth and first hand accounts of this history. I learned how my uncle was killed....which was not how his mother and sister thought he had died. They thought he was killed before even hitting the ground. In reality not only had he landed safely near his drop zone, he made his way to the bridges (which we now know where they REALLY are) and was killed in the process of leading others safely to the bridge. Whenever I read D-Day accounts, I always put a book down after the boys jumped from the plane, thinking there was no point to read any further because Uncle Jimmy would be dead, but by reading on I found out so much more, and even though he did die (no matter how many times I re-read it, hoping for a different outcome) I could follow his buddies through the end of he war. This is a definite read. Definite!

Nearly everyone knows the exploits of the "Band of Brothers" of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. This book covers the much less exposed Third Battalion of the 506th PIR. Combining personal, first-person recollections of surviving veterans with details unearthed in several years of research, authors Ian Gardner and Roger Day cover the Third Battalion from training in Georgia and England, into action in France. Written in an easy to read style, the story is not burdened with footnotes to draw away the reader's attention but instead utilizes frequent pull-quotes. These attributed quotes provide the referential validity that supports the accuracy of the narrative. There is also a short bibliography at the end. Six sections of photographs cover the entire timeline of the story. Clear and concise maps provide geographic context for the action. This book will appeal to a broad range of readers from those casually interested in history, to D-Day enthusiasts, to serious historians seeking a clear and accurate account of a specific unit within the massive D-Day universe. I highly recommend this book - you will want it in your D-Day collection!

This book is written from the point of view of those who have fought and bled during the 20th century's most impactful event. Tonight We Die As Men brings you behind enemy lines during the invasion of Normandy. From training in Toccoa, GA to D-Day itself, the authors chronicle the heroic deeds of the men the Screaming Eagle's 3/506 PIR in the veterans' own words. Tonight We Die as Men starts gently with humorous soldier stories and personal experiences from training camps. The pace really picks up as the men of 3/506 embark for Normandy. Thrilling and powerful. This book reveals the struggles and accomplishments of some of our nation's greatest warriors beyond that of the Band of Brothers of Easy company; showing that the war was won by more than the deeds of one group of soldiers.

We all tip our hats to Stephen Ambrose for introducing us to the insanely brave exploits of the 101st Airborne on D-Day. For readers looking for a deeper perspective on the 101st, Tonight We Die as Men is an excellent start. It follows the 3rd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, from their first day at Toccoa to the end of their mission in Normandy. The 3/506 took the greatest casualties of any battalion on D-Day, 93, and achieved their mission of holding the Germans at two strategically located bridges near Carentan. They also fought bravely at the Bloody Gully. This is their story.