No Victory in Valhalla

In late November 1944, after 71 days on the line in Holland, the 506th PIR was withdrawn having suffered heavy losses during Operation Market Garden, and each paratrooper was looking forward to three months rest, recuperation, and restructuring. However, this was not to be. On December 16, 1944, the Germans launched a huge offensive. The Battle of the Bulge had begun and the 101st Airborne were deployed to halt the German onslaught in the most incredible chapter of their wartime experiences. Bitter fighting in dreadful conditions saw the Third Battalion 506th PIR reduced to the size of a company before its eventual relief on January 17. The division as a whole was awarded a Unit Citation for its heroic defense of Bastogne – a first in the history of the US armed forces. With little time to recuperate, the battalion then fought on across Europe, taking part in the reduction of the Colmar Pocket, the Ruhr Pocket, and assisted in the liberation of several concentration camps in Germany. The Third Battalion finished the war occupying Hitler’s mountain retreat of Berchtesgaden, held on readiness for deployment to the Pacific until Hiroshima and Nagasaki precipitated the Japanese surrender. Based on extensive interviews and first-hand accounts, and with the support of Ed Shames and other veterans, No Victory in Valhalla is the final dramatic part of the combat story of the Third Battalion 506th PIR. Using the words of “Screaming Eagles” themselves, it gives the reader a frank portrayal of the realities of the toughest fighting of World War II.