Normandy ‘44: D-Day and the Battle for France - James Holland

D.Day and the seventy-six days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed have come to be seen as a defining episode of the Second World War. Its story has been endlessly retold in books, films, television series, documentaries and even comic books. It is entirely familiar and yet it remains a narrative burdened by both myth and assumed knowledge.

In this new history, James Holland presents a broader overview, one that challenges much of what we think we know about D-Day and the Normandy campaign. The sheer size and scale of the Allies’ war machine ultimately dominates the strategic, operational and tactical limitations of the German forces. Air power plays a more dominant role, and the mechanics and operational level of war on land, sea and in the air are laid bare. This was a brutal operation, and the shocking violence and carnage of the conflict are revealed in disturbing and unflinching detail. In terms of daily casualties, the numbers were worse than for any one battle during the First World War.

Drawing on unseen archives and testimonies from around the world, and introducing a cast of eye-witnesses that includes foot soldiers, tank men, fighter pilots and bomber crews, sailors, civilians, resistance fighters and those directing the action, Normandy ’44 is rich in fresh and revealing analysis while remaining firmly rooted in the real drama of men and women at war. It is an epic tale and this telling will profoundly recalibrate our understanding of its true place in the tide of human history.