Dawn of D-Day

Book excerpt: This is a masterful work. I am so grateful for Howarth's dedication to capturing the experiences of those who were there that fateful, historic, world-changing day.' - Good Reads “That morning, the fleet had sailed. He could not possibly count the ships or even guess the numbers Wallace stood on the head of the cliff, entranced and exalted by a pageant of splendour which nobody had ever seen before, and nobody, it is certain, will ever see again.” In Dawn of D-Day, David Howarth weaves together the testimony of hundreds of eyewitnesses and has produced a breath-taking and atmospheric account of the greatest amphibious landing ever attempted. Based on interviews with survivors and accounts by participants, including American paratroopers, British engineers, French civilians and German soldiers, this enthralling story brings all the drama of 6th June 1944 to life. David Howarth looks not only at the famous incidents but at the full range of D-Day experiences, relating the running battles between parachutists and Germans in the Norman countryside, the torment of being under fire for the first time, the agony on the invasion beaches, the shock of the German defenders and all the confusion, elation and horror of battle. Dawn of D-Day is superb history from the mouths and pens of the men who fought on that first day of the battle for Normandy.