The Battle of Normandy 1944: 1944 the Final Verdict

The Battle of Normandy 1944: 1944 the Final Verdict

by RobinNeillands (Author)

Synopsis

What happened to the Allied armies in Normandy in the months after D-Day, 1944? Why, after the initial success of the landings, did their advance stall a few miles inland from the beaches? Why did the British take so long to capture Caen? Why did the US infantry struggle so much in the bocage south of Omaha beach? Who was right about the conduct of the land campaign - Eisenhower or Montgomery? How did the Germans, deprived of air support, manage to hold off such a massive Allied force for more than two months? And if Enigma was allowing the Allies to read German battleplans, why did things go wrong as often as they did? THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY 1944 re-examines the demands and difficulties of the campaign and sheds new light on both with the aid of accounts from veterans on both sides. (Oral history forms a large part of the book.) It also analyses in detail the plans and performance of the commanders involved: Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton, Montgomery, Crerar and, of course, Rommel. Controversial and at times catastrophic, the Battle of Normandy was the last great set-piece battle in history and is long overdue for reassessment.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 448
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Orion
Published: 26 Sep 2002

ISBN 10: 0304358371
ISBN 13: 9780304358373
Book Overview: Guaranteed interest both in the UK and US Winning mixture of trenchant analysis and oral history '... formidably well-researched ... his detailed references to the units involved, with personal accounts from the dwindling numbers of combatants, bear witness to the author's thorough investigation of every aspect of the campaign.' SOLDIER MAGAZINE 'A balanced history that does justice to men involved in Normandy, whatever their uniform' - Contemporary Review

Media Reviews
THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY got a very big review in the NEW STATESMAN on 6th February 2003: '... certain American historians - not to mention screenwriters -have long offered an alternative explanation: that the British preferred to sit tight in their foxholes drinking endless cups of tea rather than do theirshare of the fighting. This myth receives a witting and efficient rebuttal in Robin Neillands's book. He writes with an urgency because, as he notes, itcannot be too long before some American academic reveals how the US contingent played a decisive part in beating the French at the Battle of Agincourt in1415 while the 'cautious' and 'timid' British archers looked on in 'watchful
Author Bio
Robin Neillands served in 45 Commando, Royal Marines, in the 1950s. He was a journalist and travel writer before becoming a writer of military history. He is the author of more than forty books; subjects he has covered include the myths surrounding the Great War generals, and Arthur Harris and the Allied bombing offensive of the Second World War. A regular contributor to military magazines and the national press, he also conducts battlefield tours in Europe and the USA and is a member of the British Commission for Military History.