First Bridge Too Far

A vivid chronicle of the first battle between British and German paratroopers-the unsung battle that prefigured the Battle of Arnhem. From July 13 to 16, 1943, British paratroopers fought for control of a strategically important bridge in Sicily. Now, the Battle of Primosole Bridge is brought to life in the first narrative solely dedicated to one of the bloodiest and hardest-fought battles for British airborne troops of World War II. The British paratroopers of the famed 1st Parachute Brigade, known as the "e;Red Devils,"e; fought their equally esteemed German paratrooper opponents, known as the "e;Green Devils,"e; during the Allies' first invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe. The paratroopers found themselves cut off behind enemy lines with dwindling ammunition as they faced ever-growing enemy forces. Yet they courageously maintained the fight until ground forces arrived to capture the bridge before it was destroyed. The hard-won experience of the 1st Parachute Brigade was then tested only a year later in an almost identical battle on a larger scale: The Battle of Arnhem the battle christened "e;a bridge too far."e; While Arnhem is well documented, the events at Primosole Bridge deserve to be told at last.