If you are reading this blog, you’ve probably read quite a bit on the Normandy Campaign and may have an impressive library on the subject. 

I continue to find new books that I somehow missed earlier when they were published.  A recent discovery is Robert Citino’s three volume assessment of the German campaigns from 1942-45.  He convincingly demonstrates that the Germans never solved the problem of what to do if their effort to quickly destroy the armies of its opponents failed and a quick victory eluded them.  Their instinct to fight only short, intense wars leading to decisive results distracted them from other vital aspects of warfare, particularly the need for effective organization, intelligence, logistics, and industrial capacity.  The question that Citino addresses specifically in The Wehrmacht’s Last Stand — The German Campaigns of 1944-1945 is why Germany kept fighting a war already lost.  Citino concludes that Hitler and his generals saw no alternative to pressing forward despite the odds increasingly against them, hoping that their determination would sustain them until some unforeseen or unpredictable event turned the tide in their favor.  Citino’s chapters on the Western European Campaign, and Normandy specifically, are among the best analysis of the German strategic, operational, and tactical mindset that I have read.

Other essential reads on the Normandy Campaign include the official US, British, and Canadian histories mentioned in earlier blogs.  Cross Channel Attack and Breakout and Pursuit,covering the US Army’s experience in Normandy, remain authoritative references sources of information for my miniature wargaming and battlefields visits. Also highly recommended are Carlo D’Este’s Decision in Normandy, Max Hasting’s Operation Overlord, and the relevant chapters of Russell Weigley’s Eisenhower’s Lieutenants.

Among the best reads on D-Day is Adrian R. Lewis’ Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory that explains how a fallacious fire support plan largely developed by General Omar Bradley fell apart at the very onset of the operation.  In the end, the tactical adaptability of leaders on Omaha Beach and the inshore gunfire support provided by the US Navy saved the day.  Other excellent books on Omaha Beach include John C. McManus’ The Dead and Those About to Die covering the landing of the 1^st Infantry Division and Robert Kershaw’s Landing on the Edge of Eternity.  Joseph Balkoski, the author of an impressive four-volume history of the 29^th Infantry Division, also wrote superb books on the Omaha and Utah landings.  Failure on either of these two beaches could have doomed Overlord.

Several historians have authored works on the armies and formations that fought in Normandy.  John Keegan’s Six Armies in Normandy remains a classic work.  Balkoski’s Beyond the Beachhead – the 29^th Infantry Division in Normandy is an excellent read and my inspiration for following that division from Normandy through Brittany to the Rhineland and across the Rhine.  British Major General Michael Reynolds’ Steel Inferno — I SS Panzer Corps in Normandy and Sons of the Reich — II SS Panzer Corps Normandy, Arnhem, Ardennes, and Eastern Front are essential for understanding the intensity of the fighting between the Waffen SS and the British-Canadian forces.  A key takeaway from these readings was the necessity of misusing SS panzer formations in defensive roles due to a lack of infantry, one of the primary reasons for the German defeat in Normandy.  Reynolds’ Eagles & Bulldogs in Normandy 1944 provides great insight into the battles for Saint-Lô and Caen, fought respectively by the US 29^th Infantry Division and the British 3^rd Division.  Stephen Napier’s Armored Campaign in Normandy, June-August 1944 provides an excellent accounting of the major armored clashes during the campaign.

Mentioning only a few of the many great works on individual battles, I begin with James J. Carafano’s After D-Day: Operation Cobra and the Normandy Breakout.  Carafano’s analysis concludes that Operation Cobra’s success was the result of operational flexibility rather than good planning.  It is not possible to really understand Operation Cobra without having read this excellent book.  Mark Reardon’s Victory at Mortain: Stopping Hitler’s Panzer Counteroffensive is the definitive account of this battle.  Two excellent works covering the flawed ending to the campaign, John A. English’s The Canadian Army and the Normandy Campaign — A Study of Failure in High Command and Anthony Tucker-Jones’ Falaise: The Flawed Victory, provide insight on how much of the German leadership and a core of experienced troops managed to escape the Falaise Pocket.

One of my favorite books from the Normandy Campaign is Glover S. Johns’ The Clay Pigeons of Saint-Lô.  In my opinion, this memoir of Johns’ first months in command of an infantry battalion of the 29^th Infantry Division is the best war memoir ever.  Johns’ assumed command shortly after D-Day and and led the battalion through some of the worst of the hedgerow country, finally taking Saint-Lô.  Margot and I have been to the sites Johns’ mentioned in his books and been inside his Command Post in the Blanchet Family Mausoleum in Saint-Lô’s cemetery.  Another excellent memoir is Fire Mission — The Siege at Mortain, Normandy, August, 1944.  Author Robert Weiss led the forward observation team on Hill 314 directing the artillery fire that kept this isolated commanding position out of German hands.  

I also recommend Osprey Books as a reliable source of information, especially anything and everything written by Steven Zaloga.  Many times, while fumbling around for piece of forgotten basic information on something to do with Normandy, I could find it in short order thanks to Osprey.  I also strongly endorse all works by a local Normandy French historian, Georges Bernage.  His books are well researched, quality works with a wealth of information and many useful and highly detailed maps and diagrams.  

I will save discussion of the many Normandy battlefield guide books and maps for a later blog.  

Also, I look forward to hearing about books on the Normandy Campaign that you’ve found particularly insightful or helpful.  Should you have a particular interest in Normandy campaign and are looking for a book that addresses it, let me know and I might be able to steer you to a good source. 

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