History -- Combat Jump

July 9, 1943. Just before midnight, Colonel Jim Gavin, age 36, heads towards Sicily in a C47 in command of just over 3,400 members of the 505th Regimental Combat Team. This is the inside story of the first large-scale invasion by paratroopers in U.S. history, headed by one of WWII's youngest leaders. Based on the book "Combat Jump: The Young Men Who Led the Assault into Fortress Europe" and drawing on surviving veterans' stories, this is an in-depth story of epic determination, fear, and survival.

• documentary