Jump Commander
In Combat with the 505th and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments, 82nd Airborne Division in World War II
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Narrated by:
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Mike Vendetti
About this listen
Col. Mark James Alexander was the only airborne officer to lead three different battalions into combat in World War II, successively commanding the 2nd and 1st Battalions, 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, and the 2nd Battalion, 508 PIR, of the 82nd Airborne Division. A legend in his own time, he fought in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and France, and even after being seriously wounded in Normandy, insisted on playing a role in the Battle of the Bulge. Airborne Generals Gavin and Ridgway recognized Alexander’s superior battle skills and were more than happy to use him to plug holes in the ranks. His reputation excelled among the rank and file, right down to the lowest private. He led from the front, pressing the attack while simultaneously looking out for his men. In Sicily, Alexander’s battalion landed 25 miles from its drop zone, into a network of Italian pillboxes, upon which the Colonel personally directed fire, thence captured hundreds of prisoners. Dropped into the desperate inferno at Salerno, he refused to give ground against German counterattacks, forming his paratroopers against enemy efforts to push Allied forces back into the sea. At Normandy one seasoned lieutenant, John “Red Dog” Dolan, 505 PIR, called him "the finest battalion commander I ever served under", after Alexander had led the 1/505 for 10 days through the bloody battle for La Fire Bridge and Causeway.
Alexander’s passion and truest talent was leading men in the field, and he insisted on sharing their risks. On one occasion in Normandy he and his runner (he went through several) were caught behind German lines and encountered a platoon of SS. Opening fire, the Colonel killed or wounded several and brought the rest in as prisoners. An 88mm shell finally got the best of him, shrapnel tearing through his lungs, and while the 82nd was engaged in the Bulge, Alexander was only allowed to run its base camps in France - despite his protests - as General Gavin noted that he was still coughing up blood.
This memoir is based on the transcription of hundreds of hours of recorded interviews made by Alexander’s grandson, John Sparry, over a period of years late in his life. Providing valuable insight into the beloved commander who led three of the most storied battalions in the US Army, Jump Commander also contains a wealth of new detail on 82nd Airborne operations, and casts insight on some of the most crucial battles in the ETO. This action-packed narrative may well be the last remaining memoir to be written in the voice of a major airborne officer of the Greatest Generation.
©2010 John Sparry (P)2013 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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What Now, Lieutenant?
- By: Robert O. Babcock
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Every now and then a work comes along that is so simple and refreshing in its originality that it immediately captures the spirit of American fighting men throughout the ages. Such is this work by Bob Babcock. What makes this work unique is that it is based upon his wartime writing as it occurred, without the softening of time and the refining of modern memory applied to past experience. In it you will find the thinking of a young officer as he struggles to take in all that he is responsible for while experiencing everything himself for the first time.
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Robo Cop Lullaby
- By Gavin on 04-19-20
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Their Backs Against the Sea
- The Battle of Saipan and the Greatest Banzai Attack of World War II
- By: Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In the midst of the largest banzai attack of the war, US Army Lt. Col. William O'Brien, grievously wounded and out of ammunition, grabbed a sabre from a fallen Japanese soldier and flailed away at a small army of assailants, screaming to his men, "Don't give them a damn inch"! When his body was recovered the next day, 30 dead enemies were piled around him. The Battle of Saipan lasted 25 hellish days in the summer of 1944, and the stakes couldn't have been higher. If Japan lost possession of the island, all hope for victory would be lost.
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Thank you!
- By Robert on 01-29-19
By: Bill Sloan
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Citizen Soldiers
- The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: George K. Wilson
- Length: 21 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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A masterful biography of the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations during World War II, Citizen Soldiers provides a compelling account of the extraordinary stories of ordinary men in their fight for democracy. From the high command on down to the enlisted men, Stephen E. Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews and oral histories from men on both sides who were there.
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Required reading, excellent narration
- By Jeremy on 06-30-11
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Airborne
- The Combat Story of Ed Shames of Easy Company
- By: Ian Gardner
- Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Some men are born to be warriors, and Ed Shames is one of these men. His incredible combat record includes service at D-Day, Operation Market Garden, and Bastogne and finally in Germany itself.
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Let down
- By Craig W. Mcsorley on 06-30-15
By: Ian Gardner
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Beyond Band of Brothers
- The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters
- By: Dick Winters, Cole C. Kingseed
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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They were called Easy Company, but their mission was never easy. Immortalized as the Band of Brothers, they suffered huge casualties while liberating Europe in an unparalleled record of bravery under fire. Dick Winters led them through the Battle of the Bulge, the attack on Foy, where Easy Company reached its breaking point, and finally into Germany, by which time each member had been wounded. Outside Munich, they liberated an S.S. death camp and captured Berchtesgaden, Hitler's alpine retreat.
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I listen to this over and over
- By David Ewing on 08-10-07
By: Dick Winters, and others
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D-Day with the Screaming Eagles
- By: George Koskimaki
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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In the predawn darkness of D-Day, an elite fighting force struck the first blows against Hitler's Fortress Europe. Braving a hail of enemy gunfire and mortars, bold invaders from the sky descended into the hedgerow country and swarmed the meadows of Normandy. Some would live, some would die, but all would fight with the guts and determination that made them the most famous US Army division in World War II: the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles".
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Very long and mostly boring for audiobook
- By R. Denton on 06-27-16
By: George Koskimaki
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Our Vietnam Wars
- As Told by 100 Veterans Who Served
- By: William F. Brown
- Narrated by: Eddie Frierson
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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This could be the most important audiobook you'll listen to this year. It isn't another war story. It is an audiobook about people, and it contains the personal stories of 100 Vietnam veterans who served there.
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Compelling
- By Richard D. Ellis on 10-05-19
By: William F. Brown
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If You Survive
- From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II - One American Officer's Riveting True Story
- By: George Wilson
- Narrated by: Brian Keeler
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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George Wilson has garnered much acclaim for this shattering and enlightening memoir. Detailing his odyssey from July, 1944 until the following summer, If You Survive is a startling first-person account of the final year of World War II. Wilson was the only man from his original company to finish the war. As a Second Lieutenant, he went ashore at Utah Beach after the D-Day invasion amidst burned vehicles, sunken landing craft, and broken fortifications.
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the best story of the war in Europe I've read
- By David on 02-18-17
By: George Wilson
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Pegasus Bridge
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, a small detachment of British airborne troops stormed the German defense forces and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe. Pegasus Bridge was the first engagement of D-day, the turning point of World War II. This gripping account of it by acclaimed author Stephen Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed.
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Great story told in greater detal
- By Amazon Customer on 08-16-17
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The Filthy Thirteen
- From the Dustbowl to Hitler's Eagle’s Nest - The True Story of the101st Airborne's Most Legendary Squad of Combat Paratroopers
- By: Jake McNiece
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Since World War II, the American public has become fully aware of the exploits of the 101st Airborne Division, the paratroopers who led the Allied invasions into Nazi-held Europe. But within the ranks of the 101st, a sub-unit attained legendary status at the time, its reputation persisting among veterans over the decades. Primarily products of the Dustbowl and the Depression, the Filthy13 grew notorious, even within the ranks of the elite 101st. Never ones to salute an officer, or take a bath, this squad became singular within the Screaming Eagles.
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Best WW2 book ever
- By lickbag on 01-12-15
By: Jake McNiece
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A Tiger Among Us
- A Story of Valor in Vietnam's A Shau Valley
- By: Bennie G. Adkins, Katie Lamar Jackson, Chuck Hagel - foreword, and others
- Narrated by: Jeff Bottoms, Bennie G. Adkins - preface
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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While the rain and mist of an early March moved over the valley, then-Sergeant First Class Bennie Adkins and 16 other Green Berets found themselves holed up in an undermanned and unfortified position at Camp A Shau, a small training and reconnaissance camp located right next to the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail, North Vietnam's major supply route. And with the rain came the North Vietnamese Army in force. Filled with the sights, smells, and sounds of a battle fought in the middle of a tropical forest, A Tiger Among Us is a riveting tale of bravery, valor, skill, and resilience.
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None Better
- By CaptBarrel on 11-19-18
By: Bennie G. Adkins, and others
What listeners say about Jump Commander
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-29-20
Great book for those who lost love ones on D Day
Even though I lost my uncle in the 508 on D Day this was a great book to learn the history of these great men. God bless Mark.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-28-14
Great story, awful narrator
Where does Jump Commander rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This was the hardest book I have gotten yet for listening because the narrator has a very deep voice. Even with the base turned down all the way in my car, I could not listen for long without getting a bit of a headache.
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- Psychofan1
- 10-29-21
Great history
Great history of WW2 from someone who lived it! Well done! A must read for anyone who values our shared heritage
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