Dawn of D-Day: These Men Were There, June 6, 1944

This book does not deal so much with military tactics and the genius involved in planning and executing Operation Overlord, but rather it gives us a close to the ground perspective of what it was like to suffer the discomfort, pain and fear of June 6, 1944. The many different experiences of these men let us see the ingenuity and determination that were inherent qualities of the Allied soldiers and sailors. There are chapters that expound on the Canadian, American, British and German participants in the invasion. A view from the French residents of the area is also presented giving the reader a look at the total experience of those days. I highly recommend this book to any avid student of WWII.

The clear advantage Howarth's book has over the many written of the famous D-Day on the 6th of June 1944 is that he tells the story through the testimonies of those that survived, but from both sides. Yes, there are way more accounts included from the allied soldiers compared to their German opponents, but the German account-element is there as well and it's what gives you a more spherical view on how those who were there experienced that monumental day. For students of military history not well or not all acquainted with the Normandy story, there's much to be discovered through this book. First of all the collosal size of the operation, unparallel until that day and since. Thousands of ships as well as planes carried tremendous numbers of infantry and marines, as well as tanks to the shores of Normandy in an attempt to critically shift the balance in the war towards the Allies. Alone the logistic considerations were beyond imagination and a failure in that sector would've resulted in unbelievable disaster. There were, to a degree such failures but not to a level which would have devestated the attackers. Then the tactical planning itself, an issue all on its own, an issue on which Howarth does an exceptional job informing the reader but without tiring him in the manner other military historians often do by overwhelming him with numbers and codes. This is not the approach he takes as he aims more to inform those not so much interested in the microdetails of the operation. Even more interesting, and possibly the least known aspect of that operation, was the undertaking of misinforming and confusing the Germans about where and when the attack would take place. A formidable task when one considers how difficult it was to keep a massive assault of that type disguised from enemy intelligence and, more importantly, to even throw them off trail. As the book reaches the attack itself everything comes alive in its pure horror dimensions. Unexpected failures that resulted in unexpected situations and countless victims. The despair of the German defenders as they discover the apparently hopeless situation they are in with zero airforce support and being pummeled initially by the naval artillery as well as bombed heavily by both American and British planes only to see 1000s of soldiers following to the shores. Still, what commenced was a merciless battle that resulted in piles of bodies in the water, in the sand dunes, in the trences, everywhere. A book worthy of the event it describes, well written, impeccably researched and accessible to the layman but equally interesting to the specialised reader as well.

I like Howarth's writings and this has been the sixth or seventh book I read which he authored. This is a good read, but can't compare with Ryan's book The Longest Day or any of Ambrose's writings. That said, this was a very informative book, and it places more focus on the British participation than others. If you read American writings, they focus extensively on the American view point, and leave out the other participants such as the British, Canadians, or even the Norwegians.One thing I like about this particular book was the focus on how the British took tanks and made them specific to the function of the different beaches. Some tanks detonated mines, others bridged the seawalls, and still others bridged tank ditches. The Americans used brute force and no specialized equipment and thus incurred more casualities on Omaha Beach. I have not seen this in other writings.This is a good read on D-Day. If read with some of the other books, the reader will get a detailed portrait of what happened on June 6, 1944. This British author's writings have a flow that makes the book interesting throughout the 250 pages.

In this book, written in 1959 when memories were still fresh, David Howarth presents the human face of D-Day through the experiences of its participants. Each sector of the operation - airborne and seaborne - is covered and given its full due. Mr Howarth has no bones to pick or axes to grind. Instead, through the stories of a small number of individuals he shows us how 'ordinary' people can, in extreme circumstances, often behave in extra-ordinary ways. He shows respect for all those involved. All of this is presented in a most clear and readable style. Despite its age this is an inspiring book and a must for any student of Operation Overlord.

I read this years ago and loved it, along with a couple of Howarth's other books (1066 and The Voyage of the Armada). It follows the events of D-Day both small and large. Everyone says Saving Private Ryan makes you feel like you were there -- so does this book.