D-Day: The Greatest Invasion - A People's History (Hardcover)

~ Dan van der Vat (Author), John S. D. Eisenhower (Author) "THE ANGLO-AMERICAN ALLIES disagreed fundamentally on strategy for defeating the Nazis..." (more)
Key Phrases: seaborne troops, inset right, invasion beaches, Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, Sword Beach (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This fluently written and lavishly illustrated volume on the Normandy invasion and campaign covers ground that will be familiar to many readers, but offers many details (such as the different weather requirements of different services) that some longer books slide over. It also shifts with ease from grand strategy to tactics, from individual memoirs (frequently accompanied by photographs of the narrators, looking incredibly young in June 1944) to logistics (including such aspects of that essential subject as the Mulberry artificial harbors). The author keeps his promise to tell a "warts and all" story of the campaign and also exhibits admirable balance among the Allies' contribution (the Canadians are honored ) and on such controversial questions as Field Marshal Montgomery's strategy and tactics. All this is done in few enough words to leave room for an exceptional array of graphic material, including highly readable maps, classic war paintings and abundant photographs, few of them overused. As an introduction by John S.D. Eisenhower puts it, the book "recognizes that the everyday solider really occupies center stage."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Van der Vat, an author of fine naval histories, grew up in Nazi-occupied Holland, which he alludes to in this abundantly illustrated survey of the operation that ultimately liberated him. His final words here--that the victory D-Day brought for millions like him "was freedom: the gift of life itself"--implicitly upbraid the prevalent attitude of indifference toward the stream of new World War II books. Although not a paean by any means, van der Vat's work borders its centerpiece--a narrative from the landings to the German rout at Falaise--with appreciation for the Allied soldiers, especially the Canadians (they liberated van der Vat's town). The German side of the equation is not slighted, however, contributing its element to what is a complete package, both in images (e.g., the Robert Capa landing photos) and explanations, of Normandy's carnage of nearly a half million dead and injured. Precise and balanced, van der Vat's text is an excellent introduction to D-Day, in anticipation of its sixtieth anniversary next year. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (November 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582343144
• ISBN-13: 978-1582343143
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #314,482 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars D-Day: The Greatest Invasion - A People's History, January 15, 2004

By	K. Davey "Ken Davey" (Hopewell, Jct., New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

American soldiers and sailors were threatened with court-marshal for taking diaries or cameras ashore on Normandy D-Day. Most of Robert Capa's June 6, 1944 photos shot at 8:30 A.M. on the Easy Red/Fox Green sectors of Omaha Beach were accidentally destroyed during developing. Fortunately, D-Day combat artist Dwight Shepler, USNR, captured many great scenes of the U.S. Naval Beach Battalions and LCI sailors in France. Author Dan van der Vat's D-Day: The Greatest Invasion - A People's History is a well written overview of Operation Overlord and ingeniously combines Shepler's invasion art, never-before-published photos and most important, first person accounts of American, British, Canadian, Free French and Polish Allied participants. I never knew my father, a beach battalion medical officer, but I do know many D-Day veterans. The Greatest Invasion is quite a tribute to "those who were there," and will surely become a bestseller at the National D-Day Memorial Foundation in Bedford, VA and the "new" National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A chronicle of men who gave everything they had, July 4, 2004

By	Charles Ashbacher "([e-mail])" (Marion, Iowa United States([e-mail])) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

The logistics of the allied invasion of Western Europe are incredible, even in retrospect. It involved hundreds of ships and planes, thousands of men and devices to kill men everywhere. The wonder is not that there was confusion, but that it went as well as it did. It is a tribute to the planners that it did succeed, for if it had not, it is nearly certain that Soviet Armies would have marched to the Rhine and perhaps even to the Normandy coast. The consequences of the Soviet armies dominating all of Europe after the war are enormous and communism could have emerged victorious in the cold war.
This book is a chronicle of the men who created the victory against extreme opposition. While some of the German units were not the highest caliber, all still put up a ferocious fight, and it was only the courage of the allied soldiers and their willing to shed their blood that made it happen. A combination of photos, pictures and text describe the invasion from the initial planning to the destruction of the German armies in the Falaise pocket. In many cases, before and after photos are paired to show how the region looked then and now.
Two days truly changed the course of World War II. The first is the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into the war and which guaranteed that the allies would not be defeated. The second is D-Day, which meant that Soviet influence would end somewhere in the middle of Europe rather than at the western border. This is a story of one of the greatest days in American history, where the course of world history for five decades was decided. We all owe so much to the men who hit those beaches and this book is a history lesson that should never, ever be forgotten.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative of The Politics, January 15, 2004

By A Customer

While it may not be the most detailed book on D-Day, it was very informative about the politics side of the invasion on both sides of the battle. It is definately more informative about the Canadian troops that helped in the invasion. This is stated at the beginning of the book also. Overall though, it is one of the best books on D-Day I have read.