Jump Commander: In Combat with the 505th and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments, 82nd Airborne Division in World War II

by Mark J. Alexander, John Sparry

The thrilling memoir of the legendary army colonel and paratrooper—the only airborne officer to lead three different battalions into combat during WWII.   In his distinguished service during World War II, Col. Mark James Alexander took command of three separate battalions of parachute infantrymen within the 82nd Airborne Division. A legend in his own time, he fought in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and France. Even after sustaining serious wounds in Normandy, he insisted on playing a role in the Battle of the Bulge.   Alexander’s exploits in Italy, from capturing hundreds of prisoners in Sicily to holding ground against German counterattacks in Salerno, won him a reputation known from the lowest private to Airborne generals Gavin and Ridgway. At Normandy, Lt. John “Red Dog” Dolan called him “the finest battalion commander I ever served under,” after witnessing his leadership through the bloody battle for La Fière Bridge and Causeway.   This memoir is based on the transcription of hundreds of hours of recorded interviews made by Alexander’s grandson, John Sparry, over a period of years late in his life. Providing valuable insight into the beloved commander who led three of the most storied battalions in the US Army, Jump Commander also contains a wealth of new detail on 82nd Airborne operations and unique insight into some of the most crucial battles in the European Theater.

Genres: World War II, History, Nonfiction, Biography

293 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2010

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Alexander was a soldier that was always determined to do his best. When he was the leader of other men, he always led never pushed. He was with his guys on the front lines.
The author, Mark's grandson, did a superb job making his grandfather's story come alive. Many times I felt I was with Mark Alexander as he fought with honor, determination and even with humor at times.
Also a good book to understand the beginnings of paratroopers in a war.

[Monroe Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of the Airborne but really long. Almost stopped reading but want to see his outcome. Some good examples of “Rear Command” that seemed to have gotten a lot of our guys killed unnecessarily.

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unbelievable determination, willpower and courage. An edifying account of what it takes to survive, yet keep one's spirits up in the midst of carnage and misery.

[Harry Miktarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time is running out on getting biographical histories of our WWII veterans. This book is a recent addition and a damn good one. What marks a good book for me is when you don't want it to end...and I was sad to have read the last page of this one. One of the pitfalls that can plague a book derived from recorded personal histories is that it can come off disjointed, but thanks to the writer/editor this one does not suffer from that. Another problem that it avoids is being a book of dates, organizational lists, and military jargon, this is a fun and gripping and easy read. Colonel Alexander had a fascinating part in American WWII history and was equally interesting as a man (as seems often the case with war heroes). If you are interesting in WWII military history and U.S. Airborne in particular, you will enjoy this book.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

No one can doubt Mark Alexander was a great soldier, and this book serves as a platform to give him his due. It's a pretty quick read, with a nice selection of photos interspersed throughout. The narrative seems to be a collection of ancecdotes which Alexander recited to his grandson, but Sparry has done a good job of fusing them together into a good story. The personal recollections of Generals Gavin and Ridgway were some of the more interesting parts of the book for me, as well as some of the "behind the scenes" stories about running a paratrooper battalion.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't have much combat, or at least much less than I was hoping for. Also, it definitely needed a better proofreading--quite a few spelling errors sprinkled throughout the text. Still, an enjoyable read which shines the light on a superb soldier.

[Mike Vendetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the good fortune to narrate this as an audiobook for Tantor Audio, now available on audible.com. Like so many of his contemporaries, Mark Alexander came of age in the depression, and one of the heroes who after participating in one of the most significant events of the last century, returned to civilian life, unassuming, and walked among us. So many of these brave men are now gone, and their stories are also gone with them. thankfully, John Sperry, Mark Alexander's grandson sat with Col. Alexander many hours coaxing his story from him. You can imagine how reluctant these brave men who witnessed the horrors of war are to relive it. If you are at all interested in World War II, this book is a must read.

[Marty Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good mind candy read. It is like sitting with your granddad listening to his WWII war stories except that your granddad was a Commander of Paratroopers in the storied 82nd Airborne during Sicily and Normandy. It is a very fast read because you just get so wrapped up in this leader that leads from the front. Need more men like LTC Alexander.