Author and historian James Holland (https://www.griffonmerlin.com/) published the book Normandy '44: D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France in 2019. Mr. Holland has published more than a dozen non-fiction books as well as nine novels.

I categorize this book as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of violence. The book gives a detailed history of D-Day in 1944 and the ensuing battle for Normandy. This book begins with preparations for D-Day. If follows several individuals over the course of the battle. As you would expect the book includes the stories of Americans, British, and Canadians. In addition, there are tales of both French and Germans as well. Most of the personal accounts are of soldiers in combat, but it also includes the experience of a nurse too.

The book goes into the planning and training in preparation for D-Day. It also covers the logistics of supporting the invasion forces. It is long and filled with many details. That said it is also very readable. D-Day occurred more than 75 years ago, yet Holland makes reading history as exciting as a thriller.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 20+ hours I spent reading this 805-page WWII history. This is the second book of Holland’s that I have read. The other was Big Week: The Biggest Air Battle of World War II. I enjoyed them both and I look forward to reading some of his other works. In particular, I enjoyed reading some of Holland’s perspectives on the battle. I like the chosen cover art. I give this book a 5 out of 5.

A gripping, invigorating and enthralling account of arguably the most seminal battle ever fought in the history of mankind. Leaves one awe-struck, poignant and downright astonished. The world is forever, indebted to the courage and sacrifice of these indomitable men, or rather boys.

Fascinating insight into this amazing part in our history. It gave a great in-depth account of what went on. The book was fast paced and well written

I thought I knew a lot about D-Day. This book showed me I did not know diddlysquat. This outstanding novel takes you to the shores of France and puts you right in the middle of the action and the aftermath. I highly recommend this if you are a war and history buff. i plan on reading some more of James Holland.

This is the most in-depth book that I have ever read about D-Day. It actually reminds of some of the battles that I have read about from the Vietnam War. The author takes you through all of the different sides, American, British, Canadian, Scottish, and the Sherwood Rangers for one I had never heard or read about in the multiple books about D-Day that I have read. We have all heard of the paratroopers, I for one am a son of a WWII paratrooper from the 82nd 508, so got some more information about that. Really though you see how the German high command was hamstrung because of Hitler, and him not listening to Generals but just yes men. If they would have pulled their troops back out of range of naval guns they might have had a better chance. Also if Rommel or any of the others would have had command of the tanks but they sat for almost 24 hours as the attack was happening. As it was, the commander of the German force at Normandy did not think it was a full-scale attack so he did not report it for almost 12 hours after the paratroopers had landed and men were on the beach. You also get a look at the men at Normandy who most were either young or old with just a few veterans sparkled in here and there and those had just made it out of the Eastern front against Russia and were looking for rest and not another fight. You see the problems they had with the hedgerows and other problems but they would be worked out on the fly. One British commander sacked two of his tank commanders for not moving along. One of the biggest advantages the Allies had was supplies. Once beachheads were secured they began making supply depots and taking supplies from the beach to the front. A pipeline for fuel was lad across the channel which was another huge advantage along with the ability to fix tanks, not all of them were not out or destroyed. At night crews would go out bring the tanks back and most would be able to fight another day. The Germans could not do that. One of the biggest never written about was medical care. Most men that came in survived and some even went back out or would report back to their units later. Though the German high command was useless the ground troops fought and that is what would keep the battle going. Like the author stated it was infantry ground troops that won the war bit by bit and this book goes in detail the sacrifice they all made, weather ground, tank, or pilot. Very much worth the read.

THANK YOU NET GALLEY

With the 75 year anniversary you could think this was another tired retelling of tales but it is not. From the opening briefing with all the key players to the myth busting of who was better and better prepare this is a great account of heroes we have forgotten and heroes we hope to have when we need them again. (soon) Superior effort in every way.

I am so grateful to have been able to read this stunning book from James Holland. It's obviously well researched, yet reads like a novel. That is a credit to Mr Holland's ability to take cold hard facts, personal anecdotes from the players, and previously untapped sources, and collate them into a conversationally written history. I never felt lectured to, but I definitely feel educated. Normandy '44 belongs in every library, it's a stellar reference piece.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

This is one of the many new books out for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. This was just superb. The writing was tight. It dispelled many myths about D-Day and is worth a read even to someone that has read many WWII history books. Recommend highly!

This book provided so much information that I hadn't heard before! The author really put a lot of research and time into making sure that he wrote an informative book that also holds the interest of any reader, whether they are a history buff or just have a slight interest in history. I think that this book will be assigned reading for many classes that cover Normandy.

Really amazing book on D-Day. This author kept me engaged with how he laid out the facts and stories throughout the book. I recommend this book highly and cannot wait to get a finished copy!

This is one of many books being released this year on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The book was well written and researched. The author does a very good job of presenting what was happening on both sides of the invasion and aftermath. What I most enjoyed about the book was that he countered some frequent myths (the Germans had superior weaponry for one) and comfirmed others (Montgomery was a popous ass) along with the detail about the individuals fighting on both sides. The book itself is engaging and reads more like a novel that a dry recitation of history.

I recomend this book for those looking for an interesting read about D-Day and the events immediately after with a slightly different perspective than others.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my fiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook and Twitter pages.

This is a fascinating in-depth account of the D-Day landings on June 6th 1944 and the subsequent Allied breakout from Normandy which last throughout June, July and August - a total of 77 days in a bloody war of attrition which saw Allied daily casualties surpass those of some of the greatest battles of World War I.
In this eminently readable book, author James Holland uses diary entries and notes written by dozens of fighting men from American, British, Canadian, French and German armies. There's also the daily experience of the leader of one French resistance group and an Irish nurse working just behind the advancing Allied lines. Equally compelling are the stories of Allied airmen who flew countless missions in fighter bombers and heavy bombers to such devastating effect throughout this campaign.
The pace of the book is unrelenting as front line troops describe endless attacks and counter attacks which turned the breakthrough from the Normandy beaches into a bloody, hard fought slog. The attention to detail means the reader isn't spared many of the horrific scenes which followed these brutal encounters.
The story opens with senior military staff from Britain and the USA - joined by Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchil and King George VI - listening to a lecture by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, detailing the plans for D-Day and the targets to be captured in the days and weeks to follow.
There are "mindboggling" statistics as to the amount of men, weapons and supplies used by the Allies from D-Day onwards, including amazing innovations such as PLUTO (the undersea oil pipeline which traversed the English Channel) and the two massive "Mulberry" harbours which allowed massive amounts of trucks, tanks and other war material to be unloaded directly on to the beaches mere days after the initial landings.
The Allies slow advance was supported for weeks by shelling from US and Royal Navy's ships lying just off the French coast and large artillery batteries which almost continually pounded Wehrmacht positions until the last two or three weeks of the campaign when the remnants of Germany's army finally escaped from Normandy.
Despite the large numbers of killed and wounded suffered by both sides, Holland points to the effectiveness of the Allies "steel not flesh" strategy which did ensure their casualty lists were not higher. Words such as "grind", "ground down" and "chewed up" are liberally sprinkled throughout this story, describing the sometimes painfully slow advance through the winding roads, fields and hedgerows of the Normandy countryside, . We learn how both the Wehrmacht's raw recruits and battle hardened veterans were terrified by the demolition of men, trucks, guns and tanks by American Mustang fighter bombers and the RAF's deadly rocket-firing Typhoons which only let up when there was bad weather. Throughout the fighting, the Allies enjoyed almost complete air superiority - despite consistent promises from Hitler and the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW - the High Command of the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany throughout World War II) of Luftwaffe support. Hitler and OKW's repeated orders that their soldiers stand their ground added to the plight of the German military, handicapping major figures such as Field Marshall Erwin Rommel in conducting battles as they saw fit. That said, one has to wonder at the slavish devotion to Hitler given by experienced military men when it was obvious his orders would lead only to defeat..
Overall, Holland emphasises that the Allies won principally because, at that stage, they were better at fighting a war on every single level - planning, intelligence, logistics.
The book's final chapter is given over to what happened to the various people whose eyewitness accounts make this a must read for those interested in the history of the Second World War.
My thanks to the publishers, Grove Atlantic and to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.