The Battle of Normandy 1944: the Final Verdict
This book 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.
by Robin Neillands
Normandy ‘44: D-Day and the Battle for France
In this reexamined history, James Holland presents a broader overview, one that challenges much of what we think we know about D-Day and the Normandy campaign. The sheer size and scale of the Allies’ war machine ultimately dominates the strategic, operational and tactical limitations of the German forces.
by James Holland
Armoured Warfare in the Battle for Normandy
The remarkable photographs collected together for this book show in graphic detail the role armour played in the Allied struggle to exploit the D-Day landings and liberate occupied France – and the skill and tenacity of the German panzer units that confronted them. The struggle gave rise to a sequence of battles that were among the most intense, and critical, of any fought in the Second World War.
by Anthony Tucker-Jones
21 Days in Normandy
Angelo Caravaggio reexamines the Canadian 4th armored division’s performance and particularly that of its leadership. Using new information, he establishes that, despite entering battle for the first time during one of the most challenging phases of Allied operations in August 1944, the 4th Armored Division, under Kitching’s leadership proved resilient and adaptive in overcoming the volatile and unpredictable nature of warfare in Normandy.
by Angelo Caravaggio
Six Armies In Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris
In this masterly and highly individual account of that struggle, the reader is subjected to the gruelling ordeals confronted by the combatants – each encounter related from the point of view of a different nationality. While transcending conventional military history, it provides an intensely vivid picture of one of the Second World War’s most crucial campaigns.
by John Keegan
Monty’s Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe
Historian John Buckley offers a radical reappraisal of Great Britain’s fighting forces during World War Two, challenging the common belief that the British Army was no match for the forces of Hitler’s Germany. Following Britain’s military commanders and troops across the battlefields of Europe, from the Normandy beaches to Arnhem and the Rhine, Buckley’s provocative history demonstrates that the British Army was more than a match for the vaunted Nazi war machine.
by John Buckley
Decision in Normandy: The Real Story of Montgomery and the Allied Campaign
Field Marshal Montgomery’s battleplan for Normandy, following the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, resulted in one of the most controversial campaigns of the Second World War. This book brings to light information from diaries, papers and letters that were not available in Montgomery’s lifetime adn draws on interviews with senior officers who were involved in the campaign and have refrained from speaking out until now.
by Carlo D’Este
Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra, launched at the end of July 1944, began with a massive aerial bombardment of the German defenders, who either surrendered without a fight or fled. As American armoured divisions swept southwards and westwards, entire German units were encircled, while others simply fell apart. The war of attrition had been replaced by a war of movement.
by Christopher Pugsley
Fire Mission!: The Siege at Mortain, Normandy, August 1944
In August 1944, a few hundred men defended a hill near Mortain, France, against a massive German counterattack. For most of the six days and nights of fighting, the Americans were cut off from supply lines, fighting for survival without adequate food, water, medical supplies, or ammunition. The decisive artillery defense, much of which was launched by forward observer Robert Weiss, has been credited with making the difference in this pivotal battle of the Normandy invasion. With only one radio, powered by dying batteries, Weiss and his team brought down a rain of brutal iron that time after time turned back the German offensive.
by Robert Weiss
The Filthy Thirteen: From the Dustbowl to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest
Fully illustrated with stunning full-colour artwork, this book tells the story of Operation Lüttich, the failed offensive which ended any prospect of Germany winning the battle of Normandy.
by Steven J. Zaloga
Falaise Pocket
Following the German counter-attack at Mortain on 6 August 1944, Generals Omar Bradley and Bernard Montgomery decided to engage in a wide encircling movement, to trap the enemy divisions which had advanced so far westwards. American XV Corps entered Le Mans on 9 August and then advanced rapidly northwards, capturing Alencon before moving towards Ecouche, then Argentan. Meanwhile, Montgomery had broken the German front south of Caen despite stiff resistance.
by Paul Latawski
