US troops of the 1st division advance in the countryside near Enna. Note the ancient Greek ruins. Sicily, july 1943. DVX

Fight in the ancient ruins

U.S. paratroopers fix their static lines before a jump before dawn over Normandy on D-Day June 6, 1944, in France. The decision to launch the airborne attack in darkness instead of waiting for first light was probably one of the few Allied missteps on June 6, and there was much to criticize both in the training and equipment given to paratroopers and glider-borne troops of the 82nd and 101st airborne divisions. Improvements were called for after the invasion; the hard-won knowledge would be used to advantage later. texag57

Going Into Battle

General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, surveys the aftermath following the Battle of the Falaise Gap, Chambois, France - September 1944. texag57