Forum Members, After toiling for nearly 14 years on this book while I schlepped around the world with the military, the book, Blood on the Talon, 139th Airborne Engineer Battalion 1943-1945 Volume I: Unit History is ready! The 139th AEB was the Engineer Battalion assigned to the 17th Airborne Division. They were activated on 15 April 1943, trained with the 17th at Camp Mackall and were rushed into combat near Bastogne where they engaged in several weeks of combat. They rode in gliders across the Rhine River as part of Operation VARSITY and pressed the attack into the industrial heart of Germany. The book is available through Castraponere Publishing and you can use a secure link to purchase through Paypal ($44.95) or purchase through Amazon.com, although there price is $5 higher. Details about shipping, packaging and mailing times are on this site. I know how collectors and historians are about their books, so great care will be taken in packaging to remove nearly all possibilities of damage in transit. Here is the link to the publisher, which will allow you to get to either Paypal or Amazon: http://www.castraponere.com/index.php?id=2 My philosophy in publishing this book is a bit of a departure from the standard convention, and the motivation for doing so was to drive the cost of the book way down. I've watched over the years as the large-format, picture laden book prices climb to near the $100 price range. I realize publishing is expensive. By self publishing I was able to reduce the cost significantly and not lose control over the project to a staff of editors who were not necessarily interested in history. Blood on the Talon is filled with many unpublished photographs from my collection, from veterans and their families. There are numerous battle maps produced on the topographical maps of 1944. The research is quite extensive, and well documented. I invite you to peruse the book before buying and post your comments here. Excerpts from the book are on my blog site as a .pdf. Here is the link. Just click on the book cover image on the site: http://castraponere.com/bloodonthetalon/book-update/ I look forward to hearing your reviews and comments. Please post them as part of this thread. I'll let the chips fall where they may, but I am confident that you will find the book to be the suitable culmination of an ambitious project aimed at documenting the history of an unsung unit. Cheers oz
To belay any fears of damaged books, here's how the gorilla proof packing looks before sealing the box! I think we can achieve 99.9% damage free arrival.
Dear Ozzie, Thanks for the wonderful gift, your PDF! I read that you have been stationed in Fulda. There I "got"-earned my Air Assault Badge in 1993. I am a Dutch lcol in the Air Assault Brigade (G2). Operation Varsity has my interest. I made a booklet too on that operation and am willing to send a PDF version to you. Maybe we can help each other out. You in the States and me near the Battleground. Some years ago I made a Battlefield Tour with Herr Nitrowski following in the steps of Robert Capa. I made a Powerpoint of this tour. If you are interested I could send it to you, maybe send me your e-mail adress on a Private Message. Erik PS. I got this tip from Stolpi, also on this forum. He knows a lot about British 30 Corps in the Ardennes and the Rhine Crossing in 1945.
@ 17thairborne; a truly impressive work. It is actually not my "area of concern" but it is obvious that you have put a huge amount of work into this book and have spent a lot of time with details as well. Congratulations!
Hi, Just a wonderful book Ozzie, and obviously a labour of love. Eric mentioned the photos taken by Robert Capa after the drop when elements of the 17th Airborne were for a time fighting along side the British Airborne. Has anyone done an analysis of his photos by way of buildings and landscape features to show exactly where he was at the time? LIFE April 9th, 1945 - Robert Capa - The Last Round - Page 27 - Google Books Regards ...
Erik, Dank u wel! Ik heb vier jaaren in Belgie gewoont! Thanks for reading the pdf. I hope it will be of help for others reading and writing about the 17th Airborne, VARSITY and the Ardennes. Good to see you are Air Assault qualified. I spent my obligatory three weeks in Ft. Campbell in 1982. "AIR ASSAULT!" I would be happy to share information with you. I spent a few days at NARA copying all of the documents for the 139th AEB, and a few of the 17th A/B. I can share what I have.I would love to receive info from you as well. Nitrowski's book is SUPERB! I relied on it for some of my research. I was lucky to find a copy a few years ago (131 Euros...Ouch...I still remember the price since it was out of print). I'll send a pm. oz
Cee, Thanks to you as well. I think your idea would be a great subject for a then and now article using the photos you mentioned. Perhaps Erik can make that happen. Here is a rare German photo of the DZ/LZ from the German perspective that is in my book:
Thanks to all for the great comments and reception. I am pleased with the sales volume and hence we are ending the introductory pricing. As always, if anyone has any special request for annotation in the front page, please let me know. At the recommendation of a few respected book sellers and authors, we have also reduced the number of pages available in the pdf that is posted on the blog. All of the links are still in effect. Oz
If anyone has any special document requirements for the 17th Airborne Division, please let me know. I copied almost all of the stuff from the 139th AEB, and a handful of 17th Airborne Documents. I continue to post new docs as time is available on my blog. Just click the link below. There's some new combat interviews from units at Bastogne and I am beginning to post the Awards and Decorations for units of the 17th A/B.
