BOOKS: D-Day

D-Day, the beginning of the Allied invasion of Europe, the assembling of the largest fleet ever put to sea, the battle for Omaha Beach, the struggle and carnage and the inch by inch victory. It’s a momentous historical event that has been written about many times. Can anything new be said? Well if you restrict most of the central account to Omaha Beach say the first 25 pages of a 600 page book and then concentrate on the Battle of Normandy. This is what makes Anthony Bevoor’s book, “D-Day Battle of Normandy” different from other accounts. He tells the reader the essential bloody chaotic account of Omaha, but then goes further much further beyond the beachhead, covering the brutal struggle for Normandy unlike any other I have read. In terms of savagery the fighting for Normandy was on par with the Eastern front and other theaters in the war. The Allies faced insurmountable terrain, a formidable enemy with superior equipment and the "military prima-donnaship," of their own generals, notably Patton and Montgomery. Bevoor also details the tragedy of the French population caught in the middle. The most famous example is Caen, which was bombed into submission with much loss of civilian life. Bevoor has called it a “war crime.” Perhaps? But many think Bevoor’s was grandstanding to sell books. This is an interesting and well written book, however it does not reveal much new information. So why read it, especially if you are a seasoned veteran of D-Day accounts? Because it looks at D Day from a slightly different perspective, combined with Hasting’s account and Ambrose, it gives the reader a better understanding of a complex and monumental event. Bevoor’s is easily one of the most accessible accounts due largely in part to his clear writing and also because the maps used through out are tightly correlated to the text. Recommended.