The Telegraph - The D Day Landings (Paperback)
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Pages: 309
ISBN: 9781526764164
Published: 5th June 2019
+£4 UK Delivery or free UK delivery if order is over £30
(click here for international delivery rates)
Need a currency converter? Check XE.com for live rates
Order within the next 6 hours, 29 minutes to get your order processed the next working day!
Seventy-five years have passed since that most mighty of armadas embarked across the English Channel. With hindsight, we know that Operation OVERLORD was a resounding triumph but, at the time, the risks and stakes were immense and the outcome far from a foregone conclusion. Set against the invading force was not only a ruthless enemy in formidable defensive positions but the uncertainties of the elements.
As Bill Deedes points out in his Foreword, it was the ‘ordinary man’ who turned this great undertaking into a reality and Philip Warner’s The D Day Landings reflects this by being a rich collection of personal accounts by just such individuals. We hear the experiences of RAF pilots who dropped the parachutists and towed the gliders; of sailors of the Royal Navy who had to negotiate minefields and other obstacles; and of a wide spectrum of soldiers. Some such as infantry, tank crews, gunners and sappers came face-to-face with the enemy while others, for example doctors and chaplains, provided vital support. Hostile fire does not distinguish between those roles any more than it does between high and junior rank. It is a fascinating privilege to share these widely diverse individuals’ experiences and emotions at such a defining moment both in their lives and in the history of the world.
Today no matter how hard we try, we cannot really know what was really going on through the minds of those thousands of men who so selflessly stepped into the unknown in the pursuit of freedom. But we are unlikely to come closer than by reading this evocative book so sympathetically compiled by a man who knew the fortunes of war better than most. Each section is introduced by clear explanation of the action concerned and the text is enhanced by maps and photographs.
I absolutely loved this book, and highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in this most momentous day. In one word: brilliant!
A Question Of Scale, Seb Palmer
Read the full review here
It is very much a coffee table book that you can pick up and put down at will, without losing the thread. Some of the stories are very short whereas some are long and detailed. They are a capture of living history and I enjoyed the opportunity to live the moment through the eyes of those who were there. I remain in awe of those people, what they did was incredible (although they do not see it that way,) and I am very grateful for it.
Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)
Read the full review here
This book tells the story in depth and captures the attitudes and hopes of people who were there. It also very effectively captures the epic nature of D-Day, a battle on a scale never before attempted.
Firetrench
Read the full review here
What most certainly IS special, is reading what all those people interviewed actually experienced on that historic night and morning of June 6th, 1944, when the Allies decided to start to take back what Hitler took from the people of Europe; their freedom... Highly recommended reading, especially now that it is 75 years ago and the last of the veterans are sadly leaving us, never to be forgotten !
Flyin' and Ridin' Blog, Francois A. Dumas
Read the full review here
The words provided by those involved, vary in length and detail, but each of their contributions are worth taking the time to read, such as those of Lance Corporal PG Barton, who landed on Juno Beach with a bang due to the landing craft hitting a mine, which made for a rotten start to his day.
Armorama ,July 2019
See the full review here
About Philip Warner
Pen and Sword Books
About Us | Contact Us | Delivery Information | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Affiliates | Terms and Conditions | Backlist | Mailing List
© Pen and Sword Books Limited 2019. Registered in England No. 2527258.
Registered Office: 47 Church Street, Barnsley, S70 2AS.