The Dead And Those About To Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach

(Paperback)

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Nicknamed the Big Red One, 1st Division had fought from North Africa to Sicily, earning a reputation as stalwart warriors. Yet on D-Day, these veterans melded with fresh-faced replacements to accomplish one of the most challenging and deadly missions ever. As the men hit the beach their equipment was destroyed or washed away. Soldiers were cut down by the dozens. In this indepth study of that mission, McManus explores the heroes that survived as well as the Gap Assault Team engineers who dealt with the extensive mines and obstacles, suffering nearly a fifty percent casualty rate.

Reviews

Praise for The Dead and Those About to Die

Magnificent! I could not put this book down. John McManus has expanded our knowledge of D-Day history by a considerable factor. It is a great read and will appeal to both devoted students of World War II as well as those with a more casual interest. Don't miss it!Joseph Balkoski, author ofOmaha BeachandUtah Beach

The Dead and Those About to Dieis a gripping, first-hand account of the desperate battle for Omaha Beach on D-Day by the legendary 1st Infantry Division, the Big Red One. On the 70th anniversary of that momentous event, John C. McManuss tale of courage under fire is a vivid reminder that freedom isnt free and that when the chips are down stalwart American soldiers will always answer the call of duty.Carlo DEste, author ofPatton: A Genius For WarandWarlord: A Life of Churchill at War, 1874-1945

I closed this book with the deepest respect.Paul Kennedy,New York Timesbestselling author ofEngineers of VictoryandThe Rise and Fall of Great Powers

This is as real as it gets without having been there.Walter R. Borneman, national bestselling author ofThe Admirals,Winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award

John C. McManus has created a portrait with words as Spielberg did with images inSaving Private Ryan.Of course, creating such a vivid picture with words is, for my money, far more difficult.Paul Reid, coauthor ofThe Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965

A skilled and highly talented author, John McManus has delivered another first-rate piece of scholarship.The Dead and Those About to Dieis a tour de force of historical writing.Robert von Maier, Editor-in-Chief ofGlobal War Studies

McManuss masterful work deserves a place alongside those of Cornelius Ryan, Stephen Ambrose and Rick Atkinson.David L. Roll, author ofThe Hopkins Touch

John McManuss brilliant chronicle of the Big Red Ones experience on Bloody Omaha captures the grit, pathos, and valor of the battle like no other book that I have read. This is gripping historybeautifully and masterfully told by one of Americas premier historians.Patrick K. ODonnell, national bestselling author ofDog Company

[A] powerful book.St. Louis PostDispatch

Author Bio

John C. McManusis the author of Grunts, Alamo in the Ardennes, andSeptember Hope- The American Side of a Bridge Too Far. He earned a PhD in American and Military History from the University of Tennessee, where he served as Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of War and Society and was a Normandy Scholar. As a leading authority on the Normandy invasion, he holds a Cantigny First Division Museum Fellowship. He is currently a full professor of U.S. Military History at Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he teaches a variety of courses, including one on World War II and another on the Modern American Combat Experience. He also serves as the official historian for the United States Army's Seventh Infantry Regiment.