Books in the World War II from Original Sources series

"Three hours later the search party found me, six miles away from the dropping zone, hanging helplessly from the highest branches of a clump of trees." Captain J. Dawes, during trainingFirst published in 1945 and comprising a compilation of fascinating primary accounts of airborne combat as told by the very men who fought in the action, 'By Air to Battle' is the official history of Airborne operations by British Paratroops in World War II.Spanning the introduction of the Central Landing Establishment to the end of the war, we follow the heroic exploits of the British First and Sixth Airborne Divisions. 'By Air to Battle' is an inspiring and at times very comic description of the true events that took place at such historic conflicts as Arnhem, the Rhine, Normandy and Bruneval as well as the Airborne forces in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. This is a must-read for any military history enthusiast.

"It looks very rough. If I get through this one I will be very lucky."Brigadier General Gavin, U.S. 82nd Airborne DivisionThis book reviews the complex set of military operations played out in the Netherlands during September 1944 involving the forces of Britain, Canada, Poland, the USA and Germany, providing a wide selection of sources covering each of the belligerents.The book features the previously unpublished war diary of Captain Graham Davies, bringing a new perspective on the often overlooked contribution made by the artillerymen in support of both Operation Market and Operation Garden.The German viewpoint is covered by the contemporary newspaper account translated from the pages of "The Westkurier". The report was filed by war reporter Erwin Kirchhof and provides a powerful insight into the events of the battle as filtered through the prism of Goebbels' propaganda machine.Two extracts from the official accounts of the 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne Divisions give an indication of the strong conviction still held in the US camp that the operation had been a complete success.Finally, an excerpt from the official account of the British First and Sixth Airborne Divisions, shows the British point of view of the battle of Arnhem.