2 - Overseas

Summary

“Overseas,” explores the experiences of the defenders of Graignes in their journey toward the battlefield. The paratroopers trained in western Nebraska and did a variety of demonstration jumps in the area, including near Denver, to stimulate the sale of war bonds. Thereafter, they made the arduous journey by train to New York and across the Atlantic Ocean. They trained in Portrush, Northern Ireland and near Nottingham in England. The chapter makes the point that the socio-cultural experiences of the paratroopers in the United Kingdom would be similar to their experiences in Graignes. The chapter concludes with General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s decision to overrule Sir Arthur Trafford Leigh-Mallory’s opposition to using paratroopers on D-Day.