The Story of D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Allied Invasion of Normandy

Excellent prose and documentation of this historic event. The book's top secret memos, the diaries of the foot soldiers, and the immense planning and undertaking of this invasion, as recorded in this book, provided me with an indelible impression and an appreciation of my parents who were members of this worlds "Greatest Generation." I will recommend it to any young people who are beginners in the study of WWII and want to understand the history of their country and why we now feel and live the way we do especially from a military and human point of view.

I literally sat for hours combing through this book. I felt as if I was reading a scrap book, and not a historical text. As I turned each page, I was simply astonished by the removable facsimiles of original documents that were contained within the books pages. This is one book you will have to see and experience in order to believe. The CD contains oral accounts from the veterans who were there. Each track features a different veteran focusing on a different hour of the invasion...priceless to hear their accounts, especially the U.S. soldier who was wounded five...yes five...times on D-Day and still kept fighting. Take my advice...buy one and read it...buy a second copy and put it on the shelf. This will make a great hand-me-down or gift.

The title of this book doesn't lie. Flipping through it is truly an "experience". Never have I seen a book that packs in so many replica items that you can actually pull out, handle, read, and examine. Fold-out maps, soldier diaries, letters, propaganda posters, and written orders are just a few of the things you'll find tucked inside this book. There is also an audio CD included with first-hand accounts from veteran German, American, British, and Canadian soldiers.The soldier diaries are accurately reprinted in the original soldier's writing and makes you feel as if you were reading through the original. The same goes for the written orders and letters. There are a couple of massive fold-out maps that depict the D-Day landing areas and inland towards Paris. You can spend hours looking at these alone.The quality of the information is top notch, with black and white original photography printed on full-color pages. The written information reaccounts the background info leading up to the invasion as well as the following 80 days leading up to the liberation of Paris. While this information can be garnered from many other D-Day books (such as Stephen Ambrose's), being able to handle and examine facsimile reports/logs/diaries/maps that relate to that information makes the experience much more enjoyable.With items previously only available in museums, excellent audio information, and informative written information, this "book" should find a home in every D-Day enthusiasts collection. I highly recommend it!