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"Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselv...
Renowned historian Antony Beevor’s D-Day The Battle For Normandy is an easy to read book written in populist style that should appeal to the first time reader or those that who have little knowledge on the subject. Copious footnotes, good maps and a very useful bibliography. The footnotes are not numbered, I wish they had been. 3 sections of plates. Obviously well researched. My biggest complaint was that nearly half the book was not about D-Day nor the battle for Normany but covered events afte...
After having read a number of Steven Ambrose's books on the battle for Normandy, Anthony Beevor's version is a relief in that it has much cooler analysis, more maps (which every book on warfare should have more of) and manages to include the German, Canadian, Polish and French side of the equation to a much larger extent. (for instance, he points out that more French civilians died as a result of the war in Normandy, particularly the bombing and shelling, than died during the blitz in London). B...
A good book to go to for a detailed account of D-Day and follow-up stages, with a fair balance between the perspective of generals and soldiers. I appreciated the critical perspective on Montgomery’s performance and elucidation of the fateful divergence of understanding of realities between Rommel and Hitler. Though the book might satisfy the cautious historian, but for me it didn’t bring to life the role of the personalities and strategies of key leaders in the way that writers like Stephen Amb...
Beevor narrates the Normandy Campaign - by which he means the landings on D-Day until the liberation of Paris on 25th August 1944 - with his usual historical vigor and rich, creamy prose. The ground has been gone over so many times that one wonders if another book about Normandy is needed but, as usual, Beevor has much to add and observe about the military decisions and the men who made them, especially Montgomery, who Beevor skewers with his sharp observations. His descriptions of the battles a...
I read one of Anthony Beevor's other books Stalingrad while I was bicycling and traveling by train across Turkey. Maybe it was a combination of the amazing context and the quality of the book, but Stalingrad absolutely blew me away. I literally could not put it down.I elected to miss some of the worlds most interesting scenery and cultural experiences in order to burry my nose in a book, and I have absolutely no regrets about that. Reading Stalingrad was one of those A+ reading experiences that
This is a well-written account of the D-Day landings in June, 1944. The author is successful at giving the broad overall view of the struggle, but he also presents poignant pictures at the ground level of individual soldiers on both sides of the conflict. We also feel the joy and the pain of the French people of Normandy who suffered tremendously and paid such a high cost for their liberation. As exemplified by the pictures, many Normandy towns were obliterated by bombing raids. Atrocities were
This is an excellent addition to the plethora of books written about D-Day and the Normandy campaign, and really benefits from Antony Beevor's crisp and fast moving narrative style. He begins with the postponement from the 5th to the 6th of June, and switches between strategic and tactical level views throughout the book. As is typical in a Beevor book he liberally illustrates his narrative with relevant personal stories and testimony, and makes a really good use of maps to explain the movement
I'd say the title of this book is a bit misleading as only around a third of the text deals with D-Day and the rest covers the Allied operations to break out of the Normandy beachhead and then liberate Paris. However, that doesn't change the fact this is a really good book on the Allied campaign to liberate Europe, with lots of great little stories from those who were involved.While the book doesn't really go into great detail on any aspects of the D-Day invasion and subsequent fighting, Beevor
Noted WWII author Antony Beevor brought much to bear in his previous works on the Battles of Stalingrad and Berlin, but comes up a bit short in his most recent work, "D-Day--The Battle for Normandy." Perhaps the author had too much ground to cover in too little time. The book is still a good read, but may gloss over parts of the story that have gotten more attention in other works.Correctly, Beevor scales his work to cover more than just the June 6th landings. He takes in the attrition battles b...
“Tous aux barricades!” A remarkably sobering and viscerally honest rendering of D-Day and the early European front, which probably could not have been released before this decade. This is no black and white account of saintly Allies versus bloodthirsty Nazis but a granular and nuanced account; and the 527-page tome is for the WWII-phile rather than those casually interested in the subject. Beevor makes Band of Brothers look like Hollywood, and as a fan of the BOB book and mini-series, that is sa...
Got myself a nice hardcover copy.
A lengthy read. But worth the every page and word I read.The book lays out the plannings that preceded D-day landings, incidents that took place on that particular day and throughout the battle in France till the events of post-liberated France. It particularly lines out the main battles between the allies and the German soldiers, the many fractious relationships between the higher commands of the allied armies and the events from the Germans perspective who were facing the allied onslaught. The...
I recently read and really enjoyed 'D DAY Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944' and that made me want to read more about D Day. I've really enjoyed the other books I've read by Antony Beevor (Staingrad, Berlin, Crete) and so thought I'd be in safe hands with D-Day: The Battle for Normandy.It's splendid. Moving from the initial drama about adverse weather forecasts, to surveillance of the assault beaches, to individual accounts of each beach, to the breakout for Paris, the acti...
A short review. If you're really interested in a more in-depth examination of Mr. Beevor's work see my review of Ardennes 1944: Hitler's Last Gamble. I'll just say that Mr. Beevor's work is just as good here as in his other works. Well researched, fair-minded, balanced and sympathetic towards the pain that the catastrophe of war inflicts; not just on military personnel, but the civilians who are unfortunate enough to live in a war zone. I do need to add one thing. Most accounts of "D-Day" (June
This was a great book! It covers a period of WWII from just prior to the invasions of the Normandy Coast on June 6, 1944, to the liberation of Paris (Silly French think that their army liberated Paris). Beevor has done a thorough job researching and retelling stories of the campaign for Normandy. This time period is one of my favorites from WWII. Not that war is a good thing, or enjoyable. War brings out the best and worst in people. It is the stories when people are at their best that I enjoy.
A classic Beevor presentation. He starts with the preparation in England, follows through with the landings, attrition, breakout and ends with the capture of Paris. The battles are covered from all sides with lots of records from participants at all levels including civilian. Overall the focus is on the land portion with information on the air and navy actions only where they supported the land activities. Reads well. 4.5 stars.
Antony Beevor gives a very thorough account of D-Day, the battles in Normandy, as seen by the Allied Forces as well as the Germans and the liberation of Paris. He doesn't hold back and besides the victories, he also describes the cock-ups and which generals made mistakes. A lot more lives could have been saved if there had been better communication between the air force and the ground troops and if certain generals had done a better job. The German side had to deal with a supreme commander who r...
Anthony Beevor is a prolific historian. His works include; STALINGRAD, THE BATTLE OF ARNHEM, ARDENNES 1944, THE FALL OF BERLIN, 1945, THE BATTLE FOR SPAIN, and CRETE, 1941. His works have achieved critical acclaim by military historians and the general public and one of his earlier books, D-DAY: THE BATTLE FOR NORMANDY written in 2009 is very timely today. On June 6th the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the invasion will be held on the northern French coast and after reading Beevor’s acco...
Antony Beevor is one of the greatest historians of the last fifty years. His books on Stalingrad and the Fall of Berlin have forever changed our view of the war in the East. This volume is then an excellent choice for anyone wishing to learn more about the invasion of Normandy. I give it four stars rather than five because it does not change our basic understanding of WWII in the same dramatic way that Beevor's greatest masterpieces do.Nonetheless, Beevor is an outstanding historian and every bo...