Synopses & Reviews
The prizewinning historian and bestselling author of D-Day and Stalingrad reconstructs the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, in this riveting new account
On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his last gamble in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back.
The allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies. Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of German revenge. Panic spread even to Paris. While some American soldiers, overwhelmed by the German onslaught, fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance.
The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the Eastern Front. In fact the Ardennes became the Western Fronts counterpart to Stalingrad. There was terrible ferocity on both sides, driven by desperation and revenge, in which the normal rules of combat were breached. The Ardennesinvolving more than a million menwould prove to be the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht.
In this deeply researched work, with striking insights into the major players on both sides, Antony Beevor gives us the definitive account of the Ardennes offensive which was to become the greatest battle of World War II.
Synopsis
The #1 internationally bestselling history of D-Day is now enhanced with rare video footage from the NBC News Archives for the ultimate narrative of the battle for Normandy.
The definitive account of the Normandy invasion by the bestselling author of Stalingrad and The Fall of Berlin 1945
From critically acclaimed world historian, Antony Beevor, this is the first major account in more than twenty years to cover the whole invasion from June 6, 1944, right up to the liberation of Paris on August 25. It is the first book to describe not only the experiences of the American, British, Canadian, and German soldiers, but also the terrible suffering of the French caught up in the fighting. More French civilians were killed by Allied bombing and shelling than British civilians were by the Luftwaffe.
The Allied fleet attempted by far the largest amphibious assault ever, and what followed was a battle as savage as anything seen on the Eastern Front. Casualties mounted on both sides, as did the tensions between the principal commanders. Even the joys of liberation had their darker side. The war in northern France marked not just a generation, but the whole of the postwar world, profoundly influencing relations between America and Europe. Beevor draws upon his research in more than thirty archives in six countries, going back to original accounts, interviews conducted by combat historians just after the action, and many diaries and letters donated to museums and archives in recent years.
D-Day will surely be hailed as the consummate account of the Normandy invasion and the ferocious offensive that led to the liberation of Paris.
Synopsis
From critically acclaimed world historian Beevor comes the first major account in more than 20 years to cover the whole Normandy invasion, from June 6, 1944, right up to the liberation of Paris on August 25 of the same year. b&w photo insert; 17 maps.
Synopsis
The #1 internationally bestselling history of D-Day is now enhanced with rare video footage from the NBC News Archives for the ultimate narrative of the battle for Normandy.
"Glorious, horrifying...D-Day is a vibrant work of history that honors the sacrifice of tens of thousands of men and women."and#151;Time
Fans of Ben Macintyre's Double Cross will love this history by Antony Beevor and#151;the man who "single-handedly transformed the reputation of military history" (The Guardian)and#151;presents the first major account of the Normandy invasion and the liberation of Paris in more than twenty years. D-Day: The Battle for Normandy is the first book to describe not only the experiences of the American, British, Canadian, and German soldiers, but also the terrible suffering of the French civilians caught up in the fighting. Beevor draws upon research in more than thirty archives in six countries, going back to original accounts and interviews to produce the consummate account of the invasion and the ferocious offensive that led to Paris's liberation.
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Synopsis
The #1 internationally bestselling history of D-Day is now enhanced with rare video footage from the NBC News Archives for the ultimate narrative of the battle for Normandy.
andquot;Glorious, horrifying...D-Day is a vibrant work of history that honors the sacrifice of tens of thousands of men and women.andquot;andmdash;Time
Fans of Ben Macintyre's Double Cross will love this history by Antony Beevor andmdash;the man who andquot;single-handedly transgormed the reputation of military historyandquot; (The Guardianandmdash;presents the first major account of the Normandy invasion and the liberation of Paris in more than twenty years. D-Day: The Battle for Normandy is the first book to describe not only the experiences of the American, British, Canadian, and German soldiers, but also the terrible suffering of the French civilians caught up in the fighting. Beevor draws upon research in more than thirty archives in six countries, going back to original accounts and interviews to produce the consummate account of the invasion and the ferocious offensive that led to Paris's liberation.
Synopsis
Unabridged CDs ? 14 CDs, 18 hours The definitive account of the Normandy invasion by the bestselling author of Stalingrad and The Fall of Berlin 1945.
Synopsis
The Penguin History of Europe series reaches the twentieth century with acclaimed scholar Ian Kershawand#8217;s long-anticipated analysis of the pivotal years of World War I and World War II and#160;
The European catastrophe, the long continuous period from 1914 to1949, was unprecedented in human historyand#151;an extraordinarily dramatic, often traumatic, and endlessly fascinating period of upheaval and transformation. This new volume in the Penguin History of Europe series offers comprehensive coverage of this tumultuous era. Beginning with the outbreak of World War I through the rise of Hitler and the aftermath of the Second World War, award-winning British historian Ian Kershaw combines his characteristic original scholarship and gripping prose as he profiles the key decision makers and the violent shocks of war as they affected the entire European continent and radically altered the course of European history. Kershaw identifies four major causes for this catastrophe: an explosion of ethnic-racist nationalism, bitter and irreconcilable demands for territorial revisionism, acute class conflict given concrete focus through the Bolshevik Revolution, and a protracted crisis of capitalism.
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Incisive, brilliantly written, and filled with penetrating insights, To Hell and Back offers an indispensable study of a period in European history whose effects are still being felt today.and#160;
About the Author
Antony Beevor is the bestselling author of
D-Day: The Battle for Normandy, which received the Royal United Services Institute Westminster Medal
; The Battle for Spain, which received the La Vanguardia Prize;
Paris After the Liberation 19441949; Stalingrad, winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize, the Wolfson Prize for History, and the Hawthornden Prize for Literature; and
The Fall of Berlin 1945, which received the first Longman-History Today Trustees Award. He is the recipient of the 2014 Pritzker Military Museum and Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. Beevor lives in England.
Table of Contents
D-Day
List of Illustrations and Maps Glossary
1. The Decision
2. Bearing the Cross of Lorraine
3. Watch on the Channel
4. Sealing off the Invasion Area
5. The Airborne Assault
6. The Armada Crosses
7. Omaha
8. Utah and the Airborne
9. Gold and Juno
10. Sword
11. Securing the Beachheads
12. Failure at Caen
13. Villers-Bocage
14. The Americans on the Cotentin Peninsula
15. Operation Epsom
16. The Battle of the Bocage
17. Caen and the Hill of Calvary
18. The Final Battle for Saint-Lô
19. Operation Goodwood
20. The Plot Against Hitler
21. Operation Cobra - Breakthrough
22. Operation Cobra - Breakout
23. Brittany and Operation Bluecoat
24. The Mortain Counter-attack
25. Operation Totalize
26. The Hammer and Anvil
27. The Killing Ground of the Falaise Pocket
28. The Paris Uprising and the Race for the Seine
29. The Liberation of Paris
30. Aftermath
Acknowledgments
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index