Booklist Review
This excellent study of D-Day is clearly intended for the sixtieth-anniversary commemoration coming in June. Editor Penrose's Companion0 consists of essays by several hands discussing the strategic and tactical aspects of the operation, and also the logistics, which are finally getting their due as being essential to carrying out the largest, most complex military operation in the history of war. --Roland Green Copyright 2004 Booklist
Choice Review
As the title indicates, this is not a history of the Normandy invasion, but rather a supplement to such a history. It is composed of 13 largely independent essays that examine various aspects of the planning and conduct of the invasion. Specific topics range from the functioning of the Allied high command and its deception and intelligence activities to German defensive measures and the contributions of naval and air power. The authors are recognized military historians, many of whom have already published important books on aspects of the war, and they write with authority. Their purpose is not to introduce new scholarship, however, but to present what is generally known to a wide audience in a readily accessible manner. In this, they succeed admirably. This is a book one can either read through in its entirety or simply delve into for those essays of particular interest. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General audiences and public and undergraduate libraries. R. H. Larson Lycoming College
Library Journal Review
To mark the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation, the publisher has put together a first-rate examination of this event. The D-Day Companion, officially endorsed by the National D-Day Museum, combines the talents of some of the biggest names in military history, including Allan Millett, Williamson Murray, and Carlo D'Este. The chapters are thematic, covering topics like the evolution of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), German plans for defending the coast, and the paratrooper drops. Most of the coverage is at the strategic level, although some tactical coverage and personal accounts are included. This book will be a great resource for those looking for a "big picture" of D-day or whose only exposure has been through squad-level books like Alex Kershaw's The Bedford Boys or Stephen Ambrose's D-Day: June 6, 1944. Highly recommended for all public libraries. Brian K. DeLuca, Avon Lake P.L., OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
