The Filthy Thirteen: From the Dustbowl to Hitler's Eagle's Nest: The 101st Airborne's Most Legendary Squad of Combat Paratroopers

Jake McNiece (AUTHOR SIGNED), Richard Killblane

ISBN 10: 1932033122 / ISBN 13: 9781932033120

Published by Casemate, Havertown, PA, 2003

Casemate, Havertown, PA. 2003. Hardcover. Stated First Edition / First Printing. Inscribed by the author on the half title page. Book is tight, square, and unmarked. Book Condition: Very Good +; light soiling to textblock edges; light bumping to head and tail. DJ: Very Good +; NOT Price Clipped ($32.95); closed tear to top of front flap fold; light rubbing to panels; light bumping to head, tail, and top of front panel. Black paper over boards and spine with bright gilt lettering on the spine. 288 pp 8vo. The author was a squad SGT in the 101st Airborne named The Filthy Thirteen. The author passed away in December 2013, the last survivor of the squad. Primarily products of the Dust Bowl and the Depression, the Filthy13 grew notorious 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 (101st) for its hard drinking, and savage fighting skill--and that was only in training. Just prior to the invasion of Normandy, a "Stars and Stripes" photographer caught U.S. paratroopers with heads shaved into Mohawks, applying war paint to their faces. Unknown to the American public at the time, these men were the Filthy 13. After parachuting behind enemy lines in the dark hours before D-Day, the Germans got a taste of the reckless courage of this unit - except now the men were fighting with Tommy guns and explosives, not just bare knuckles. In its spearhead role, the 13 suffered heavy casualties, some men wounded and others blown to bits. By the end of the war 30 men had passed through the squad. Throughout the war, however, the heart and soul of the Filthy 13 remained a survivor named Jake McNiece, a half-breed Indian from Oklahoma - the toughest man in the squad and the one who formed its character. McNiece made four combat jumps, was in the forefront of every fight in northern Europe, yet somehow never made the rank of PFC, until after the war. The survivors of the Filthy 13 stayed intact as a unit until the Allies finally conquered Nazi Germany. A clean very presentable copy in a Brodart mylar jacket. Seller Inventory # 017368

Synopsis:

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 for its hard drinking, and savage fighting skill--and that was only in training. Just prior to the invasion of Normandy, a "Stars and Stripes" photographer caught U.S. paratroopers with heads shaved into Mohawks, applying war paint to their faces. Unknown to the American public at the time, these men were the Filthy 13. After parachuting behind enemy lines in the dark hours before D-Day, the Germans got a taste of the reckless courage of this unit - except now the men were fighting with Tommy guns and explosives, not just bare knuckles. In its spearhead role, the 13 suffered heavy casualties, some men wounded and others blown to bits. By the end of the war 30 men had passed through the squad.

Throughout the war, however, the heart and soul of the Filthy 13 remained a survivor named Jake McNiece, a half-breed Indian from Oklahoma - the toughest man in the squad and the one who formed its character. McNiece made four combat jumps, was in the forefront of every fight in northern Europe, yet somehow never made the rank of PFC. The survivors of the Filthy 13 stayed intact as a unit until the Allies finally conquered Nazi Germany.

The book does not draw a new portrait of earnest citizen soldiers. Instead it describes a group of hardscrabble guys whom any respectable person would be loath to meet in a bar or dark alley. But they were an integral part of the U.S. war against Nazi Germany. A brawling bunch of no-goodniks whose only saving grace was that they inflicted more damage on the Germans than on MPs, the English countryside and their own officers, the Filthy 13 remain a legend within the ranks of the 101st Airborne.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction Jake McNiece

Chapter 1 Creating a Legend
Chapter 2 Fuel for the Myth
Chapter 3 A Bridge in Normandy
Chapter 4 Surviving Holland
Chapter 5 Rescue of a Division
Chapter 6 End of the War
Chapter 7 Get-Together
Epilogue The Moral of the Story

A Soldier’s Prayer by Jack Agnew

Notes
Bibliography
Index

About the Author: Richard E. Killblane was raised in Oklahoma where he came to know Jake Mc Niece. Richard graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1979 and earned his Master of Arts in history from the University of San Diego in 1992. He served as an officer in the infantry and Special Forces and attained the rank of Captain. He is a veteran of Central American counter-insurgency operations and Operation Just Cause (Panama) He is a published author and currently servesas the Transportation Corps historian.

Jake McNiece, who despite making four combat jumps and displaying tremendous battlefield courage during the war, was consistently bumped back to the rank of private. On D-Day, they were assigned to take a bridge over the Douve River in France, a mission that would cost most of the men their lives. Sadly Jake passed away in early 2013.

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Filthy Thirteen: From the Dustbowl to ...
Publisher: Casemate, Havertown, PA
Publication Date: 2003
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good +
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good +
Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)
Edition: 1st Edition