Synopses & Reviews
"I hope to God I know what Im doing."
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the night before D-Day
"Do you realize that by the time you wake up in the morning, 20,000 men may have been killed?"
Winston Churchill, to his wife, the night before D-Day
It was the most massive, complex, and spectacular amphibious assault ever attempted, the long-awaited turning point in the bloodiest and most savage war in history. But when 7,000 ships, 11,000 aircraft, and 150,000 troops converged on the coast of Normandy on 6 June 1944, the outcome of the attack, code-named "Operation Overlord," was far from certain.
In D-Day, one of the foremost historians of the twentieth century provides an incisive and dramatic account of the strategic planning, in-fighting, invention, deception, and hard labor that led up to that momentous day. Through vivid, firsthand accounts of the battle, Martin Gilbert also captures the horror and heroism of D-Day, from daring paratroop attacks behind enemy lines to grim determination under withering fire on the beachheads.
Tracing the genesis of D-Day to the early days after Dunkirk, Gilbert recounts how the results of numerous commando raidssome successful, others disastrousshaped the Allies planning for a full-scale assault. He reveals Churchills hands-on involvement in both strategic and tactical planning, and explains why the invasion was delayed for more than two years after Americas entry into the war.
Gilbert offers a wealth of new and detailed information on the Allies use of double agents and phantom armies to fool Hitler and his generals into believing that the Normandy invasion was a mere diversion in preparation for a larger assault elsewhere. He also reveals how British codebreakers provided Allied commanders with astonishingly accurate information on German troop movements, defense strategies, and command decisions.
D-Day introduces hundreds of extraordinary people whose confidence, ingenuity, and courage were crucial to the success of "Overlord." Youll meet the American air commander who calmly assured Churchill that there would be no German planes over the Normandy beachheads, the bulldozer operator who took out a German bunker with sand, and the general who calmly strode the beach, cane in hand, personally leading his men over a seawall to safety.
Complete with twenty-seven maps prepared especially for this book, D-Day offers a fascinating, moving, and inspiring account that sheds new light on one of the greatest achievements in military history.
Review
“…a stunningly impressive account…Gilbert is masterly…” (
The Scotsman, 5
th June 2004)
“…an incisive and dramatic account…” (Bolton Evening News, 5th June 2004)
“…a commendably concise, but compelling.” (Western Daily Press, 5th June 2004)
“…a worthwhile primer…” (Daily Telegraph, 29 May 2004)
“…an introduction for those who know nothing of the subject.” (The Independent, 4 June 2004)
“…a stunningly impressive account.” (Eastern Daily Press, 29 May 2004)
“Good, short, excellent…. If you want just one D-Day book, this should be it.” (The Spectator, 29 May 2004)
“… a lucid overview…” (FT Magazine, 29 May 2004)
“The finest short overview of Operation Overlord …. Gilbert is masterly.” (Evening Standard, 24th May 2004)
An anatomy of the planning and execution of the invasion, this book is written by someone so intimate with his subject that it often feels like he's speaking to a rapt audience of students on the Normandy beaches.
There are no photographs in Gilbert's book, but there are 27 superb maps. They give a complete picture of the invasion preparation and execution.
Endearing, too, is the book's size. A mere 5 1/2 -by-8 inches, it seems ideal for tucking into a day-pack for tours of Normandy's history-laden beaches. (USA Today, June 3, 2004)
“Gilbert is good on the years of planning and on the deception [of the Germans].” (Observer, 9 May 2004)
Churchill biographer Gilbert was knighted in 1995 for his service to Britain as a historian and the author or editor of over 70 books, including his six-volume Churchill biography and 11 volumes of Churchill documents. His one-volume account is part of Wiley's Turningpoints series, "[p]reeminent writers offering fresh, personal perspectives on the defining events of our times." While Gilbert's perspective doesn't feel quite personal, it is suitably accessible and digests a great deal of information sensibly. 28 maps. (Publishers Weekly, April 12th, 2004)
Synopsis
"The Allied landings in 1944 had all the prospects for disaster. Churchill thought he would be woken up to be told of massive casualties. Eisenhower prepared a somber broadcast announcing that the enterprise had failed.
The specter of failure was always present. After a failed landing the Nazi regime would have regained the ascendant. New, terrifying bombs and rockets were ready to be launched. Long-distance submarines were in the final stage of development. The last million Jews of Europe were listed for deportation and death.
Failure at Normandy could have given Hitler the chance of continuing to rule western Europe, particularly if the United States, bloodied and defeated in Normandy, had decidedafter two and a half years of focusing on Europeto turn all its energies to the ever-growing demands of the Pacific, leaving Europe to its own devices. Had that happened, I doubt if I would have been alive to write this book, or free to express my opinions without fear of arrest."
Martin Gilbert
Synopsis
"The Allied landings in 1944 had all the prospects for disaster. Churchill thought he would be woken up to be told of massive casualties. Eisenhower prepared a somber broadcast announcing that the enterprise had failed.
The specter of failure was always present. After a failed landing the Nazi regime would have regained the ascendant. New, terrifying bombs and rockets were ready to be launched. Long-distance submarines were in the final stage of development. The last million Jews of Europe were listed for deportation and death.
Failure at Normandy could have given Hitler the chance of continuing to rule western Europe, particularly if the United States, bloodied and defeated in Normandy, had decided-after two and a half years of focusing on Europe-to turn all its energies to the ever-growing demands of the Pacific, leaving Europe to its own devices. Had that happened, I doubt if I would have been alive to write this book, or free to express my opinions without fear of arrest."
--Martin Gilbert
About the Author
MARTIN GILBERT, one of the leading historians of the twentieth century, is the author of more than seventy books, including the official biography of Winston Churchill, a definitive history of the Holocaust, and comprehensive studies of both World War I and World War II. Among his recent titles are In Search of Churchill and Jerusalem in the Twentieth Century, both available from Wiley.
Table of Contents
Preface.
Acknowledgements.
List of Maps.
1. The Genesis of a Plan.
2. Adversaries and Allies.
3. Towards Overlord.
4. Preparations Intensify.
5. Planning and Deception.
6. The Mounting Costs.
7. The Month of May.
8. The First Five Days of June.
9. D-Day: From Midnight to Dawn.
10. D-Day: Fighting on Land, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
11. Establishing the Beachhead.
12. Beyond the Point of No Return.
Maps.
Bibliography of Works Consulted.
Index.