Eleven American prisoners from an Army Stockade are freed for a dangerous mission: parachute behind enemy lines in advance of the Normandy invasion and secure a vital bridge in a remote village until the troops arrive. The men include the sadistic Sergent Mungo, the cruel Sergeant Nolan, the idealistic Dana, the beatnik romantic Cadillac, and the brutal hillbillies Reb and Swampy. Outnumbered and outgunned, they must battle their own hatreds and personal demons while facing relentless enemy attacks to prevent the German column from reaching the beach before the invasion. "Realistically depicts combat rather than the blood-and-guts battle-porn that lesser writers indulged in." "Delano Stagg" was the pseudonum for Mel R. Sabre and Paul Eiden, both of whom saw combat as paratroop non-coms during WWII. Their joint decorations included the Purple Heart, two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, five campaign stars, a brace of Presidential Unit Citations, adn the Frech fourragere of the Croix de Guerre. Both later became newspaper reporters, authors and screenwriters.