An illustrated study of the little-known history of the failed Allied bombing campaign designed to shatter German defenses on D-Day.D-Day is one of the most written-about events in military history. One aspect of the invasion, however, continues to be ignored: the massive pre-assault bombardment by the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF), reinforced by RAF Bomber Command and the US Eighth Air Force on June 6 which sought to neutralize the German defenses along th...

An important rethinking of the Normandy war narrativeBeyond the Beach examines the Allied air war against France in 1944. During this period, General Dwight David Eisenhower, as Supreme Allied Commander, took control of all American, British, and Canadian air units and employed them for tactical and operational purposes over France rather than as a strategic force to attack targets deep in Germany. Using bombers as his long-range artillery, he directed the destruction of b...

As the Western Allies advanced across France and Belgium to the German border and into Germany, they fought numerous regimental and division-size engagements. This book details seven actions by units of the US Third and Seventh Armies during 1944-45. Detailed is the assault on Fort Driant in September 1944, by the 11th Infantry Regiment; 80th Division's Moselle River bridgehead; operations in a French village by the 114th Infantry Regiment; 70th Division's historic action at Wingen-sur-Mod...

In any military operation throughout history, few 24-hour periods have been as crucial as that of 6th June 1944. With the aid of specially commissioned maps, D-Day: The First 24 Hours series gives the dramatic history of the first 24 hours of the Normandy landings, and explains in detail the events that occurred in each landing zone. In this second volume of the series, the book describes the airborne landings by paratroopers and glider troops that secured the flanks of the Allied beachhea...

A highly illustrated and detailed study of the Omaha Beach landings.The D-Day landings of 6 June 1944 were the largest amphibious military operation ever mounted. The greatest armada the world had ever seen was assembled to transport the Allied invasion force across the Channel and open the long-awaited second front against Hitler's Third Reich. Of the landings on the five assault beaches, Omaha Beach was the only one ever in doubtWithin moments of the firs...

A traveler's guide to the history of the D-Day landings and points of interest around Omaha Beach in Normandy, featuring planned walking tours.As the left most inland flank of the D-Day landings, Sword Beach was thought most likely to receive the first German counterattacks. The British troops selected for the assault had the tasks of securing the beach and advancing on the heavily defended medieval town of Caen. The troops also were determined to link up with Briti...

In any military operation throughout history, few 24-hour periods have been as crucial as that of 6th June 1944. With the aid of specially commissioned maps, D-Day: The First 24 Hours series gives the dramatic history of the first 24 hours of the Normandy landings, and explains in detail the events that occurred in each landing zone. In this third volume of the series, the book describes the American landings on Omaha and Utah beaches. The fighting on Omaha was some of the most desperate f...

In any military operation throughout history, few 24-hour periods have been as crucial as that of 6th June 1944. With the aid of specially commissioned maps, D-Day: The First 24 Hours series gives the dramatic history of the first 24 hours of the Normandy landings, and explains in detail the events that occurred in each landing zone. In this first volume of the series, the book describes the build-up to the landings themselves, the German preparations for defending the French coastline, an...

'A devastating new account..Holland knows his stuff when it comes to military matters' Daily Mail, Book of the Week'A superb account of the invasion that deserves immense praise. To convey the human drama of Normandy requires great knowledge and sensitivity. Holland has both in spades' The Times________________Renowned World War Two historian James Holland presents an entirely new perspective on one ...

This "outstanding memoir" of a WWII soldier's experience at Normandy gives "a fuller picture of what the 82nd [Airborne] accomplished on D-Day" ( WWII History).In the dark early hours of D-Day, nearly every airborne unit missed its drop zone, creating a kaleidoscope of small-unit combat. Fortunately for the Allies, the 505th Regimental Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division hit near its drop zone. Its task was to seize the vital crossroads of Sainte Mèr...

In February 1942, three of the major ships of the German surface fleet – the battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen – stormed out of the harbour at Brest on a dramatic voyage back to Germany. Passing through the straights of Dover, the ships faced everything the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy could throw at them. In a dramatic running fight, the ships managed to sail right under the nose of history's greatest maritime nation to reach the safety of ...

Take a trip back in time to the chaos and destruction of the greatest invasion in military history, viewed through the lens of Canadian paratroopers. Men of Steel is the exciting story of some of Canada's toughest and most daring soldiers in the Second World War.In the dead of night, on 5/6 June 1944, hundreds of elite Canadian paratroopers hurled themselves from aircraft behind enemy lines. That daring act set the stage for the eventual success of the Allied invasion flee...