On the night of August 14-15, 1944, the First Airborne Task Force, which included the U.S. 509th, 517th and 551st Parachute Infantry Regiments, jumped into enemy held territory spearheading Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France. Based on interviews from all combatant units, battlefield archaeology, period photos, letters and reports, this book provides an outstandingly detailed hour-by-hour account of the advance through southern France, as seen through the eyes of those who lived through it, bringing to light the tragic and gruesome realities of what was later to become known as the, Champagne Campaign. AUTHOR: Jean-Loup Gassend is a medical doctor specializing in forensics. Over the past ten years he has extensively explored the battlefields of the French Riviera, recovering many lost artefacts as well as the bodies of missing soldiers. Jean-Loup Gassend has French and Canadian citizenships, is fluent in both English and French, and has working knowledge of German, which enabled him to discover many previously unexplored sources for the writing of this book. ILLUSTRATIONS: 874 b/w and colour photographs
