Normandy: The Landings to the Liberation of Paris

by Wieviorka, M. DeBevoise (Translator)

The Allied landings on the coast of Normandy on June 6, 1944, have assumed legendary status in the annals of World War II. But in overly romanticizing D-day, Olivier Wieviorka argues, we have lost sight of the full picture. Normandy offers a balanced, complete account that reveals the successes and weaknesses of the titanic enterprise.

In addition to describing the landings with precision and drama, Wieviorka covers the planning and diplomatic background, Allied relationships, German defensive preparations, morale of the armies, economics and logistics, political and military leaders, and civilians’ and soldiers’ experience of the fighting. Surprisingly, the landing itself was not the slaughter the general staff expected. The greater battle for Normandy―waged on farmland whose infamous hedgerows, the bocage, created formidable obstacles―took a severe toll not only in lives lost, but on the survivors who experienced this grueling ordeal.

D-day, Wieviorka notes, was a striking accomplishment, but it was war, violent and cruel. Errors, desertions, rivalries, psychological trauma, self-serving motives, thefts, and rapes were all part of the story. Rather than diminishing the Allied achievement, this candid book underscores the price of victory and acknowledges the British, American, and Canadian soldiers who dashed onto the Normandy beaches not as demigods, but as young men.

Genres: History, Military History

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Roy Lotz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was given to me as a gift by one of my coworkers when I told him of my upcoming trip to Normandy. “A different perspective,” he said. He was right. Everything I know of the Normandy landings has come from Anglo-American movies, documentaries, and books; and this naturally gives these accounts a certain patriotic color. Wieviorka, a French academic of Polish origin, has none of this bias. Indeed, this book is largely intended a corrective of the Hollywood version of heroism, brotherhood, and sacrifice.

In principle I think this is a good thing; but the result falls flat. There is little that is surprising in this volume: There was distrust and conflict within the allied command; most of the soldiers were not ideologically committed to the fight; many soldiers came down with PTSD; allied bombing campaigns were ineffective at disabling defenses and caused many civilian causalities; the artificial harbors (Mulberries) were costly and unnecessary; some of the invading soldiers stole from or raped the French populace they were “liberating”; the list goes on. In short, this was not a movie. Everything that you should expect to happen in a war did happen.

It is important for historians to make these points (though focusing on all of the ways that the Normandy landings were not special does make for dull reading). What I disliked most was the book’s style. Wieviorka is a dry writer; and he prefers to focus on administrative records rather than eye-witness accounts. Most striking, he manages to narrate the entire landing using statistics and abbreviations. He is more interested in measuring the success of a general’s plan than in understanding the experience of those on the ground. Even his chapter on combat fatigue contained very little of what the soldiers actually faced, instead focusing on figures and rates. This is, of course, a legitimate approach; but his preoccupation with the bird’s-eye view, combined with his deflating subject matter, renders a book about one of the war’s most dramatic events into a tiresome summary.

[Agnes Fontana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passionnante histoire du débarquement en Normandie, qu'on ne peut isoler de sa préparation ni de ses suites. Olivier Wieviorka explore bien toutes les dimensions, militaires, politiques, industrielles... de cet événement, dévoile tous les débats qui ont émaillé la décision, les divergences entre Alliés, voire entre secteurs de l'armée américaine... On assiste avec passion au débarquement lui-même, qui s'est mieux passé que prévu, sauf sur Omaha... et ensuite la bataille de Normandie, la difficulté d'avancer dans le bocage, le piétinement devant Caen, les réactions côté allemand... Un focus très intéressant et original sur la santé mentale des troupes et leur prise en charge par les Américains et les britanniques. On aurait aimé en savoir plus sur la dimension renseignement, et aussi sur le commando Kieffer qu'on ne fait que croiser, mais c'est le propre des bons livres que de nous donner envie d'en apprendre davantage. On croise quelques personnages intéressants, Frederik Morgan qui a contre vents et marées conçu les premiers plans dans un contexte très conflictuel, ils seront beaucoup révisés mais au moins il y avait une base ; Stall, le chef météorologue à l'avis décisif ; et des officiers courageux. O.Wieviorka décrit les choses de manière très sobre si bien que l'éloge du courage, quand il apparaît, prend toute sa valeur. Et notre auteur ne dédaigne pas de faire preuve d'humour ça et là, en décrivant les petits travers personnels des grands chefs militaires ou en mentionnant le soutien moral fourni par les bordels et par l'Eglise, chacun dans son registre, bien sûr.

[Marine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Désublimation du débarquement en expliquant toutes les facettes moins glamour de la guerre.
La lecture de ce dense ouvrage aurait pu être facilitée en sous titrant davantage les paragraphes. J'ai trouvé qu'il manquait des mises en exergue et des conclusions partielles. On est parfois un peu perdu dans le foisonnement des détails.

[S©aP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un ottimo testo tecnico, adatto a chi sia interessato all'approfondimento su base documentale. Ricchissima bibliografia. Non svolge celebrazioni, ma analizza con realismo tutti gli aspetti di un'operazione militare il cui successo, pur con tutti i difetti, ha contribuito a determinare la storia del '900. Depurata dagli aspetti leggendari, l'operazione Overlord resta come uno sforzo colossale, il cui esito era tutt'altro che scontato.

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of a political and strategic account of the planning and invasion, then a on the ground telling. If you are looking for a bigger picture beyond the beaches and hedge rows, this is the book.

[Albo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per chi va oltre alla storia scritta solo dai vincitori