In cooperation with the Airborne Museum in Sainte-Mère-Église, France, and through the remarkable efforts of the team at Éditions Nationale 13 in Saint-Lô, France, we are pleased to present the English-language edition of John Steele’s story for readers in North America.

Dropping into Normandy on June 6, 1944, with the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, John Marvin Steele found himself hanging from the steeple of the church in Sainte-Mère-Église before being taken prisoner by the Germans and later escaping. His misadventure was immortalized in the film The Longest Day, forever associating his name with this remarkable episode in the minds of the public. Yet Steele’s wartime service extended far beyond the famous church steeple. From the combat jumps over Sicily and Italy to the battlefields of Normandy and Holland, he fought in some of the most important campaigns of the Second World War, earning several decorations while being wounded on more than one occasion. This is his story.

A charismatic figure who transformed his dramatic wartime experiences into a lifelong message of optimism, John Steele is now the hero of a graphic novel that brings his extraordinary story to life. An accompanying educational booklet explores the Normandy landings, Hollywood’s portrayal of D-Day, and the relationship between American comics and the Second World War.