Decision In Normandy

The strategy and planning behind D-Day: “The best-researched, best-written account [of the Normandy Campaign] I have ever read.”—The New York Times Book Review One of the most controversial and dangerous military operations in the history of modern warfare, the battle for Normandy took over two years of planning by each country that made up the Allied forces. The event is mired to this day in myth and misconception, and untangling the web of work that led to D-Day is nearly as daunting as the work that led to the day itself. Drawing from declassified documents, personal interviews, diaries, and more, Carlo D’Este, a winner of the Pritzker Award, uncovers what really happened in Normandy. From what went right to what went wrong, D’Este takes readers on a journey from the very first moment Prime Minister Churchill considered an invasion through France to the last battles of World War II. With photos, maps, and first-hand accounts, readers can trace the incredible road to victory and the intricate battles in between. A comprehensive look into the military strategy surrounding the Second World War, Decision in Normandy is an absolute essential for history buffs. “A fresh perspective on the leadership of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and the Allied landings after D-Day.”—Publishers Weekly “Again and again he reveals new facets of familiar subjects—in part from his own dual American army and British academic background; in part by querying everyone and everything.”—Kirkus Reviews

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. Carlo D'Este's acclaimed book gives the fullest possible account of the conception and execution of Montgomery's plan, with all its problems and complexities. It 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.

Fatal Decision is a powerful, dramatic, moving, and ultimately definitive narrative of one of the most desperate campaigns of World War II. In the winter of 1943-44, Anzio, a small Mediterranean resort and port some thirty-five miles south of Rome, played a crucial role in the fortunes of World War II as the target of an amphibious Allied landing. The Allies planned to bypass the strong German defenses along the Gustav Line and at Monte Cassino sixty miles to the southeast, which were holding up the American and British armies and preventing the liberation of Rome. By taking advantage of Allied command of the sea and air to effect complete surprise, infantry and armored forces landing at Anzio on January 22 were expected to secure the beachhead and then push inland to cut off the two main highways and railroads supplying the German forces to the south, either trapping and annihilating the German armies or forcing them to withdraw to the north, thus opening the way to Rome. But the reality of one of the most desperate campaigns of World War II was bad management, external meddling, poorly relayed orders, and uncertain leadership. The Anzio beachhead became a death trap, with Allied troops forced to fight for their lives for four dreadful months. The eventual victory in May 1944 was muted, bitter, and overshadowed by the Allied landings in Normandy on June 6. Mixing flawless research, drama, and combat with a brilliant narrative voice, Fatal Decision is one of the best histories ever written of a World War II military campaign.

A military intelligence expert examines the most formative battle of World War II. The Battle of Normandy was the greatest offensive campaign the world had ever seen. Millions of soldiers battling for control of Europe were thrust onto the front lines of a massive war unlike any experienced in history. But the greatest of clashes would prove to be the crucible in which the outcome of World War II would be decided. Author John Prados tells the story of how and why the tactics and battle plans of Normandy proved so formative, and reconstructs the climactic Allied Normandy breakout from both sides of the battle lines.

The unparalleled, classic work of history that recreates the battle that changed World War II—the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Longest Day is Cornelius Ryan’s unsurpassed account of D-Day, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. In this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, Ryan painstakingly recreates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany. This book, first published in 1959, is a must for anyone who loves history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand how free nations prevailed at a time when darkness enshrouded the earth.

Adapted for young readers from the #1 New York Times–bestselling The Guns at Last Light, D-Day captures the events and the spirit of that day—June 6, 1944—the day that led to the liberation of western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. They came by sea and by sky to reclaim freedom from the occupying Germans, turning the tide of World War II. Atkinson skillfully guides his younger audience through the events leading up to, and of, the momentous day in this photo-illustrated adaptation. Perfect for history buffs and newcomers to the topic alike! This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.

An outstanding military history that offers a dramatic new perspective on the Allied campaign that began with the invasion of the D-Day beaches.