by RobinNeillands (Author)
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.
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