
Nothing but Courage
The 82nd Airborne's Daring D-Day Mission—and Their Heroic Charge Across the La Fière Bridge
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Narrated by:
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Mark Deakins
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By:
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James Donovan
About this listen
From the bestselling author of Shoot for the Moon and A Terrible Glory comes the dramatic story of the courageous paratroopers and glidermen of the 82nd Airborne, who risked their lives to seize and secure a small, centuries-old bridge in France that played a pivotal role in the success of D-Day.
In June 1944, German and American forces converged on an insignificant bridge a few miles inland from the invasion beaches. If taken by the Nazis, the bridge might have gone down in history as the reason the Allies failed on D-Day.
The narrow road over it was each side’s conduit to victory. Continued Nazi control over the bridge near an old manoir known as La Fière—one of only two bridges in the region capable of supporting tanks and other heavy armor—would allow the Germans to reinforce their defenses at Utah Beach, one of the five landing areas chosen for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-held Europe. But because control of the bridge was also essential to moving U.S. troops inland and off the beach, it could not simply be destroyed: it had to be taken—and held—by the Allies.
This was part of the formidable mission of the 82nd Airborne, whose lightly armed but superbly trained troopers had dropped behind—and into—German lines five hours before the seaborne assault on Utah. While blocking enemy reinforcements, they had to seize and secure avenues of approach from the beaches to the interior of Normandy, including two bridges over the modest Merderet River and the key crossroads village of Sainte Mère Église. Failure would give Hitler enough time, and the opportunity, to build up the resources necessary to defeat the invasion and turn the tide for the Nazis. The village was taken early on D-Day, and the 82nd endured repeated attacks by much larger German forces. But the bridge at La Fière became a bloody three-day standoff against tanks and artillery that culminated in a near-suicidal charge across it and the narrow 500-yard causeway beyond—straight into the teeth of a fierce German defense ordered to hold it to the last man.
©2025 James Donovan (P)2025 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"James Donovan's Nothing But Courage is a riveting, brilliantly-researched account of one of the most overlooked yet heroic actions of WWII—the battle for La Fiere after the Allies landed in Normandy. With great skill, Donovan brings the actions of the ‘All American’ paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne to dramatic life. This is a wonderful and important addition to the literature of D Day."—Alex Kershaw, author of Patton’s Prayer and Against All Odds
"James Donovan shines a long overdue spotlight on the crucial role played by the 82nd Airborne Division in the Normandy invasion and afterward. Led by Matthew Ridgway and James Gavin, two of the most outstanding commanders in American military history, the All Americans inflicted irreplaceable damage upon many German formations in Normandy and made a major contribution to a momentous Allied victory."—John C. McManus, Ph.D., author of The Americans at D-Day, The Americans at Normandy and The Dead and Those About to Die.
"I loved this book. James Donovan's 360-degree, first-hand accounts from all sides—American, German, and French—and from all echelons, from general and field marshal to paratroopers and soldiers, bring this incredible story to life in a unique and powerful way. A must read to fully understand the courage and accomplishments of the 82nd Airborne in Normandy."—General (ret.) John W. Nicholson, Jr., former 82nd Airborne commander
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Listened to this twice in a row!
- By Nicholas Klein on 06-18-25
By: Shannon Monaghan
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Every Weapon I Had
- A Vietnam Vet's Long Road to the Medal of Honor
- By: Paris Davis
- Narrated by: Dale Hopper, Joshua Quinn
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Every Weapon I Had is an inspiring tale of valor and sacrifice, set against the backdrop of major escalations in both the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. It is also a story of deferred honor and delayed recognition; Davis earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his actions, but his nomination for the Congressional Medal of Honor was repeatedly “lost.” No official reason has ever been given for this oversight, but those who fought to correct it believe that it was motivated by racial prejudice. Davis was finally awarded the Medal in 2023, 58 years after the battle.
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American Hero!
- By Jefffrey A. Redmon on 07-01-25
By: Paris Davis
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Mercenaries, Gunslingers, and Outlaws
- Two Years as a Security Contractor in Iraq
- By: Robert M. Kurtz
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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A candid and multifaceted look at life as a security contractor in Iraq in the early years after the American invasion. It’s not just a story of surviving IEDs and firefights while protecting American contractors—though those moments are vividly recounted—it’s also an exploration of the broader, often unexpected, experiences that defined the author’s two and a half years in Iraq.
By: Robert M. Kurtz
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Bloody Aachen: The First German City Ever Besieged by the U.S. Army
- The Siegfried Line Campaign, Book 1
- By: Charles Whiting
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Aachen saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Second World War. Through the determined defense of their city the citizens of Aachen held off the oncoming American forces for six weeks, giving the Nazis time to mobilize their troops for what would become the Battle of the Bulge. Had it not been for dogged resistance of these men and women the last great German offensive in the West might have never occurred, potentially ending the war in Europe six months earlier and saving the lives of thousands.
By: Charles Whiting
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Hitler's Deserters
- Breaking Ranks with the Wehrmacht
- By: Douglas Carl Peifer
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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After the WWII, Germans began a generation-long debate about the status that should be accorded Wehrmacht deserters. The topic would be debated between the two Germanies and engaged survivors and perpetrators, playwrights, and judges, those who had stayed in the ranks and those who had not. Was the Wehrmacht a coward, a victim, or a role model? The book's discussion of this postwar debate explains how and why Germany finally decided to overturn military court-martial verdicts from the Second World War fifty years after its conclusion.
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1861
- The Lost Peace
- By: Jay Winik
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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1861: The Lost Peace is the story of President Lincoln’s difficult and courageous decision at a time when the country wrestled with deep moral questions of epic proportions.
By: Jay Winik
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It Was My Turn
- One of Vietnam's Most Decorated Pilots and America's Secret War
- By: Gerald Baron
- Narrated by: Gerald Baron
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Warrant Officer Terry Crump was a Cobra gunship pilot who earned a near-unprecedented seven Distinguished Flying Crosses in his one-year tour in Vietnam. This is the untold story of the Pink Panthers, the 361st Aerial Weapons Company, an all-Cobra unit dedicated to supporting the secret war of MACVSOG. SOG, the so-called "Studies and Observation Group" sent small teams led by Special Forces commandos into Laos and Cambodia in violation of their supposed neutrality. It was considered "the hairiest mission" of the war with more Medals of Honor awarded to SOG teams at Kontum than any other unit.
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Poor audio ruins the story
- By Regan sparks on 06-15-25
By: Gerald Baron
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Masters and Commanders
- How Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941-1945
- By: Andrew Roberts
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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Masters and Commanders has descriptive copy which is not yet available from the Publisher.
By: Andrew Roberts
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Operation Ghost Reich
- From Bavaria to Buenos Aires: Tracking the Last Nazi Fugitives
- By: Gary Covella
- Narrated by: Virtual Voice
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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WHAT IF THE THIRD REICH NEVER REALLY ENDED? Operation Ghost Reich: From Bavaria to Buenos Aires rips open sealed archives, Vatican rat-lines, and Mossad dossiers to reveal the labyrinth that let Hitler's most ruthless lieutenants vanish, only to re-emerge as "respectable" neighbors, engineers, and even Cold War assets. THE CHASE BEGINS ON A FOG-SOAKED BAVARIAN PLATFORM May 1945: forged Red Cross papers, rosaries hiding SS gold, and a ghost train headed south mark the moment thousands of war criminals step off history's stage and into suburbia. Their escape ignites a five-part global pursuit...
By: Gary Covella
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Visual Friendlies, Tally Target
- How Close Air Support in the War on Terror Changed the Way America Made War: Volume I: Invasions
- By: Ethan Brown
- Narrated by: Shawn Compton
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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With a new century and a new enemy came a new kind of war: low intensity and civilian-dominated, blending austere rural and dense urban environments alike. Into this new kind of war, the American military launched two invasions against terrorist networks and military rivals, relying on airpower—close air support (CAS)—at a scale never before seen.
By: Ethan Brown
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Korea
- War Without End
- By: Richard Dannatt, Robert Lyman
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Korea: War Without End examines the stand-off between East and West in Korea that ultimately defined the second half of the 20th century. It provides a critical analysis of the lack of preparation by the West for war; the results of the North Korean invasion in June 1950; the counter-stroke by MacArthur in September and then the strategic overreach which led to communist China’s involvement on the North Korean side, and the rapid escalation to consideration of the use of nuclear weapons.
By: Richard Dannatt, and others
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Infantry Life
- Vietnam's Central Highlands, 1966-1967
- By: Dennis M. Witt
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Anyone who has a personal connection with someone who served as an infantryman in Vietnam or simply has curiosity about infantry life in Vietnam will better understand, after listening to this book, the answer to the question "What was daily life like for them there?"
By: Dennis M. Witt
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Shoot for the Moon
- The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11
- By: James Donovan
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 13 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon, a moment forever ingrained in history. Perhaps the world's greatest technological achievement - and a triumph of American spirit and ingenuity - the Apollo 11 mission, and the entire Apollo program, was a mammoth undertaking involving more than 410,000 men and women dedicated to putting a man on the Moon and winning the Space Race against the Soviets.
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Well Told, But Over Plowed Ground
- By John on 07-24-19
By: James Donovan
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The Sailing of the Intrepid
- By: Montel Williams, David Fisher
- Narrated by: Montel Williams, Jonathan Yen, Eric Priessman
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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1944. The USS Intrepid set sail on its first combat voyage, only to be struck by a Japanese torpedo plane, jamming its rudder at a forty-five-degree angle. It could only sail in circles amid treacherous waters. The task force abandoned ship as it tried to make the 3,300-mile voyage to Pearl Harbor. For a day, the captain was able to slalom, alternating use of the ship’s engines, but the seas became too perilous. Until one resilient crewman came up with the ingenious idea of rigging a twenty-eight-inch-high sail on the second deck to steer the ship home safe.
By: Montel Williams, and others
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Phantom Fleet
- The Hunt for Nazi Submarine U-505 and World War II's Most Daring Heist
- By: Alexander Rose
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In this swashbuckling adventure story, bestselling historian Alexander Rose draws on long-classified encrypted documents and intercepted German transmissions to unravel, for the first time, the astounding tale of a daring heist cooked up by an owlish egghead and a glory-seeking buccaneer to score the richest prize on the high seas.
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Naval Warfare at its Finest
- By Rebecca Hill on 07-07-25
By: Alexander Rose
Also, I was impressed at the ability of the author to amass the names and rank of all those who survived and were killed.
A great wort!!
Excellent
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