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The Normandy Battlefields: D-Day and the Bridgehead
Over 75 years have passed and the D-Day landings have lost none of their impact. Even today the vestiges of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall speak of the huge undertaking necessary for the Allies to gain a foothold in Normandy. In this beautiful new full-color book, the reader goes “on-site” to the sacred battleground from its scarred medieval villages to the remains of modern means of destruction.
The huge armada that attacked from Britain left behind many signs of their from the huge caissons of the mulberry harbor around Arromanches, the gun emplacements at Longues and Merville, to the multitude of hardware used as memorials—tanks, artillery, pillboxes—and the many graves and cemeteries that honor those who died on both sides. It is in memory of the dead that much of what can be seen on the ground survives, but as the last few survivors reach their 90s, a new audience requires information about the events of the past that can only come from seeing the ground where the battle was fought. Today, the beaches are a fascinating mixture of the new and the old, including the new visitors’ center at Colleville and the renovation and expansion of the Utah Beach museum—even as further new memorials jostle with the older sites that have changed little in 75 years.
The Normandy Battlefields details what can be seen on the ground today using a mixture of media to provide a complete overview of the campaign. Maps old and new highlight what has survived and what hasn’t; then-and-now photography allows fascinating comparisons with the images taken at the time—particularly the aerial views—and computer artwork provides graphic details of things that can’t be seen today.
The book describes the area from Cherbourg to Le Havre by way of the key D-Day locations, providing a handbook for the visitor and an overview for the armchair traveler. It covers, wherever possible, the forces from both sides and the memorials to those young men who fought so many years ago.
The huge armada that attacked from Britain left behind many signs of their from the huge caissons of the mulberry harbor around Arromanches, the gun emplacements at Longues and Merville, to the multitude of hardware used as memorials—tanks, artillery, pillboxes—and the many graves and cemeteries that honor those who died on both sides. It is in memory of the dead that much of what can be seen on the ground survives, but as the last few survivors reach their 90s, a new audience requires information about the events of the past that can only come from seeing the ground where the battle was fought. Today, the beaches are a fascinating mixture of the new and the old, including the new visitors’ center at Colleville and the renovation and expansion of the Utah Beach museum—even as further new memorials jostle with the older sites that have changed little in 75 years.
The Normandy Battlefields details what can be seen on the ground today using a mixture of media to provide a complete overview of the campaign. Maps old and new highlight what has survived and what hasn’t; then-and-now photography allows fascinating comparisons with the images taken at the time—particularly the aerial views—and computer artwork provides graphic details of things that can’t be seen today.
The book describes the area from Cherbourg to Le Havre by way of the key D-Day locations, providing a handbook for the visitor and an overview for the armchair traveler. It covers, wherever possible, the forces from both sides and the memorials to those young men who fought so many years ago.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 4, 2020
Another one of the collective historical/travel books I’ve been reading lately. I occasionally get slowed by the military abbreviations of units, objectives and all, but I like the book’s structure. I find it interesting to examine each location outside the overall narrative of the battle.
The collection of historical photographs is a strength of the book. I was also interested in the remaining fortifications and monuments.
The collection of historical photographs is a strength of the book. I was also interested in the remaining fortifications and monuments.
November 28, 2023
This is a good book that provides basic information and maybe a little extra. You're not going to get any great insights into the nature of man but from a tactical understanding of the battlefield it points out some salient features so if you're looking at it from a technical perspective you'll enjoy the book
November 10, 2024
If you are a fan of the Magazine, After The Battle and their complementary 'Then and Now' books, you'll enjoy this book. The authors do a thorough job of researching historical photos and locating where the photos were taken. I'm also a big fan of the use of modern day aerial shots of the various locations along the Normandy beaches.
July 5, 2018
Good for Trip Prep
A lot of good information on what happened and how things look these days. Good reference with photos and actual charts.
A lot of good information on what happened and how things look these days. Good reference with photos and actual charts.
May 28, 2019
Short but solid text compliments the amazing contemporary and current photographs.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews