D-Day

[AnemicOak]

With the 70th Anniversary of the Normandy invasion coming up on Friday I found myself thinking about what digital books are out there on the subject. I've read a lot of them, but would love to hear other folks recommendations.

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a 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 ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!
Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

-- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

link to audio of Eisenehower's speech... http://www.army.mil/d-day/message.html



I've read and liked all of these to varying degrees...
D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II by Stephen E. Ambrose
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor
The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan
Omaha Beach & Utah Beach by Joseph Balkoski

I own, but haven't yet read...
If Chaos Reigns: The Near-Disaster and Ultimate Triumph of the Allied Airborne Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944 by Flint Whitlock
(this one's on sale right now [has been for a while])


Wondering if anyone has read and can recommend...
The Juno Beach Trilogy: First Canadian Army and the Normandy Campaign, June 6th - August 21, 1944 by Mark Zuehlke
The Devil's Garden: Rommel's Desperate Defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day by Steven Zaloga
The Germans in Normandy by Richard Hargreaves
D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy, 1944 by Rick Atkinson

I've read other Atkinson works which were quite good, but haven't gotten his new D-Day book yet. I'm not sure on this one as it sounds like it's just D-Day specific parts of The Guns at Last Light which have then been adapted for young readers. I'm thinking it'll be a lot of "nothing new here" & simplified.


Would love some recommendations on books that focus on the British forces (XXX Corps at Gold, etc.) on D-Day.

[pwalker8]

You are correct on the Atkinson book. It's basically just a simplified version of his The Guns at Last Light. It might have a little new material that got edited out of the longer book, but not much. It's a good, quick read though.

Just picked up Craig Symonds new D-Day book, Neptune: The Allied Invasion of Europe, which promises to cover all the details leading up to D-Day. I really liked his book on Midway.

I've read the first three books you list (the Ambrose, Beevor and Ryan books) All very good books that should be on anyone's bookshelf who is interested on the subject.

BTW - thanks for the pointers on the Balkoski books. Just got them from Amazon. They are both topez ebooks, but hey, Calibre is your friend! Maybe Friday would be a good day to take off and read them!

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

You are correct on the Atkinson book. It's basically just a simplified version of his The Guns at Last Light. It might have a little new material that got edited out of the longer book, but not much. It's a good, quick read though.

Thanks. I'll probably give it a read at some point, but won't be in a hurry to get it.

Just picked up Craig Symonds new D-Day book, Neptune: The Allied Invasion of Europe, which promises to cover all the details leading up to D-Day. I really liked his book on Midway.

The Midway book has been on my list for a while. The only Midway specific books I've read are Shattered Sword by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully which is primarily from Japanese sources & Miracle at Midway by Gordon Prange. Neptune looks like something I'm going to want to read too.

BTW - thanks for the pointers on the Balkoski books. Just got them from Amazon. They are both topez ebooks, but hey, Calibre is your friend!

I had forgotten that they're topaz. I got them a couple of years ago when they were briefly free from Stackpole & it's been a while since I've read them.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

I had forgotten that they're topaz. I got them a couple of years ago when they were briefly free from Stackpole & it's been a while since I've read them.

I'm currently reading a Joseph Balkoski book - Beyond the Beachhead, one of three books he wrote following the 29th Infantry. While I do have it converted in Calibre, I downloaded this copy directly from Amazon and holy crap is the topaz font horrible. I realize it's really a pdf file with a wrapper, but the scan is terrible to read. Going to have to get my calibre copy to finish it.

As for recommendations, my reading list pretty much matches yours. If anything you've given me some new books to took at.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Thanks. I'll probably give it a read at some point, but won't be in a hurry to get it.



The Midway book has been on my list for a while. The only Midway specific books I've read are Shattered Sword by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully which is primarily from Japanese sources & Miracle at Midway by Gordon Prange. Neptune looks like something I'm going to want to read too.



I had forgotten that they're topaz. I got them a couple of years ago when they were briefly free from Stackpole & it's been a while since I've read them.

I have a handful of topaz format ebooks, all are very specialized history books. I suspect that for low volume sales books like that, converting to a true ebook isn't very cost effective unless it's already in some sort of text format.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I have a handful of topaz format ebooks, all are very specialized history books. I suspect that for low volume sales books like that, converting to a true ebook isn't very cost effective unless it's already in some sort of text format.

I'm sure you're right, but I know publishers like Stackpole offer many of their books as topaz on Amazon but yet sell ePub's elsewhere, so they could offer a better format on Amazon (azw3). I would guess that they went the topaz/Amazon route first and have never bothered to update those copies now that they've spent the time/money to create ePub's for other outlets. Of course to the general user what format they're in doesn't likely matter in the least.

[Catlady]

How does Beevor's D-Day book compare with the Ambrose and Ryan D-Day books?

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Catlady

How does Beevor's D-Day book compare with the Ambrose and Ryan D-Day books?

Some thoughts, based on my memory of the books (it's been awhile).

Beevor's book is great IMO. Very good at capturing the big picture while mixing in stuff from more personal accounts. He gets very gritty at times and it can be quite chilling reading about events (such as the account of Omaha Beach). He doesn't stop at the beach heads being established like others, but covers more of the entire Normandy campaign. Larger in scope than the others.

Ryan is a classic. He knows how to tell a story you don't want to put down & a book anyone with interest in WWII should read. Basically gives you the 24 hours of "D-Day". Well researched and put together boots on the ground perspective. You're swept along as event unfold throughout the invasion. A classic, but still relevant.

Ambrose definitely knows how to tell a story. It's more of a soldiers eye view of things and often doesn't get across how some of the smaller actions discussed played into the bigger picture. A valuable collection of stories from those who were there. He's often criticized for not always having his facts right and just taking soldier accounts as is.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Some thoughts, based on my memory of the books (it's been awhile).

Beevor's book is great IMO. Very good at capturing the big picture while mixing in stuff from more personal accounts. He gets very gritty at times and it can be quite chilling reading about events (such as the account of Omaha Beach). He doesn't stop at the beach heads being established like others, but covers more of the entire Normandy campaign. Larger in scope than the others.

Ryan is a classic. He knows how to tell a story you don't want to put down & a book anyone with interest in WWII should read. Basically gives you the 24 hours of "D-Day". Well researched and put together boots on the ground perspective. You're swept along as event unfold throughout the invasion. A classic, but still relevant.

Ambrose definitely knows how to tell a story. It's more of a soldiers eye view of things and often doesn't get across how some of the smaller actions discussed played into the bigger picture. A valuable collection of stories from those who were there. He's often criticized for not always having his facts right and just taking soldier accounts as is.

Thanks. I should have said that I read both Ryan and Ambrose--last year, in fact, for the D-Day anniversary--and found them quite engrossing. Sounds like Beevor is definitely worth a read as well.

[fum]

Beevor's Berlin book is also worth a read. (A little time after D-Day though)

[rkomar]

John Keegan wrote "Six Armies in Normandy". He covers the English and Scots for your British flavour, as well as the Americans, Canadians, Poles, French and Germans.

There's a Canadian graphic novel called "Two Generals" by Scott Chantler. It's not about the British, but is an easy and entertaining read. The fighting between the Canadians and the Hitlerjugend and other SS divisions was particularly vicious, with both sides becoming determined to exterminate the other rather than just gain victory.

[LovesMacs]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Wondering if anyone has read and can recommend...
The Juno Beach Trilogy: First Canadian Army and the Normandy Campaign, June 6th - August 21, 1944 by Mark Zuehlke

I haven't yet read any books by Zuehlke but I'm seriously thinking of reading one of the component books of the trilogy, Juno Beach: Canada's D-Day Victory - June 6, 1944. I should probably have picked up the trilogy as it costs just a little more than the individual book, $13.99 vs. $9.99 in the US, $15.24 vs. $9.99 in Canada.

There are some anti-Ambrose reviews on Amazon, alleging that his books have a bias that portrays the non-American Allied forces as incompetent. Do any of you notice such a bias? I've never read any of Ambrose's WWII books.

Incidentally I've been to both Juno and Sword Beaches years ago (not as a combatant), and talk of the anniversary does bring back memories.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by LovesMacs

There are some anti-Ambrose reviews on Amazon, alleging that his books have a bias that portrays the non-American Allied forces as incompetent. Do any of you notice such a bias? I've never read any of Ambrose's WWII books.

There are a number of reports about Ambrose that make me hesitate. He's been accused of plagiarism and a number of other issues. The only book of his that I've read is the Lewis and Clark book Undaunted Courage which I throughly enjoyed. Reading some of the reports on his WWII books makes me very wary.

[AnemicOak]

Ambrose knew how to put together a 'can't put down' kind of read, but sometimes his "facts" are questionable. Some say it's him taking veteran accounts and lending them 100% accuracy instead of following through and verifying the facts. I don't think I've read a history book yet where everyone agreed the facts were all completely accurate and somebody didn't dispute something or other so I don't know. Some others say it's people jealous of his success/notoriety. I'd guess it's probably somewhere in the middle, a little bit of both?

As for the plagiarism I've heard/read about it too and the Wikipedia entry on the subject sums up what I recall pretty well...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen...sm_controversy

On the same wiki page you can see he was pretty roundly blasted for his book "Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863–1869" too and read about the Eisenhower controversy as well.

I've read and liked 'Band of Brothers', 'Pegasus Bridge', 'D-Day' & 'Citizen Soldiers' and also own a few others, but I read them all years ago and honestly can't say if I like them more in memory than I did at the time and can't really state to their accuracy.

Originally Posted by fum

Beevor's Berlin book is also worth a read. (A little time after D-Day though)

Thanks. I've heard good things about all of his books. A friend keeps bugging me to read his Stalingrad book, but I haven't yet.

[corroonb]

Amazon UK have 20 D-Day related history books as today's Kindle Daily Deal.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=s9_hps...d_i=1000577623