Invasion! They're Coming!: The German Account of the D-Day Landings and the 80 Days' Battle for France (Schiffer... |
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Invasion! They're Coming!: The German Account of the D-Day Landings and the 80 Days' Battle for France (Schiffer...
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by Paul Carell and David Johnston
Sales Rank: 338382
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List Price: $29.95
$23.36
At Amazon
on 6-16-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Hard Cover with 320 pages
Published by: Schiffer Publishing; Rev Ed edition January 1995
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0887407161
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0887407161
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
Weighs: 1.7 pounds
Book Description
On the 50th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy: a revised and updated edition of Paul Carell's great classic. June 6, 1944 - D-Day. The day when, after years of preparation, Germany's opponents in the west - the USA and England - began the second front, long demanded by Stalin to take pressure off the Red Army. What really happened on that day? Why was the German command reluctant to believe in an invasion at this hour and on this coastal sector? Where was the German counterattack? Why were the panzer divisions, which were ready for action, not allowed to strike? What was going on with the Luftwaffe? Carell answers these questions convincingly, factually and in his typically gripping style. Furthermore, in this new revised and expanded edition he has taken into account the most recent results of historical research, especially the successful allied deception effort achieved by agents, phoney radio transmissions and sophisticated disinformation operations, details of which have only recently been revealed, and which led to fateful false estimations by Hitler and the German generals. Paul Carell is also the author of the highly successful Foxes of the Desert; Hitler Moves East; Scorched Earth; Operation Barbarossa in Photography; and Stalingrad: the Defeat of the German 6th Army. He lives in Hamburg, Germany.
Language Notes
Text: English, German (translation)
Reader Reviews
Paul Carell's book "Invasion! They're Coming!", as the subtitle ('The German Account of the D-Day Landings and the eighty Days' Battle for France') suggests, presents the story of the Allied invasion from the German viewpoint rather than the one so oft presented - that of the Victors - whether presented from the American or British perspective. This English translation (by David Johnston) of the original German text provides the English-speaking world with a unique look into how it felt to be on the receiving end of the largest amphibious invasion ever staged. In June of 1994 the mighty Wehrmacht was no longer so mighty, with much of the "Atlantic Wall" of "Fortress Europa" being manned by old men, young boys and conscripts from occupied Europe. This is not to say that Hitler's defense, a la F.M. Erwin Rommel, was not impressive and daunting - in fact it was both. While the "Atlantic Wall" was far from impregnable as Nazi propaganda proported, Rommel's command had, with never quite enough resources or personnel, created a formidable barrier to the Allied invasion. Moreover, not all German troops were sub-par. There were veteran units with a cadre of experienced and battle hardened junior officers and NCOs to manage the less than ideal fighting troops. There were also veteran Waffen SS battle units in Normandy and West-Central France, both armored and not. Thus, while denuded relative to their hay-days of May 1940-July/August 1941, the German's soldiers were capable of mounting a defense that would seriously test the Allied invasion tide. Most would say that the invasion was a foregone conclusion, decided more by the material superiority of the Allied troops than their fighting ability, nothing in war is ever assured with General Chance being present. Carell's book vividly tells the story of the invasion, from perceptions of its possibility, the long-held belief that the Normandy invasion was merely a diversionary attack, to the Allied breakout and then obvious defeat of the Western German Army. Carell (and/or the translator) writes with a flair that keeps the readers attention and paints a picture that makes one feel as if they are looking out on the thousands of vessels disgorging troops onto Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword beaches that 6th of June, or feeling the effects of the persistent Allied 'jabo' (fighter-bomber) attacks of troops in transit to the MLR, or the what it felt like to take part in the headlong retreat to escape the Falaise pocket. Seeing these events from the Victors side cannot give a reader the same sensation since writers from the Allied camp can't honestly capture the firsthand experiences of the Germans. Having said all these things it is important to note that Carell is writing from the standpoint of the defeated, and in doing so inevitably presents the story in the brightest light possible form the German perspective. Thus, the reader should take certain accounts with a grain of salt - while the conclusions are unarguable, the path to those conclusions can be different between victor and vanquished accounts. In fairness one should be aware that the victors are not immune to the "best spin" approach to storytelling! This caveat aside, Invasion! They're Coming! is a solid read worth reading, and should be of interest to serious and casual students of WWII equally, if for different reasons. All in all 4 stars.
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Invasion! They're Coming!: The German Account of the D-Day Landings and the 80 Days' Battle for France (Schiffer...
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Price: $23.36
Updated on 6-16-2008.
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