Van Lunteren, Frank: - Frank van Lunteren was born and raised in Arnhem, the Netherlands. While studying history in Nijmegen, in the spring of 2001, he established contact with a WWII veteran of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Shortly after he graduated as a historian, Van Lunteren was guest speaker at the August 2007 Convention of the 504th PIR Association. There, veteran Francis Keefe (1924-2021) asked him to write "a book on the entire regiment."

The research process of over twenty years culminated in five volumes: Birth of a Regiment (May 1942-September 1943), Spearhead of the Fifth Army (September 1943-April 1944), The Battle of the Bridges (April 1944-November 1944), Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper (November 1944-February 1945), End of an Odyssey (February 1945-January 1946). From activation to the New York Victory Parade, Colonel Reuben Tucker's troopers are followed throughout World War II.