D-Day

Today is the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. In an effort to end Nazi Germany's hold on Europe The United Kingdom, Canda, and the United State launched an amphibious invasion that has never been rivaled. Thousands of men landed via parachute and landing craft and fought through a concrete jungle of mines, barbed wire, machine gun nests, tunnels, and forts in order to establish a foothold from which they could advance across Europe. With the Soviet Union battling from the East and the Allied powers from the west Germany surrendered within a year (May 9, 1945).

The battle of D-Day was a pivotal moment in World War II. I have little doubt that had it failed Germany would have done significantly more damage to Europe. Would they have been stopped? Probably. Hitler's vision was unsustainable and would have fallen - but at what additional cost. Perhaps nuclear weapons would have been used against Germany in addition to Japan. We might never know the extent of the damage. We only know what was accomplished by those that stormed the beaches and overcome the defenders.

The history of World War II has always had been of particular interest to me. Perhaps it was the global scale of it. Maybe it was the fact that I had relatives that fought in it. For whatever reason I have always found myself drawn to its stories and history. With that in mind I would like to recommend a few books that I've read that give insight on the conflict and that I have found both inspiring and inspirational.

The Trio of books: D-Day, Pegasus Bridge, and Citizen Soldier by Stephen E. Ambrose covers preparations for the invasion, its execution, and aftermath. Pegasus Bridge focuses on the British glider troops that were tasked with capturing bridges on the east flank and holding off German reinforcements until the beaches were secure. All three books focus on the individuals who fought the war, not just the general strategies and tactics, but the actual riflemen, and what they experienced. You can read my review of the audio version of Citizen Soldier from my other blog for a more detailed description.

Armor and Blood by Dennis E. Showalter is a recently published book about the Battle of Kursk, Germany's last offensive action against the Soviet Union. While it took place a year before D-Day its contribution to the downfall of Nazi Germany cannot be ignored. Many westerners are not familiar with the Eastern Front of World War II and the way that the Soviets fought. Armor and Blood gives a great view of what has been determined as the largest tank battle in history. It is more of a historical analysis with lots of attention given to both individual tactics and overall strategy. It was an very interesting read. You can read my review of the audio version from my other blog for a more detailed description.

I believe that The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer, is perhaps the most incredible book that dives into the history that surrounds Would War II. I listened to this last year and was blown away by the magnitude of information that we have about the Nazi Party, Hitler's rise to power, and the ease that it all happened. I use the term "ease that it all happened" because it is not hard to see another Hitler like tyrant rise to power in our day. Shirer adds personal memories to the host of captured documents that were seized to weave a frightening tale of politics and desire. My father rereads this book every ten years or so to "remind himself to pay attention." You can read my review of the audio version from my other blog for a more detailed description.

These are just a small handful of books that examine the watershed event that was World War II. D-Day was one of the largest, most complete gathering of men and material and was executed was daring and bravery. Disaster occurred, victory was won, and men lived and died on both sides. That fact is important to remember. Every war has two sides. Let those that fought for freedom and those that fought for their homeland be honored.