Normandy ‘44

Oct 3, 2024 11:33 AM

Author:James Holland

Normandy ‘44

'A devastating new account..Holland knows his stuff when it comes to military matters' Daily Mail, Book of the Week

'A superb account of the invasion that deserves immense praise. To convey the human drama of Normandy requires great knowledge and sensitivity. Holland has both in spades' The Times

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Renowned World War Two historian James Holland presents an entirely new perspective on one of the most important moments in recent history, unflinchingly examining the brutality and violence that characterised the campaign.

D-Day and the 76 days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed have come to be seen as a defining episode in the Second World War. Its story has been endlessly retold, and yet it remains a narrative burdened by both myth and assumed knowledge.

In this reexamined 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.

Drawing on unseen archives and testimonies from around the world and introducing a cast of eye-witnesses including foot soldiers, tank men, fighter pilots and more, James Holland's epic telling profoundly recalibrates our understanding of its true place in the tide of human history.

The new, sweeping World War II book from James Holland, THE SAVAGE STORM, is available now.

Reviews

As an account of this mighty and vitally significant clash of armies, Normandy ’44 stands as richly impressive, hard to surpass

—— William Boyd, TImes Literary Supplement

A superb account of the invasions that deserves immense praise…To convey the human drama of Normandy requires great knowledge and sensitivity. Holland has both in spades

—— The Times

An invigorating new history of the Allied invasion of France

—— Strong Words Magazine

A readable account of one of the 20th century's most defining battles provides a strategic overview enlivened by personal accounts of the horror ... for the general reader there are plenty of surprises

—— The i

An impressive new account of D-Day ... Holland knows his stuff when it comes to military matters ... he reads the minds of the generals, their tactics, their blunders - on both sides

—— Daily Mail

Laced with firsthand accounts...the book provides an invaluable narrative

—— Who Do You Think You Are Magazine

A powerful account of the invasion

—— The Times

Any past criticism of General Montgomery’s leadership and tactics is put into a fresh focus … armed with the newly-presented facts we are able to make sense of the broader picture

—— Best of British

An epic telling of the Normandy invasion … one of Britain’s foremost military historians

—— Warships

Expertly narrated and written with piercing clarity

—— Frederick Taylor, author of '1939: A People's History'

A chilling account of war at its worst

—— Bear Grylls

Superb . . . stays with you long after you have finished

—— Henry Hemming, bestselling author of 'Our Man in New York'

Brilliant . . . a wonderful piece of history

—— Robert Fox

Epic . . . captures all of Barbarossa's drama and magnitude

—— Martin Sixsmith

Brings to life the sheer, staggering scale of these events... with great skill, care and attention to detail

—— Keith Lowe , Sunday Times

[An] encyclopedic new account... a vivid, meticulous tapestry, densely weaving the threads of German and Soviet military strategy, political calculation from Washington and London to Moscow, and war's pitiless human cost

—— Julian Evans , The Telegraph

[Dimbleby] skilfully tracks the shifts and turns of the campaign, sparing no detail . . . a riveting account

—— Tony Rennell , Daily Mail, Book of the Week

Dimbleby tells the story of strategic miscalculation and (self-)deception on all sides, and then Hitler's 'war of extermination', magnificently

—— Allan Mallinson , The Spectator

Amazing . . . fascinating

—— Jeremy Vine

My best history book of 2021 -- a masterful account of maybe the biggest event ever . . . essential!

—— Lee Child

A very open and honest account of a centenarian's life . . . You cannot help but be amazed

—— Who Do You Think You Are?

Embark on an enchanting journey into our country's past hundred years through the remarkable life of Captain Sir Tom Moore

—— Eastern Daily Press

This minute-by-minute retelling tackles the big questions, but also - by drawing on the letters and diaries from the Dresden City Archive - never loosed sight of the experiences of people who witnessed, and suffered, the attach first-hand

—— BBC History Revealed, Book of the Month

It's a wonderful book, so absorbing, thoughtful and thought provoking, I didn't want it to end

—— Maureen Waller, author of London 1945: Life in the Debris of War

The story of the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945 is well known, but McKay's searing account is in a league of its own. His research is first-class, his writing elegant and emotive. He is brilliant at portraying the city's prewar beauty, grimly powerful on the horror of the firestorm, and moving and thoughtful about Dresden's rise from the ashes. By the end, I was itching to jump on a flight to Germany. That tells you about the skill and spirit of this terrific book

—— Dominic Sandbrook , The Times/Sunday Times Books of the Year

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