A Paratrooper's War

The untold WWII combat story of the 101st Airborne, the now-famous Screaming Eagles! A Paratrooper's War is a combat narrative history focused on America’s 101st Airborne Division in World War II. The famous Screaming Eagles carried out crucial missions in the climactic battles of 1944–1945: the great D-Day invasion of Normandy, the perilous airborne assault into Holland, and the desperate American-led defense against the massive German counterattack known as the Battle of the Bulge. To anchor the book, the story follows West Pointer (Class of 1939) Harry W. O. Kinnard. Caught by surprise in Japan’s Pearl Harbor attack, young Lieutenant Kinnard joined the new airborne troops and rose up the ranks to become a key commander in the 101st Airborne Division. Promoted swiftly from rookie lieutenant to full colonel, Kinnard experienced World War II from frontline foxholes to the chateaus of the high command. While leading his paratroopers into action, Kinnard worked for and with all of the great senior leaders of the war, including Dwight Eisenhower, Bernard Law Montgomery, Omar Bradley, and George Patton. And he served daily with the bold airborne generals, among them Britain’s Frederick “Boy” Browning and America’s impetuous trio: Matthew Ridgway, James Gavin, and Maxwell Taylor. Kinnard’s experiences provide unique insights into how America’s airborne war was fought and won—he has never been the subject of a combat biography, although he has long deserved one.