No Better Place to Die: Ste-Mère Eglise, June 1944: The Battle for La Fière Bridge

By: Robert M. Murphy

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Synopsis: This &“outstanding memoir&” of a WWII soldier&’s experience at Normandy gives &“a fuller picture of what the 82nd [Airborne] accomplished on D-Day&” (WWII History). In the dark early hours of D-Day, nearly every airborne unit missed its drop zone, creating a kaleidoscope of small-unit combat. Fortunately for the Allies, the 505th Regimental Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division hit near its drop zone. Its task was to seize the vital crossroads of Sainte Mère Eglise and to hold the bridge over the Merderet River at nearby La Fière. The paratroopers reached the bridge only to be met by waves of German tanks and infantry. Reinforced by glider troops, the 505th not only held the vital bridge for three days but launched a counterattack to secure their objective once and for all, albeit at gruesome cost. In No Better Place to Die, WWII veteran Robert M. Murphy provides a personal chronicle of countless acts of heroism by the men of the 505th. No World War II veteran is better known in 82nd Airborne circles than Robert M. &“Bob&” Murphy. A Pathfinder and member of A Company, 505th PIR, Bob was wounded three times in action, and made all four combat jumps with his regiment, fighting in Sicily, Italy, Normandy, and Holland. He was decorated for valor for his role at La Fière and is a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor. After the war, he was instrumental in establishing the 505th RCT Association. A selection of the Military Book Club.