[The following is in relation to the paratroopers taking part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France.]
Taylor also said that when the C-47s crossed the coastline of France, he wanted every man to stand up; if a trooper got his by flak, he wanted him to be standing and take it like a man. There was a point to the order that went beyond bravado; if a plane got hit the men hooked up and ready to jump would stand some chance of getting out.
Taylor told Malarkey’s platoon to fight with knives until daylight, “and don’t take any prisoners.”
Source:
Ambrose, Stephen Edward. “Look Out, Hitler! Here We Come!” Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2004. 64. Print.
Further Reading:
General Maxwell Davenport "Max" Taylor
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