Overlord: D-Day And The Battle For Normandy (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
Another outstanding work by Hastings on a WWII campaign, which in this case includes the Normandy invasion through the Breakout, approx. Jan-Aug 1944.As always the author is extremely detailed. This is particularly valuable when he compares and contrasts opposing weapons (more below). It does become a little wearisome to follow as, it seems, every battalion-level or below action during the campaign is described. But this is only a minor complaint.Hastings maintains that the German "Army" was significantly superior in battle to the inexperienced American formations, and greatly superior to the battle worn British Army. Elite units such as Panzer Lehr and SS units were especially effective. He makes a compelling case, but does acknowledge that US elite units (e.g., Airborne divisions) were as good (or better) as anything the Germans had. He also maintains that success in ground combat is due to the vigorous actions of a few (15%, he maintains). By assigning superior recruits to the Air Force or the other combat arms, the infantry received far less talented personnel, and their performance showed.He is especially critical of the performance of the British and American Air Forces. Their unstinting focus on the combined bomber offensive against the German homeland led to a disgraceful performance when required to support ground troops. They also absorbed a major portion of both talented recruits and industrial production.Hastings is also critical of specific Allied weapons, such as the Sherman tank. I think he is pretty much on the mark with this, but he appears to miss some considerations. Since all US armor had to be transported great distances, smaller size and weight was desirable if not necessary. In his critique of Allied ground combat weapons, he is strangely muted in praise of the Garand M-1. Most American battlefield commanders recognized this semiauto rifle as a critical advantage for the American soldier. Hastings rationalizes his position by his claim that only a small percentage of the forces use their weapons effectively anyway. Also, he unfavorably compares the German MG 42 with the BAR. This is a little unfair, since the BAR is a squad level, shoulder weapon, while the MG 42 crew served, mounted machine gun. He also has little to say about the outstanding Allied artillery, but has high (and deserved) compliments for the 88mm dual purpose gun. Essentially, I think his overall point about the superiority of German arms is well taken, but only to a point.
Great overview of the Overlord Campaign. Max Hastings' has such a good style. Realistic, and honest perspectives on characters that are so prone to being stereo-typed. His perspective on Monty is excellent, bringing out his flaws as well as his strengths very accurately. My only complaint with the book isn't really the writing, but rather with the relative lack of maps and the topic. The maps are good and abundant, but sometimes he would refer to a location and I wouldn't know where it was so I'd have to flip ahead to find a map with the location on it. This was especially true with the actions leading up to the Falaise Pocket, probably because the movements are so rapid compared to the rest of the campaign.The campaign itself is just an exercise in sadness. After the first few days, the Germans cannot stand a chance, but with Hitler at the helm things just can't go well for them. Also, because of the roughness of the bocage and restrictions in Allied Combined Arms movement, things cannot go well for the Allies either. It seems just miserable and I was relieved when it was over.
What do You think about Overlord: D-Day And The Battle For Normandy (2006)?
This is a fantastic account of the invasion of Normandy that, unlike some other accounts, does not skimp on the contributions of the Allied forces and includes first-person commentary from the German side.I find a lot of high-level WWII books to be heavy on the strategy, filled with lots of bewildering maps of infantry and tank movements. Hastings' account made me consider angles of the battle (hedges, tank technology, high level strategy and politics) that I hadn't quite grasped before. He leavens all this with many personal accounts from the men (on both sides) from the field, and it lends it an immediate and powerful air.
—David
O livro é uma optima descrição da batalha da Normandia, no estilo habitual de Max Hastings, conseguindo um optimo equilibrio entre a descrição das batalhas ao nível do soldado, com numeras historias de soldados tanto do lado aliado como alemão, com a descrição global das batalhas. O que faz falta sao mapas para ajudar o leitor a orientar-se.Infelizmente, e uma vez mais, a tradução portuguesa é má! Digo uma vez mais pois já estou habituado a péssimas traduçoes portuguesas de livros de história militar. Quando sera que vão por revisores com conhecimento dos temas militares a rever estes livros? Só compro os livros em portugues para ajudar a que estes livros sejam vendidos e incentivar a sua publicaçao, mas estas traduções de facto deixam muito a desejar, e dá vontad d só ler os originais em inglês. Esta cheio de frases sem sentido, termos militares mal traduzidos, etc. É pena, o Max Hastings merecia muito melhor.
—Miguel
An excellent overview. Much has been said about D-Day - miles of column inches, and forests of trees have died to give us a wealth of information on a crucial campaign of WW2. Subsequently, any new article or work on the subject, will always struggle to offer any new insights. Overlord falls into this category, but as an introductory text for the layman, I can think of none better. With his usual verve, Hastings presents a well written, concise account. Unlike some of his peers, and the prevalent post war jingoism, Hastings takes the view that the German army was a superior fighting force to the Western Allies. It's this appraisal that sets this work above its contemporaries. On the downside, however, Hastings fails to highlight that for all their fighting prowess and tactical skill, a war of attrition doomed the German army to defeat in Normandy. Nor does Hastings highlight that when the Germans were able to launch a major offensive against the allies later in the war (Battle of the Bulge) the Germans were soundly beaten. None the less, it does raise some good points and tackles other issues. As has been famously quoted, a Tiger tank was worth ten Shermans, but the Americans always had eleven...Despite this, Overlord is a powerful piece of historical writing, and the descriptions of the struggle at the Faliase gap, are amongst this book's strengths.
—R.M.F Brown
