Download 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 AudioBook Free
Since World War II, the American consumer has become totally alert to 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 achieved legendary status at that time, its reputation persisting among veterans above the decades. Mainly products of the Dustbowl and the Melancholy, the Filthy13 grew notorious, even within the ranks of the elite 101st. Never ones to salute an official, or take a bath, this squad became singular within the Screaming Eagles because of its hard drinking, and savage fighting skill - and this was only in training. Before the invasion of Normandy, a "Stars and Stripes" photographer caught U.S. paratroopers with mind shaved into Mohawks, making use of war paint to their faces. Anonymous to the American consumer at that time, these men were the Filthy 13. After parachuting behind adversary lines in the dark hours before D-Day, the Germans got a flavor of the reckless courage of the unit - except now the men were fighting with each other with Tommy guns and explosives, not merely bare knuckles. In its spearhead role, the 13 endured heavy casualties, some men wounded while others blown to pieces. By the end of the battle 30 men got approved through the squad. Through the entire battle, however, the heart and soul of the Filthy 13 remained: a survivor called Jake McNiece, a half-breed Indian from Oklahoma - the toughest man in the squad and the main one who produced its identity. McNiece made four fight jumps, was at the forefront of each fight in north Europe, yet in some way never made the list of PFC. The survivors of the Filthy 13 stayed intact as a unit until the Allies finally conquered Nazi Germany. The book does not bring a new portrait of earnest resident military. Instead it represents a group of hardscrabble folks whom any reputable person would be loath to meet in a pub or dark alley. However they were a fundamental element of the U.S. battle against Nazi Germany. A brawling couple of no-goodniks whose only savior was that they inflicted more destruction on the Germans than on MPs, the English countryside and their own officials, the Filthy 13 remain a star within the ranks of the 101st Airborne.
