Normandy '44 : D-Day and the epic 77-day battle for France

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Title:

Normandy '44 : D-Day and the epic 77-day battle for France

Author:

Holland, James, 1970- author.

ISBN:

9780802129420

Edition:

1st Grove Atlantic hardcover ed.

Physical Description:

lx, 649 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Contents:

The Atlantic wall -- Command of the skies -- Understanding Montgomery and the master plan -- Countdown -- The winds of war -- Big war -- Air power -- D-day minus one -- D-day : the first hours -- D-day : dawn -- D-day : the American landings -- D-day : the British and Canadian landings -- D-day : the turning of the battle -- D-day : foothold -- Bridgehead -- Fighter-bomber racecourse -- Linking up -- The constraints of wealth and the freedom of poverty -- Behind the lines -- The grinding battle -- The great storm -- EPSOM -- Cherbourg and the Scottish corridor -- Trouble at the top -- Bloody Bocage -- Living like foxes -- A brief discourse on weapons and the operational level of war -- Crisis of command -- GOODWOOD -- Saint-Lô -- COBRA -- BLUECOAT -- LÜTTICH -- Tank battle at Saint-Aignan -- The corridor of death.

Subject Term:

World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- France -- Normandy.

Operation Overlord.

Summary:

D-Day, June 6, 1944, and the seventy-six days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed the Allied landing, have become the defining episode of World War II in the west--the object of books, films, television series, and documentaries. Yet as familiar as it is, as James Holland makes clear in his definitive history, many parts of the OVERLORD campaign, as it was known, are still shrouded in myth and assumed knowledge. Drawing freshly on widespread archives and on the testimonies of eye-witnesses, Holland relates the extraordinary planning that made Allied victory in France possible; indeed, the story of how hundreds of thousands of men, and mountains of material, were transported across the English Channel, is as dramatic a human achievement as any battlefield exploit. The brutal landings on the five beaches and subsequent battles across the plains and through the lanes and hedgerows of Normandy--a campaign that, in terms of daily casualties, was worse than any in World War I--come vividly to life in conferences where the strategic decisions of Eisenhower, Rommel, Montgomery, and other commanders were made, and through the memories of paratrooper Lieutenant Dick Winters of Easy Company, British corporal and tanker Reg Spittles, Thunderbolt pilot Archie Maltbie, German ordnance officer Hans Heinze, French resistance leader Robert Leblanc, and many others. For both sides, the challenges were enormous. The Allies confronted a disciplined German army stretched to its limit, which nonetheless caused tactics to be adjusted on the fly. Ultimately ingenuity, determination, and immense material strength--delivered with operational brilliance--made the difference. A stirring narrative by a pre-eminent historian, Normandy '44 offers important new perspective on one of history's most dramatic military engagements and is an invaluable addition to the literature of war.

Holds:

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Lake Elmo Library	940.542142 HOL	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	940.542142 HOL	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Drawing freshly on widespread archives and on the testimonies of eye-witnesses, Holland relates the extraordinary planning that made Allied victory in France possible; indeed, the story of how hundreds of thousands of men, and mountains of materiel, were transported across the English Channel, is as dramatic a human achievement as any battlefield exploit. The brutal landings on the five beaches and subsequent battles across the plains and through the lanes and hedgerows of Normandy--a campaign that, in terms of daily casualties, was worse than any in World War I--come vividly to life in conferences where the strategic decisions of Eisenhower, Rommel, Montgomery, and other commanders were made, and through the memories of paratrooper Lieutenant Dick Winters of Easy Company, British corporal and tanker Reg Spittles, Thunderbolt pilot Archie Maltbie, German ordnance officer Hans Heinze, French resistance leader Robert Leblanc, and many others.

For both sides, the challenges were enormous. The Allies confronted a disciplined German army stretched to its limit, which nonetheless caused tactics to be adjusted on the fly. Ultimately ingenuity, determination, and immense materiel strength--delivered with operational brilliance--made the difference. A stirring narrative by a pre-eminent historian, Normandy '44 offers important new perspective on one of history's most dramatic military engagements and is an invaluable addition to the literature of war.

Author Notes

James Holland is the author of Big Week , The Rise of Germany and The Allies Strike Back in the War in the West trilogy, as well as Fortress Malta , Dam Busters , and The Battle of Britain . Holland regularly appears on television and radio and has written and presented the BAFTA shortlisted documentaries Battle of Britain and Dam Busters for the BBC, among others. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he has his own collection at the Imperial War Museum.

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

This hefty, scrupulously balanced history of the Allied invasion of northern France goes beyond some of the well-known events of D-Day, thanks to Holland's meticulous research and clear-eyed view of the big picture. Holland (Big Week), a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and prolific military historian, covers the entire 77 days of the bruising fight for Normandy, presenting a unified Allied effort-rather than focusing on the landing at Omaha Beach-with dramatic flair. Extensive use of German sources gives a full picture of the tactical errors and constraints imposed by Hitler on his army commanders and debunks various myths, including the idea that the German defenders at Omaha were elite troops. Holland describes the fighting in terrible, chilling detail, from the landings to the final collapse of the German defense and the Allied dash across northern France in early August. And he clearly defines the context of this extraordinary feat of arms, from the Allies' air superiority to the self-destructive approach of German counterattacks. Holland also convincingly rebuts previous criticisms of the British and Canadian troops' progress in fighting toward Caen and argues that superior logistics and materiel made the outcome certain from the first minutes of the battle. This is an excellent and engrossing new look at the Normandy invasion. Agent: Patrick Walsh, PEW Literary. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Review

A fine account of the familiar but eternally fascinating 1944 Normandy landing and campaign.Veteran military historian Holland (Big Week: The Biggest Air Battle of World War II, 2018, etc.) knows the drill but doesn't hesitate to wander from the script. He begins with the massive planning of the invasion, emphasizing that previous Allied seaborne landings were disasters (Dieppe), near disasters (Salerno), or disorganized efforts against weak opponents (North Africa, Sicily). According to Allied intelligence, Normandy would be a far greater operation against a prepared enemy. "Ensuring enough men and materiel were landed quickly enoughbefore any concentrated enemy counter-attack could be mounted was the absolute number-one priority," writes the author. In fact, Germany lacked the resources to fortify more than 1,000 miles of Atlantic coast, and Holland delivers an expert account of their efforts. German Gen. Erwin Rommel, the commander in Northern France, wanted to fight at the beaches; his superiors, including Hitler, wanted an organized defense inland. Since historians usually prefer Rommel to Hitler, they look kindly on his plan, but it's unlikely either would have worked. The Allies achieved complete surprise, and success was never in doubt. Historians concentrate on the carnage at Omaha Beach; Holland points out that the defenders inflicted terrible casualties from their bunkers, but all they could do was shoot. They had no tanks or reinforcements for a counterattack, and Allied naval gunnery pounded them mercilessly; they were doomed. Focusing on the landing, the Allies paid little attention to what might follow, and it took nearly two more months of bloody fighting before the Wehrmacht collapsed. A skillful writer, Holland delivers the occasional jolt, such as a mild rehabilitation of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. Even contemporaries criticized his careful preparation and slow advances, but the author points out that this took maximum advantage of superior Allied resources and saved lives.Far from the first but among the better histories of the Allied invasion of Europe. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Among the numerous books published to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day, Holland's reappraisal of the battle of Normandy will take its rightful place, with earlier accounts by Stephen E. Ambrose, Max Hastings, and others, at the head of the platoon. The terrain, from the beaches through the hedgerow-dominated fields of Normandy, has been well trod, of course, but Holland using the narrative technique of focusing on a small group of individual soldiers on both sides of the conflict and following the action from their varying perspectives offers a strikingly personal and, at times, horrifically vivid recounting of the various campaigns and the appalling carnage they produced. In addition, he offers a careful reconsideration of various positions taken by decades of military historians especially regarding Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery's slowness in taking the city of Caen and achieving the much-sought-after breakout into the heart of Normandy. Yes, it took Montgomery much longer than planned to break out, and, yes, Monty was often insufferably arrogant, but, Holland argues, he should be lauded for his determination to win with as few casualties as possible. From Omaha Beach to the Falaise Gap, this is thoughtful, crisply written military history.--Bill Ott Copyright 2019 Booklist

Library Journal Review

The largest seaborne invasion in history began on June 6, 1944, when more than 150,000 troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. For the next 76 days, British, American, and Canadian soldiers and airmen slowly fought against a retreating but not yet defeated German army. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the Battle of Normandy was a brutal but ultimately successful retaking of Europe from Nazi control. Historian Holland (Big Week; The Rise of Germany) thoroughly describes the tactical events leading up to and immediately following D-Day, as well as the many challenges, mistakes, and myths surrounding the battle itself. Personal narratives from both Allied and German officers and air and ground troops, along with technical descriptions of weapons manufacture and use, provide an absorbing perspective on one of the most significant events in modern military history. VERDICT Meticulous attention to large and small detail combined with a conversational writing style make this World War II chronicle accessible for most general readers.--Linda Frederiksen, formerly with Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver

List of Maps	p. ix
Maps	p. xi
Principal Personalities	p. lii
Gallery of Portraits	p. lvi
Foreword	p. lix
Prologue	p. 1
Part I The Battle Before D-Day
1 The Atlantic Wall	p. 9
2 Command of the Skies	p. 23
3 Understanding Montgomery and the Master Plan	p. 42
4 Countdown	p. 53
5 The Winds of War	p. 66
6 Big War	p. 80
7 Air Power	p. 95
Part II Invasion
8 D-Day Minus One	p. 109
9 D-Day: The First Hours	p. 120
10 D-Day: Dawn	p. 139
11 D-Day: The American Landings	p. 153
12 D-Day: The British and Canadian Landings	p. 168
13 D-Day: The Turning of the Battle	p. 186
14 D-Day: Foothold	p. 202
Part III Attrition
15 Bridgehead	p. 225
16 Fighter-Bomber Racecourse	p. 243
17 Linking Up	p. 254
18 The Constraints of Wealth and the Freedom of Poverty	p. 267
19 Behind the Lines	p. 284
20 The Grinding Battle	p. 294
21 The Great Storm	p. 310
22 EPSOM	p. 326
23 Cherbourg and the Scottish Corridor	p. 343
24 Trouble at the Top	p. 360
25 Bloody Socage	p. 376
26 Living Like Foxes	p. 391
Part IV Breakout
27 A Brief Discourse on Weapons and the Operational Level of War	p. 411
28 Crisis of Command	p. 428
29 GOODWOOD	p. 444
30 Saint-Lô	p. 461
31 COBRA	p. 471
32 BLUECOAT	p. 481
33 LUTTICH	p. 496
34 Tank Battle at Saint-Aignan	p. 507
35 The Corridor of Death	p. 519
Postscript	p. 532
Glossary	p. 541
Appendices	p. 544
Timeline: Normandy 1944	p. 555
Timeline: D-Day	p. 565
Notes	p. 575
Selected Sources	p. 597
Acknowledgements	p. 625
Picture Acknowledgements	p. 629
Index	p. 633

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

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