10 Video Games That Taught Us Forgotten History
3. Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30 (502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment)
Ubisoft's first-person shooter recreated the famed true life
events of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment of the
U.S. 101st Airborne Division. They were little heard of
(outside the USA, at least) before the game recreated the heroic
exploits of Mission Albany, highlighting the importance of the
success for the better known D-Day landing invasion of Normandy.
As in the game, Mission Albany saw almost 7,000 paratroopers drop behind enemy lines just a few hours before the first boats reached the beaches.
While bad weather scattered the troops, resulting in loss of life, as well as delays in regrouping and completing the mission, the troops were successful in flanking a number of barracks, occupied hamlets and German regiments, weakening the German defenses and their supply lines to the beaches.
Equally, just as in the game, the paratroopers of the 502nd remained fighting after D-Day, winning a number of crucial victories against superior forces as they overwhelmed batteries and assumed control of key defensive positions so as to prevent the German's any opportunity to counter-attack against the Allies.