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Sword at Sunrise

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A thrilling story of the greatest achievement in British military history.

When young Richard Langley salvages, against all odds, the doomed Landing Craft that becomes known as Bloody Norah, little does he realise that in just a year's time both of them will be involved in the greatest combined sea and air assault in history.

Back in Britain, the preparations for Operation Overlord are being finalised. Crucial to the effort will be the dawn landing on Normandy beach, codenamed Sword, and the capture of a fortified chateau under the command of the ruthless Captain Franz Engel.

Success hinges on the contribution of Patrick Ward's gilder units, Langley and Bloody Norah, and the reconnaissance gathered by nurse turned SOE agent Suzi Jones.

The countdown has begun to their appointment with destiny on the 6th June 1944. D-Day.

A stunning, action-packed novel of the end of the Second World War, for fans of Jack Higgins, Philip McCutchan and Douglas Reeman.

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

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57 people want to read

About the author

Alan Evans

20 books15 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Alan Evans was born in 1930 in Sunderland. He is an enthralling writer of First and Second World War adventure thrillers, mainly based on naval battles. Carefully researched, and with his own experience of active service, he skilfully evokes the tension and terror of war. Many of the figures and events are based on real-life models. His best-known character is Commander David Cochrane Smith, a maverick First World War sea captain. The protagonist of six of Evans' novels, he has to battle against the highly sceptical Admiralty as well as seemingly impossible odds in order to triumph. Evans' style is pacey and gripping, and in addition to his popular books for adults, he counts three adventure novels for children amongst his credits.

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5 stars
358 (55%)
4 stars
206 (31%)
3 stars
67 (10%)
2 stars
6 (<1%)
1 star
7 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
71 reviews
March 30, 2021
Accurate & compelling

Compelling story about the little known nautical truckers of WW2 - the thousands of ordinary men thrust into a glamorless role moving war material into the face of peril with an implacable enemy on every beachhead - with just enough romance through the pages to spice the tale.
4 reviews
November 21, 2021
Good book but tough to read because of US/British writing styles.

Good book but a rather difficult read. The jdifference between US. and British text made it somewhat tough to read, but it was a good book.
Profile Image for Brian Porter.
300 reviews18 followers
September 11, 2023
Full of action, a really good read

I really enjoyed the book. The action scenes were described so well, at times I felt I was right there in the thick of things. Perhaps the ending might have been a bit more decisive, but that's a minor niggle. Truly a terrific read.
3 reviews
May 4, 2020
Good read

Recommend as a very good ww2 novel action and good story line about landing craft in action around Italy and then D day
5 reviews
June 7, 2020
Brilliant story

Very enjoyable read, superbly written and well paced. I will be reading more of Mr Evans stories in the very near future.
9 reviews
July 7, 2020
I have now read the whole series of Alan Evans books on Captain David Smith and am really sad there are only 7 books in the series. Great books - hard to put down any of them
Profile Image for MR BRIAN TINDALL.
3 reviews
September 2, 2020
Compelling Reading

An absorbing yarn. As ex. R.N., I recognise the well-informed writing. The compilation does not reach the limits of credibility.
Profile Image for Uncle  Dave Avis.
435 reviews8 followers
May 1, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyable. Exciting action. I highly recommend this one !
1 review
April 4, 2022
A good read, kept my interest.

I liked the way the author wove multiple plots together all centered around the main characters. WW II stories are my favorite.
26 reviews
July 16, 2022
Great war read

Good plot lines and story threads. Easy to follow all the way though. Interesting and well developed main and secondary characters.
747 reviews3 followers
February 13, 2023
Good read about a little known aspect if WWII, the various landing craft needed for all the beach invasions
235 reviews3 followers
April 13, 2017
Another excellent novel of the Navy in WW2. Exciting plot and a great yarn.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews