> Skip to content
  • Published: 24 June 2015
  • ISBN: 9780451415301
  • Imprint: Dutton
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $40.00
Categories:

The Dead and Those About to Die

D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach



From North Africa to Sicily, the 1st Infantry Division, known as the Big Red One, had drawn the toughest assignments of World War II. For Overlord, the Allied invasion of Europe, America's most seasoned soldiers once again found themselves on the front line on the morning of D-Day.

In The Dead and Those About to Die, acclaimed historian John C. McManus offers up the definitive account the this famous division's fearlessness and heroism during the war's longest day. Opening his narrative at the moment the American landing craft drew near the coast, McManus describes this tragic, brutal and bloody one-day battle with an absorbing urgency, showing how the remarkable triumph achieved an important first step on the march to victory over Hitler's Nazi Germany.

From the author of Fire and Fortitude and Island Infernos, a white-knuckle account of the 1st Infantry Division’s harrowing D-Day assault on the eastern sector of Omaha Beach—acclaimed historian John C. McManus has written a gripping history that will stand as the last word on this titanic World War II battle.

Nicknamed the Big Red One, 1st Division had fought from North Africa to Sicily, earning a reputation as stalwart warriors on the front lines and rabble-rousers in the rear. Yet on D-Day, these jaded combat 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 destroyed or washed away, soldiers cut down by the dozens, courageous heroes emerged: men such as Sergeant Raymond Strojny, who grabbed a bazooka and engaged in a death duel with a fortified German antitank gun; T/5 Joe Pinder, a former minor-league pitcher who braved enemy fire to save a vital radio; Lieutenant John Spalding, a former sportswriter, and Sergeant Phil Streczyk, a truck driver, who together demolished a German strong point overlooking Easy Red, where hundreds of Americans had landed.

Along the way, McManus explores the Gap Assault Team engineers who dealt with the extensive mines and obstacles, suffering nearly a fifty percent casualty rate; highlights officers such as Brigadier General Willard Wyman and Colonel George Taylor, who led the way to victory; and punctures scores of myths surrounding this long-misunderstood battle.

The Dead and Those About to Die draws on a rich array of new or recently unearthed sources, including interviews with veterans. The result is history at its finest, the unforgettable story of the Big Red One’s nineteen hours of hell—and their ultimate triumph—on June 6, 1944.

  • Published: 24 June 2015
  • ISBN: 9780451415301
  • Imprint: Dutton
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 400
  • RRP: $40.00
Categories:

Also by John C. McManus

See all

Praise for The Dead and Those About to Die

"[A] simply magnificent narrative... I closed this book with the deepest respect." --Paul Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author of Engineers of Victory and The Rise and Fall of Great Powers
"Magnificent!" --Joseph Balkoski, author of Omaha Beach and Utah Beach
"A gripping first-hand account." --Carlo D'Este, author of Patton: A Genius For War