Americans in Brittany 1944: The Battle for Brest [Hardcover]

Jonathan Gawne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2002

An in-depth illustrated history of the Campaign to liberate Brittany in World War two. For a few brief days in August 1944 the world turned its attention to this French province, the fighting in Brittany pitted some of the best American tank units under George Patton against General Ramcke's German paratroopers. The battle for Brittany was crucial to the logistical plans for the Allies' progress in Europe after the D-Day landings and deserves the attention it receives in this book. The author explains in detail the astonishing armoured thrusts of the 4th and 6th Armoured Divisions, as well as General Ernest's cavalry Task Force A, into Brittany. Their exploits represent some of the finest examples of armoured units rampaging behind enemy lines. Authentic: based on in-depth research into archives and interviews with veterans, never-before published material, period photographs, logistical tables, maps, uniform reconstructions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan Gawne is best known for his highly acclaimed book Spearheading D-Day; his father was an Infantry Company commander at Brest in 1944 and this has given him unprecedented access to the participants and their archives and memories.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Histoire & Collections (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2913903215
• ISBN-13: 978-2913903210
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #818,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Truely Forgotten Campaign Examined., September 30, 2002

By 

Gregory Canellis "Student of military history... (Tuckerton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Americans in Brittany 1944: The Battle for Brest (Hardcover)

Jonathan Gawne has followed up his successful _Spearheading D-Day_ with another of what could be categorized as the tables of organization, uniforms and equipment genre of military history. This time around, he presents the least appreciated backwater operation of the entire war in Europe: the Brittany campaign.Gawne's forte is unit organization, military hardware, and uniforms and equipment. His audience are the veterans of the Second World War, specifically, those that participated in the battles and campaigns of which he writes (Gawne's own father fought throughout the campsign as a company commander in the 28th Infantry, 8th Division). To a lesser extent, the author targets collectors and re-enactors. Author/Historians with experience in working with veterans will attest to their tendency to complain bitterly if their unit is slighted by not being mentioned in a text dealing with a campaign or battle in which they had participated. Gawne is well aware of this fact and has developed a reputation for going above and beyond the call to include every American unit from the obvious to the obscure (the 23rd Special Troop, a tactical deception unit that operated in Brittany, is a case in point). This style may have its advantages, however, like the writer of a good movie script whose drama gets buried in the myriad of special effects, _Americans in Brittany_ leaves one intoxicated with sensual overload.Nine of the book's fifteen chapters are devoted to individual armor, infantry, and ranger units plus a chapter on artillery. Each page (of only 160-pages total) attempts to cram photos, side bars of people, places, and other interesting tid-bits, computer generated maps, models displaying uniforms, and numerous tables of organizations, not to mention a text font so small it blurs even the sharpest of visions. The photos, however, are impressive (some in color), many of which are contributed by veterans and family members. Particularly noteworthy are the photos offered by the family of Hermann Bernard Ramcke, the German commander of Fortress Brest, which are seen here for the first time. It is here that Gawne displays his expertise in captioning, oftentimes pointing out minute details that could otherwise escape the untrained eye.Like the military units he dipicts, however, when too many columns vie for a limited amount of space, something has to give. In this case,it's Gawne's narrative. Gawne tries his best to chronical a campaign that possesses a multitude of intertwining themes that are ripe for the picking. All of the factors that make for good military history are contained within the Brittany Campaign. Some of these themes include: logistics, professional military education, the so-called "war of the generals," armor and cavalry doctrine, its uses and abuses, and a much neglected aspect, the role of French civilians and armed resistance in the American effort. Due to what I believe are strategies of the French publishers, Gawne was limited in scope and forced to gloss over many of these important concepts with a broad brush stroke. In addition, the absence of even a "selected" bibliography or endnotes hinders what otherwise could have been a great reference work.For those seeking a more scholarly treatment of this truly forgotten campaign, this book may leave some wanting. Yet, Gawne's labor of love has certainly reached his intended audience, the veterans and their families.I strongly recommend it for anyone truly interested in the war in the European Theater of Operations (ETO).

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent description of little-known Brittany Campaign., August 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Americans in Brittany 1944: The Battle for Brest (Hardcover)

When the Brittany Campaign took place in August of 1944,
it was big news: Patton had broken out of hedgerow country
and was making unbelievable progress into German-occupied France.

However, as the destroyed port of Brest became a lower priority
than the drive directly east toward Germany, this initial thrust
to the south and west of Normandy (yes, west; look at a map)
became somewhat forgotten and has been overlooked in
post-WW II histories.

Author Gawne has done a wonderful job of researching this
campaign and gathering previously unpublished photos and
personal recollections into a well-illustrated and very
readable account. My own father served through this
campaign with the 6th Armored Division, and I was very
happy to see an entire chapter devoted to this important
but relatively unpublicized unit. Gawne's own father (to whom the
book is dedicated) served in the 8th Infantry Division, yet
the author devotes equal, detailed attention to all units
without unduly focusing on the Division which must be of
most personal interest to him.

He even devotes time to the French (FFI) and German units
that the Americans faced, an aspect often overlooked in
war histories.

This book should find a place on the bookshelf of any
student of WW II in the E.T.O.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic presentation, February 13, 2003

By 

Anthony Cooper (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Americans in Brittany 1944: The Battle for Brest (Hardcover)

This oversize book is packed full of photos and sidebars, but it fully tells the history of the Brittany campaign. Gawne gets into the neat details of the story, but also recounts the grueling struggle for Brest as well. I was interested in this book because my grandfather fought in this campaign and I was surprised to learn that his battalion was at one time cut off behind enemy lines! The few stories he told were always war-lite. My main quibble with the book is that the maps don't have a scale on them, so it's hard to understand the scale of, say, the battle for hill 111. Great book with a great packaging.