Discover the history of the 11th Airborne Division, the Angels, in World War II. Written by historian Jeremy C. Holm, WHEN ANGELS FALL covers the division's story from Camp Toccoa to Tokyo, including the bloody campaigns to liberate Leyte and Luzon with a focus on the legendary 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Utilizing firsthand experiences and interviews with members of the 511th PIR, including his grandfather 1st Lieutenant Andrew Carrico of Company D, Jeremy tells the story of this historic unit from Camp Toccoa to Tokyo, including the training grounds of Camp Mackall and New Guinea. The Angels faced hell together and bonded during the nightmarish months of combat of the Leyte and Luzon campaigns.
WHEN ANGELS FALL is a masterful narrative by a former journalist and historian who here tells the full story of a group of America's heroes, the elite Paratroopers of the 511th PIR, 11th Airborne in World War II.SSGT Jim Wilson of Company B said, "WHEN ANGELS FALL is the most accurate book I've seen on our unit. Jeremy got it right. It has the most detail of all the books on the Angels. This is the best."
Brigadier General Henry "Butch" Muller said, "I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well done and thank you for keeping the Division's legacy alive."
SSGT Albert Roe of H-511 said, "Jeremy's book was wonderful to read! I really enjoyed it and it brought back a lot of memories for me, some pleasant, some not. It is a great history of our regiment in World War II, I highly recommend it."
MacArthur's secret weapon and heroes of the Los Baos Raid, the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division fought with distinction during the vicious Leyte and Luzon campaigns. In this book you will learn about one of America's most elite fighting forces and one of the only parachute units to fight in the Pacific Theater. Their loyalty to each other, ability to endure combat's harsh realities and the emotional struggles they faced to help win the war has earned the 511th PIR the nickname, "The Band of Brothers of the Pacific."
Led by Colonel Orin "Hard Rock" Haugen, the Angels of the 511th PIR helped save the United States Airborne, liberate Manila, rescued 2,147 internees at the Los Baos prison camp, were the first full unit into Japan at the end of World War II, formed General MacArthur's Honor Guard and protected the Allied dignitaries during the surrender ceremony on the USS Missouri. And their average age was 21.The Angels were an exceptionally lethal "secret weapon" according to General Douglas MacArthur. General Walter Krueger, commander of the U.S. Sixth Army during the war said, went one step further, saying that the 511th PIR was "the fightingest outfit I have ever seen!" After landing on Leyte, the division fought across the island's interior, destroying an estimated 5,760 enemy between November 22-December 23, 1944 with a 45-to-1 kill ratio (on Luzon it was 22-to-1). No Angel ever boasted, just recited the number like it was a baseball statistic.
After enduring 204 days of combat and 1,100 casualties, the 511th PIR became the first full regiment to occupy Japan in the country's long history. The Angels took 13 Unit Citations with them, as well as two Medals of Honor, 9 Distinguished Service Crosses, 432 Silver Stars, 10 Legions of Merit, 56 Soldiers Medals, 1,515 Bronze Stars and 41 Air Medals. Several elements within the 511th PIR received the Presidential Unit Citation and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation as they earned Campaign Streamers inscribed with New Guinea, Leyte and Luzon with an Assault Arrowhead. No wonder General Robert L. Eichelberger, commander of the U.S. Eighth Army, declared "No one could have asked for finer fighting men."