Ed Ruggero: The First Men In: U.S. Paratroopers and the Fight to Save D-Day

In the hours before the D-Day landing, their brilliant successes behind enemy lines changed the course of history. The First Men In is remarkable story of brave American paratroopers who leapt into the dark skies over Normandy in perhaps the most dangerous and demanding mission of the Liberation of France. Well before the ground troops stormed ashore on Omaha and Utah beaches, the troopers of the 82nd Airborne Division seized key positions in Normandy, spearheading the assault on Fortress Europe. Author and lecturer Ed Ruggero brings this action to life using detailed first-hand interviews.

Heavy anti-aircraft fire, the dark night and inexperienced pilots had scattered Soldiers from the 82nd. As small groups and units, these soldiers from the All-American Division lashed out at the confused German defenders, in the dense Norman bocage. The intense fighting in the hedgerows of Normandy, facing the tough German defenders bought valuable time for the troops coming ashore on the Utah and Omaha Beaches. Pre-invasion training, doctrine and a strong sense of mission paid off in the critical hours and days following the landings, as courage, and superb unit leadership and training paid off.

Ed Ruggero is the author of Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault into Fortress Europe, July 1943 and Duty First: A Year in the Life of West Point and the Making of American Leaders. He was an infantry officer in the United States Army for eleven years and is an experienced keynote speaker on leadership development. He lives in Wallingford, Pennsylvania.