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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
An outstanding narrative of one of the most crucial days in modern history. All good historical writing makes you feel like you're there, and Beevor weaves small, individual narratives together to create a patchwork quilt of the wider machinations and strategy behind Operation Overlord.
In D-Day: The Battle for Normandy, Antony Beevor does an excellent job not just coving arguably the most important campaign in the European theater during World War II, but also articulating what happens when peer competitors engage in major combat operations in the modern age. The detailed descriptions of the preparations for the campaign, as well as the battles themselves, were very well done, and the human interest tie-ins describing both the horror and glory of the fighting added to the narrative in a positive and enlightening manner. The thing I found most interesting and appreciable about the book was Beevor’s inadvertent descriptions of the Three-Block-War concept. The tenets of this concept, first expresses by Marine Corps Commandant General Charles Krulak in the late 1990s, explain how in modern warfare combatants on one block can be engaged in a full all out conventional fight, while one another block conducting peacekeeping operations, and on yet another block providing humanitarian aid. This type of full spectrum combat was experienced extensively in the Normandy campaign, and the valuable lesson for today’s warfighter is that even in the most conventional type of operations, militaries need to be prepared to execute what many think of as nonconventional operations in order to be successful and do their best to minimize human suffering and avoid needlessly prolonging a conflict.
While Beevor provides a comprehensive review of the Normandy campaign, I felt he could have done a better job tying the individual operations and battles together to provide a more wholistic understanding of the campaign and what drove decisions by leaders on both sides. Also, while Beevor talked about both the political and combat aspects of the campaign in depth, he hardly touch on the logistical aspects of the campaign, which can be agued proved to be the decisive factor in the allied victory. I still highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the Normandy invasion, but more importantly it should be read any political or military leader planning for a contingency that would involve major combat operations peer or near peer enemy.
While Beevor provides a comprehensive review of the Normandy campaign, I felt he could have done a better job tying the individual operations and battles together to provide a more wholistic understanding of the campaign and what drove decisions by leaders on both sides. Also, while Beevor talked about both the political and combat aspects of the campaign in depth, he hardly touch on the logistical aspects of the campaign, which can be agued proved to be the decisive factor in the allied victory. I still highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the Normandy invasion, but more importantly it should be read any political or military leader planning for a contingency that would involve major combat operations peer or near peer enemy.
It was fine. It's a good popular history of D-Day and the campaign that followed. Easily readable and digestible for the general audience. Well written and researched, I still found it to be a fairly dry book.
Excellently written book by an excellent author. Spends equal time on the British, Canadian, French, German and US forces but also involves the various political attitudes behind them all and how they interacted. Offers an unblinking look at the atrocities committed by both the Allies and the Germans during this campaign. At times hard to put down, and at times hard to read (due to the honest look at the atrocities). Everything a good history book should be in my opinion.
Renowned historian Antony Beevor’s D-Day The Battle For Normandy is an easy to read book written in populist style that should appeal to the first time reader or those that who have little knowledge on the subject. Copious footnotes, good maps and a very useful bibliography. The footnotes are not numbered, I wish they had been. 3 sections of plates. Obviously well researched.
My biggest complaint was that nearly half the book was not about D-Day nor the battle for Normany but covered events after the breakout. I also caught a few typos and the River Rance was at one point called the River Cance. My edition is the 70th anniversary edition and I would have thought that a few minor corrections would have been noted and corrected.
I found the criticism of the various commanders both Allied and Axis interesting. The effect on the Norman civilian population made very sad reading. The little covered (or cared about) treatment of civilian population is in my opinion not covered well enough in the vast majority of military history. The treatment of women accused of Collaboration Horizontale is an unfortunate stain on the French nation and I agreed with the authors comment that it was "jealousy masquerading as moral outrage" considering that vast majority of the populace really did little to hinder the invaders.
In the end a good read for me without reaching great heights.
My biggest complaint was that nearly half the book was not about D-Day nor the battle for Normany but covered events after the breakout. I also caught a few typos and the River Rance was at one point called the River Cance. My edition is the 70th anniversary edition and I would have thought that a few minor corrections would have been noted and corrected.
I found the criticism of the various commanders both Allied and Axis interesting. The effect on the Norman civilian population made very sad reading. The little covered (or cared about) treatment of civilian population is in my opinion not covered well enough in the vast majority of military history. The treatment of women accused of Collaboration Horizontale is an unfortunate stain on the French nation and I agreed with the authors comment that it was "jealousy masquerading as moral outrage" considering that vast majority of the populace really did little to hinder the invaders.
In the end a good read for me without reaching great heights.
Really good overview of D-Day. Very comprehensive, covering the activities of the US, British, Canadian, and even German forces during D-Day.
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Finished "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy" by Antony Beevor. Loaded with facts and perspectives from both the Germans and the Allies, this was an interesting overview of the period running up to D-Day all the way to the liberation of Paris. Spoiler: Hitler doesn't die in this one. (That's the year after.) I learned what a Bangalore Torpedo was. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qFtlnw1L_Y