Invasion! Theyre Coming!: The German Account of the D-Day Landings and the 80 Days Battle for France (Schiffer Military History) [Hardcover]

Paul Carell (Author), David Johnston (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Schiffer Military History | Publication Date: September 1, 1994

On the 50th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy: a revised and updated edition of Paul Carell's great classic.June 6, 1944 - D-Day. The day when, after years of preparation, Germany's opponents in the west - the USA and England - began the sec

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.; Revised edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887407161
• ISBN-13: 978-0887407161
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #415,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding work on the German side of D-Day & the breakout., March 13, 2000

By 

"jim278" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Invasion! Theyre Coming!: The German Account of the D-Day Landings and the 80 Days Battle for France (Schiffer Military History) (Hardcover)

Invasion, covers the German side of the Normandy invasion from D-Day to the eventual breakout. I found the book highly readable and very informative. Paul Carell has done a great job of taking the reader into the invasion day bunkers, where terrified grenadiers man their machineguns to the last bullet to Hitler's insulated headquarters where decisions are made that ultimately doom any chance for a successful defense.

Carell shows the incredible effect allied airpower has on the battle at all times. Most devasting, was probably the allied counter-espionage campaign, that had Hitler's HQ convinced that Normandy was merely a feint, the real invasion coming at Pas de Calais.

Numerous smaller combat actions show the incredible capabilities of the German Army, even at this stage of the war. I would agree with a previous review that the maps can be a bit confusing. Overall, for anyone really interested in knowing the full story of the Normandy campaign, I think this book is a "must have", definitely one of my all time favorites.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And now, for something completely different..., November 17, 2000

By 

George G. Kiefer (Sevierville, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Invasion! Theyre Coming!: The German Account of the D-Day Landings and the 80 Days Battle for France (Schiffer Military History) (Hardcover)

A look at D-Day and the battle for Normandy from the German perspective. How did those manning the Atlantic Wall feel looking out upon a fleet the size the world has never seen before or since? Wave upon wave of bombers pounded them and then the unnerving of the naval shelling. Their remembrances, conversations and fear put you there amongst the din and dust with them. Enough lived through it to make the outcome doubtful.

When was Marcks convinced that this was no diversion but the real invasion? And why did his words fall on deaf ears. Where was Rommel and von Rundstedt and why? There were three German tank divisions within striking distance of the coast and yet they remained in place. One Reg. sat with engines running, within 30 kilometers of the coast. Why did they not receive the orders to advance until it was too late? There was more than Hitler's madness at play, much more. As one reviewer previously noted, some of the maps were less than excellent but Carell's work belongs on the shelf of anyone with more than a passing interest in Normandy and the breakout.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Stories of the Normandy Battlefield, August 24, 2009

By 

Dave Schranck "Dave" (Anaheim Ca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Invasion! Theyre Coming!: The German Account of the D-Day Landings and the 80 Days Battle for France (Schiffer Military History) (Hardcover)

Like Paul Carell's other books, this is an engaging, informative read with a German bias. Also like his other books, this is not a comprehensive, scholarly rendition but a selection of key events he wishes to share with his audience. While this is a very good read, I gave it four stars because its not as good as the author's "Hitler Moves East".

The first chapter, the largest in the book, tells of the German anxiety and anticipation of the Allied landing but with bad weather over the next few days the German command let their guard down. The different defense philosophies of Rommel and Rundstedt is discussed and the author seems to favor Rommel's plan of having his panzer divisions closer to the coast. The discussion also covers the fact that both Rundstedt, Hitler and the German command in France were completely fooled into believing the primary landing at Calais was imminent, that the landing in Normandy was a diversion.
There were many battles covered, though on different thoroughness. The first week of the invasion the engagements in front of Utah and Omaha Beaches as well as the capture of the Merville Battery were covered fairly well. Tilly and Bayeux were done well also but Operation Goodwod, Charnwood and Epsom were lightly gone over. The battle for the Contentin and Cherbourg had the greatest coverage while te Falaise Gap the next. Operation Cobra, Mortain were lightly mentioned but Operation Totalize was gone over more thoroughly. The story ends with the remnants of 7th Army and 5th PzA crossing the Seine after escaping Falaise.

Throughout the book the author stressed three main points. First and most important was that if Hitler had allowed the 15th Army, north of the Seine, redeploy to Normandy and allowed the panzer divisions that were in Normandy to move quicker to the landing that there was an excellent chance of defeating the Allies. If the forces at Omaha and Sword Beach were pushed into the sea, it would have been an easy task to destroy the remaining isolated beaches. The second point of empahsis is that air power of the Allies with artillery support were the two biggest causes for German defeat. And lastly the total lack of Luftwaffe support, especially in supporting the panzer columns, like Panzer Lehr when they were traveling long distances to reach Caen could have made a big difference for the Germans.
Coverage of Macouf, Azeville, Cherbourg, Osteck and St Mere Eglise in the west and Merville, Hill 112 and Operation Totalize in the east were especially welcomed events to read about, even though these were some of the toughest resistance points for the Allies.

There are a number of simple but helpful maps and photos to peruse as well as a Bibliography of primary and secondary sources to study. This is a decent book and for anyone interested in the German perspective should consider it.