book report: D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Beevor (2010)
Anthony Beevor has given us WW2 history geeks another well-researched gift in 
Cover of D-Day: The Battle for NormandyD-Day: The Battle for Normandy. A few years ago, before I started writing these book reports I had read his tome, Stalingrad: The Fateful Seige, which was a tremendous read. Beevor has no kind words for the British General Bernard Montgomery. He is embarrassed with Monty's lack of initiative and decisiveness. He is frustrated with the fear of the landing craft captains who released their tanks and men too far from the shore in the rough surf resulting in unnecessary losses and deaths. He admires the American generals and respectful of the German generals who tried repeatedly to make Hitler's fantasy battle plans come true, despite their better judgment. The German army was the better army on the ground in Normandy. They had better weaponry, better soldiers, and better tactics but the Allies had more. They had more men, more bullets, more tanks, and more support by the locals. The German army used conscripts from France and Poland and Russia and many other occupied countries who turned on their German impressors when given the opportunity. The locals would deny having any food to give to retreating Germans, but suddenly find plenty when the overrunning Allies came through. This resulted in a reprisal from SS troops in France, who returned to the farmhouse and killed the women who had not helped them.
Beevor does an excellent job of capturing the sights and smells in addition to the strategies and politicking. He is able to zoom in on one grunt's ground fight and then zoom out to the arguments among the politicians. I'm intrigued by Churchill's resistance to this invasion. Churchill preferred a continued upthrust North from Italy instead of an attack from the West into Berlin. Churchill presciently feared the consequences of Communist Russian troops occupying eastern Europe as they drove the Nazis back, but Roosevelt, foolishly, did not distrust Stalin.
This is the first book I've read on my Kindle from my local library, woot. My only complaints are that I was unable to zoom into the maps, I love map reading, and I was unable to find the pictures in the printed book.
Cover of D-Day: The Battle for NormandyD-Day: The Battle for Normandy. A few years ago, before I started writing these book reports I had read his tome, Stalingrad: The Fateful Seige, which was a tremendous read. Beevor has no kind words for the British General Bernard Montgomery. He is embarrassed with Monty's lack of initiative and decisiveness. He is frustrated with the fear of the landing craft captains who released their tanks and men too far from the shore in the rough surf resulting in unnecessary losses and deaths. He admires the American generals and respectful of the German generals who tried repeatedly to make Hitler's fantasy battle plans come true, despite their better judgment. The German army was the better army on the ground in Normandy. They had better weaponry, better soldiers, and better tactics but the Allies had more. They had more men, more bullets, more tanks, and more support by the locals. The German army used conscripts from France and Poland and Russia and many other occupied countries who turned on their German impressors when given the opportunity. The locals would deny having any food to give to retreating Germans, but suddenly find plenty when the overrunning Allies came through. This resulted in a reprisal from SS troops in France, who returned to the farmhouse and killed the women who had not helped them.Beevor does an excellent job of capturing the sights and smells in addition to the strategies and politicking. He is able to zoom in on one grunt's ground fight and then zoom out to the arguments among the politicians. I'm intrigued by Churchill's resistance to this invasion. Churchill preferred a continued upthrust North from Italy instead of an attack from the West into Berlin. Churchill presciently feared the consequences of Communist Russian troops occupying eastern Europe as they drove the Nazis back, but Roosevelt, foolishly, did not distrust Stalin.
This is the first book I've read on my Kindle from my local library, woot. My only complaints are that I was unable to zoom into the maps, I love map reading, and I was unable to find the pictures in the printed book.
Comments
Hi John ,
Here's a good video I found on YouTube about religion, you might like to view it and see what you think.
”God in my life”
I think it makes a lot of good common sense don't you?
From
Chris Hill
American youth: Young gifted and passionate about religion. ”Fiery lady”
.
i have several blogs on atheism if you look under the topic list on the right. i have atheist friends with whom i discuss faith and i'd be happy to with you as well.
God is good
jpu