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D-Day Through German Eyes: How the Wehrmacht Lost France
£8.70£9.50 (-8%)
Everyone is familiar with the story of D-Day and the triumphal liberation of France by the Allies: a barbaric enemy was defeated by Allied ingenuity, courage and overwhelming military force, helped by dreadful German command errors and the terrible state of Wehrmacht forces in the West – but is this all true? The Wehrmacht was hugely experienced, equipped with some of the best weaponry of the war and was holding its own in Italy and Russia at the time. Berlin knew the invasion was coming and had had years to prepare for it. So how did the Germans view the impending invasion and campaign, did they feel ready, what forces did they have and could they have done better? Previous histories have focused on the ‘clash of the generals’; the battle between von Runstedt and Eisenhower, Montgomery and Rommel, but on the German side in particular this was a battle that would be fought by divisional and regimental commanders; the ‘German D-Day colonels’ upon whom the real business of trying to defeat the invasion fell – it was they and their men, outnumbered and outgunned, who somehow held Normandy for ten whole weeks against the greatest seaborne invasion force ever assembled, and occasionally even came close to defeating it. In the end they lost, and the majority of these unsung leaders ended up killed, wounded or captured in the fighting. As for their men, they ranged from élite Waffen-SS stormtroopers through to bewildered teenagers, old men, ‘recycled’ invalids and even anti-communist Eastern legions. Written from the ‘other side’ and told through the words of the veterans, this book is a revelation.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Amberley Publishing (15 Oct. 2020) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 320 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1398103233 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1398103238 |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x 2.29 x 19.69 cm |
by JRDO
Fascinating study of a nation gripped in an insanity of misguided euphoria, until it kicked back at them!
by Amazon Customer
first class service thank you
by Amazon Customer
ordered t stayed large print it isnt
by gff25
A brilliant book, written from the perspective of the defending Germans
L
by Lester young
An informative existing book not dry text book I really enjoyed it
by gff25
This is an incredibly well researched and much-needed new perspective on the oft-told story of D Day and the Battle of Normandy. The author clearly achieves his stated purpose of allowing us to hear the voices of ordinary German soldiers facing the Allied onslaught. He has gathered together fascinating and often harrowing testimony of the conditions faced by the Wehrmacht in 1944, much of which I am sure will stay with me for a long time. He also offered fresh insights and new perspectives on a number of issues, and I personally learned a lot from its pages, despite having already read several other works on this period.
The only (mildly) negative comment I would make is that I would not recommend this as a first book for anyone interested in D Day to read, which I do not think was the author’s intention anyway. It does rely on you knowing something of the events described. (I would recommend Antony Beevor’s excellent book for that.) It would also greatly benefit from an enlarged second edition with more maps and better illustrations – probably ruled out by the publisher on cost grounds. I would have found it quite confusing to read, had I not had access to other reference works and a decent knowledge of that part of France. There are a few errors of syntax that also need to be ironed out, as with all works of this detail and length.
Overall, though, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in military history and who would like some of their preconceptions challenged. Personally, it inspired me to visit the German Military Cemetery near Mont St Michel during a recent holiday in France to pay my respects. A solemn reminder of the folly and stupidity of war, and the often unappreciated blessings of peace.
by Spence Of Luton
A very sobering read
by Dave of Telford
Having visited the d-day landing beaches and surrounding areas, this book sheds more light on what could of been.