Special Collections
D-Day
Description: On June 6, 1944, Allied forces crossed the English Channel onto the beaches of Normandy, France to liberate Europe from the occupation of Nazi Germany. For the 75th anniversary, explore the history of D-Day with this collection of nonfiction books. #adults
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Fighting Hitler from Dunkirk to D-Day
by Jeff Haward and Neil BarberFighting Hitler From Dunkirk to D-Day is the compelling story of a man belonging to a group of which there are now very few survivors. Jeff Haward MM is a pre-war Territorial Army soldier who enlisted merely for something to do in the evenings. Consequently, he fought throughout the entirety of the Second World War. Jeff is a 'Die Hard', the historic name given to men of the famous Middlesex Regiment. He joined the 1/7th Battalion, a machine-gun battalion, equipped with the British Army's iconic Vickers medium machine gun.Following evacuation from Dunkirk, the 1/7th, while refitting and re-equipping, carried out coastal defence duties in preparation for the German invasion. So desperate was the situation that on sentry duty, the one rifle per section had to be handed to the next sentry, along with the only ammunition available three rounds!In 1941, they were attached to the famous 51st Highland Division. The less than enthusiastic welcome from the Jocks gradually evolved into respect following the Middlesex's performance at El Alamein and the subsequent campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Normandy and North West Europe.Following the Reichswald battle, in March 1945, Jeff was surprised to hear that he had been awarded the Military Medal for bravery and was subsequently awarded the ribbon by none other than Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery.Jeff Haward's experiences, those of a normal soldier, make fascinating reading and throw new light on the use of such Vickers gun battalions during the war.
D-Day Girls
by Sarah RoseThe dramatic, untold true story of the extraordinary women recruited by Britain’s elite spy agency to help pave the way for Allied victory in World War II“
In 1942, the Allies were losing, Germany seemed unstoppable, and every able man in England was on the front lines. To “set Europe ablaze,” in the words of Winston Churchill, the Special Operations Executive (SOE) was forced to do something unprecedented: recruit women as spies. Thirty-nine answered the call, leaving their lives and families to become saboteurs in France.
In D-Day Girls, Sarah Rose draws on recently declassified files, diaries, and oral histories to tell the thrilling story of three of these remarkable women.
There’s Andrée Borrel, a scrappy and streetwise Parisian who blew up power lines with the Gestapo hot on her heels; Odette Sansom, an unhappily married suburban mother who saw the SOE as her ticket out of domestic life and into a meaningful adventure; and Lise de Baissac, a fiercely independent member of French colonial high society and the SOE’s unflappable “queen.”
Together, they destroyed train lines, ambushed Nazis, plotted prison breaks, and gathered crucial intelligence—laying the groundwork for the D-Day invasion that proved to be the turning point in the war.
Rigorously researched and written with razor-sharp wit, D-Day Girls is an inspiring story for our own moment of resistance: a reminder of what courage—and the energy of politically animated women—can accomplish when the stakes seem incalculably high.
Dawn of D-Day
by David HowarthAn “unforgettable . . . magnificently stirring” account of the most important offensive in World War II—and a day that decided the fate of humanity (The New York Times). June 6, 1944, is one of the most famous dates in world history, and a defining date in countless personal histories. Rather than a sweeping overview of the 7,000 vessels, 12,000 aircraft, and 750,000 men, this intimate chronicle observes D-Day through the eyes of the men on the ground. Through personal accounts, the author weaves together the larger story of the battle of Normandy with the stories of the beachhead itself. In this “book of careful research and a sensitivity” the scope of Howarth’s vision—focusing on England and France, on sky, beach, and hedgerow, on divisions and squads—makes Dawn of D-Day a stark and honest portrayal of the greatest amphibious operation in history (Kirkus Reviews).
Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die
by Giles MiltonA ground-breaking account of the first 24 hours of the D-Day invasion told by a symphony of incredible accounts of unknown and unheralded members of the Allied – and Axis – forces.An epic battle that involved 156,000 men, 7,000 ships and 20,000 armoured vehicles, D-Day was, above all, a tale of individual heroics – of men who were driven to keep fighting until the German defences were smashed and the precarious beachheads secured. This authentic human story – Allied, German, French – has never fully been told.Giles Milton’s bold new history narrates the events of June 6th, 1944 through the tales of survivors from all sides: the teenage Allied conscript, the crack German defender, the French resistance fighter. From the military architects at Supreme Headquarters to the young schoolboy in the Wehrmacht’s bunkers, Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die lays bare the absolute terror of those trapped in the front line of Operation Overlord. It also gives voice to those who have hitherto remained unheard – the French butcher’s daughter, the Panzer Commander’s wife, the chauffeur to the General Staff. This vast canvas of human bravado reveals “the longest day” as never before – less as a masterpiece of strategic planning than a day on which thousands of scared young men found themselves staring death in the face. It is drawn in its entirety from the raw, unvarnished experiences of those who were there.
D-Day Assault
by Mark Khan&“This superb account describes the exercises undertaken on Slapton Sands, backed up by first hand accounts from those who were there at the time.&” —Military Machines International Preceded by a massive airborne assault, the largest amphibious operation ever undertaken began on June 6, 1944—D-Day. Over a fifty-mile stretch of heavily fortified French coastline, 160,000 Allied troops came ashore on the beaches of Normandy. Supported by more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft, they quickly gained a foothold in fortress Europe. To plan and execute such a massive military operation successfully required training—and beaches. The perfect place for the Americans was found in the sleepy South Hams area of South Devon. But this choice came at a price. Over 20,000 acres of prime agricultural land, along with villages and farms were requisitioned. The peace of the South Devon coast was soon shattered as the Slapton Sands Assault Training Centre came into being. The training, however, was not without risk. During one of the final major coordinated practices—Exercise Tiger—over 800 men were lost to enemy action whilst traveling by sea to land on the beaches at Slapton Sands. Often shrouded in intrigue, this disaster has been the subject of conspiracy theories for many years. &“Using the latest information available about this secretive event, [D-Day Assault] features all aspects of the military exercises and first hand accounts of those who lived and trained there.&” —Western Morning News