Beginning in the predawn darkness of June 6, 1944, this history by the author of The Longest Winter follows the remarkable men who carried out D-Day's most perilous missions. The unforgettable cast includes the first American paratrooper to touch down on Normandy soil; the glider pilot who braved antiaircraft fire to crash-land mere yards from the vital Pegasus Bridge; the brothers who led their troops onto Juno Beach under withering fire; and a French commando, returning to his native land, who fought to destroy German strongholds on Sword Beach and beyond.