Following is the introduction to my 2001 book D-Day: June 6, 1944, which is a snapshot of the first day of the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II.
To many Americans of the 21st century, D-Day may seem to be a
subject of limited relevance, fought as it was on the shores of a foreign
continent nearly six decades ago by the men of a generation that has been
depleted by the passage of more than half a century.
Had the mammoth amphibious operation launched on June 6, 1944,
failed, however, the world we live in today would be a very different place,
and certainly not a better one. The successful execution of Operation Overlord
— the code name used by the Allied leadership for the invasion of Normandy —
was the first great moral victory on the Western Front against the military
forces of the Third Reich. Indeed, the Allied beachhead in northern France
helped turn the tide of the war.
D-Day also ushered in a new era of American involvement in both
Europe and the world. True, U.S. troops had crossed the Atlantic and battled
Germany 27 years before during the Great War, but after their victory they had
packed up and gone home. This time they were in Europe to stay, and they remain
there to this day, albeit in numbers much reduced since the reunification of
Germany and the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Indeed, D-Day was emblematic of American ascendance in the world.
Foreign observers of the beaches at Normandy were staggered by the amount of
wreckage strewed about the landing zones, the ruined landing craft, vehicles,
and weapons intermingled with human remains. In the latter years of World War
II, few countries could have absorbed that sort of material loss and considered
victory still possible. With the resources of a large continent behind it,
however, the United States could make good those losses quickly enough to
exploit its advantage — just as the Soviet Union, its counterpart in the new
world order, was even then doing on the Eastern Front.
D-Day: The Invasion of
Normandy
is the second book in the “History at a Glance” series that began with Michael
Varhola's Fire & Ice: The Korean War,
1950-1953 (Summer, 2000). Like its predecessor, D-Day was written to
provide an overview of its subject for people with little or no knowledge of
it. It will also serve as a road map for experienced students of World War II
who want to discover other avenues worthy of deeper investigation. Readers will
find it full of fascinating and useful information about the men, strategies,
tactics, and weaponry of D-Day, all presented in a fresh and interesting “fact
book” style format.
Several aspects of this book make it useful in both these roles.
One is that its chapters are divided thematically. For example, readers can
refer to the chapter on “Air and Airborne Operations” when they need
information on this aspect of Operation Overlord, rather than jumping
throughout the book in search of information relevant to them. D-Day also has a
number of chapters with crucial information that weightier volumes, especially
narrative histories, fail to cover at all or relegate to skimpy appendices.
These include the chapters on weapons, armored vehicles, and Allied and Nazi
leaders, all of which contain background information that can help readers more
fully understand and appreciate the invasion of Normandy. ...
There are numerous individuals who assisted us in preparing this
book for publication. Author and publisher Lee Meredith offered sound advice
and read portions of the manuscript, as did historian Mary Deborah Petite.
David Lang, of San Jose, California, who knows as much about both world wars as
anyone, shared useful information with us all along the way. Finally, publisher
Theodore P. Savas, of Savas Publishing Company, offered suggestions and
guidance as this project developed, albeit slower than he would have liked.
We sincerely hope that you find this book useful, interesting, and
enjoyable, and that it facilitates your study of history in general, and D-Day
in particular.
