What Was D-Day?

What was...?

by Patricia Brennan Demuth, Who H.Q., David Grayson Kenyon (Illustrator)

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, an armada of 7,000 ships carrying 160,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Nazi-occupied France. Up until then the Allied forces had suffered serious defeats, yet D -Day, as the invasion was called, spelled the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany and the Third Reich. Readers will dive into the heart of the action and discover how it was planned and carried out and how it overwhelmed the Germans who had been tricked into thinking the attack would take place elsewhere. D-Day was a major turning point in World War II and hailed as one of the greatest military attacks of all time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, World War II, War, Childrens, Middle Grade

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2015

Reviews

[Gary Anderson]

What Was D-Day? is part of the venerable “Who? What? Where?” series published by Penguin Workshop. In this installment, author Patricia Brennan Demuth provides a 100-page explanation on the background and events surrounding the June 6, 1944 Allied invasion of Normandy and how that day turned the tide of World War II. Writing about war for children presents an author with built-in challenges. One of these challenges is writing accurately about death, bloodshed, and atrocities without traumatizing young readers. Brennan Demuth accomplishes this by being factually straightforward about the Holocaust and the astonishing number of casualties on D-Day. Another challenge with war books is the complex technology inherent in the subject matter. Brennan Demuth describes just enough about the planes, watercraft, and weaponry to help readers understand the machinery’s role in D-Day. David Grayson Kenyon’s pencil illustrations enrich readers’ envisioning of the people and events described in the text. This edition includes sixteen pages of photographs that further enhance how readers will process What Was D-Day?

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

This book was so completely fantastic. These men were so brave and courageous. It makes you feel proud of soldiers who were willing to risk their lives

[Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a good book acutally probaly my favroite book ever if you like learning about WW2 then you might want to read this book

[Loni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, easy to read. I just visited Normandy and listened to a guide. He was enlightening, but this book was even better. Wish I had read it before we arrived at the scene. Great insight into the planning, the weather problems, the challenges of getting on and then across the beach. I highly recommend this book, even if it is for young kids.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apparently I didn't know much about D-Day, because I learned a lot.
I learned...
Dunkirk was the heroic evacuation of troops from France in 1940, and D Day was their heroic return to liberate France.
Churchill and Roosevelt started planning d day a year and a half before it started. They threw everything they had at that plan, and if it didn't work they had no backup.
There were lots of double agents feeding false information to Hitler, but he didn't find out about any of them. One of them, Garbo, was awarded Hitler's medal of honor!
This is when the inflatable tank photos were super useful; Germany thought the invasion would be somewhere else.
D Day involved 5 separate beaches in Normandy: 2 each for British and American forces and one for Canadians.
There were 20k paratroopers going in at night. But they got fired on, jumped early, 20% of the paratroopers died, and America has never done a nighttime parachute landing again.
Boot camp then and now includes crawling through a trench while ACTUAL BULLETS fly over your head. I thought that was a joke in monuments men.
D Day happened during a terrible storm that ruined so many plans. But Eisenhower wasn't sure if it'd be riskier to go ahead or to wait. Bombers couldn't see and not one hit their target; most were too far inland and hit empty fields. Only 2 of the 30 swimming tanks ever made it to shore, and they were too late to help. The soldiers were freezing and seasick.
The Omaha beach landing was a disaster. An hour in, the allies had hardly fired a single shot and were just getting pummeled from the Germans in bunkers at the top of the cliffs: they'd fire machine guns at the ramp of each boat, killing everyone as soon as they stepped out. Most leaders died, there was almost no cover for those who made it to shore, and the tide started coming in. And yet somehow they gained ground, after scaling cliffs and getting help from destroyers.

[Keelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it is intense and it is about history. This book would be perfect for 5th graders that like history. If you like the I Survived series you would like this book. The Americans, Britains, and Canada are fighting Germany, Japan, and Italy. Lots of people died or got hurt. The allies won.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

After visiting Normandy with my grandson’s we read this book which is a great summary for young readers. A powerful history lesson which covers some of the most important facts about the events occurring on June 6th and shortly after.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book because it teaches you all about the story of WWII.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellery asked some amazing questions while reading this one. Oh how I wish I would have asked more questions of both of my grandfathers before they passed.

[Hunter Lisiecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

It shows how D-Day started and how it ended when the war was over!

[myunghwa lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book.

I really didn't even know about D-day before I read this book. But after reading I learned a lot more about this military assault. It's awesome. Props to Eisenhower👍

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, both for students and as refresher and summary for adults. Some details were new to me, but all were well-presented and engaging. Illustrations were helpful. Our 14-year-old boy enjoyed it.

[Aiden Matoian]

It was good

[Levin M]

Levin

My book is What was D-Day? By Patricia Brennan Demuth.

D-Day was a giant war. There were over 5,000 boats in this war, some were huge and others were small. More than 155,000 soldiers were on board. Germany was one of the countries defeated in world war 1. There were about 10 million soldiers killed between 1914 and 1918.

Then in 1933 Adolf hitler, the leader of the Nazis. Hitler was a bad bad person, They were trying to defeat him.

On December 7, 1941 the Japanese attacked American forces at pearl harbor in Hawaii. More than 2,000 American soldiers died. The next day US president Franklin Roosevelt declared war against Japan and its allies, Including Germany.

D-Day was scheduled for June 5, 1944. German air attacks on D-day there bombers exploded bridges and railroads all over france. The United States won the war.

‘ I wanted to read this book because I did not know about D-Day. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 because I like learning about things I don't know about. I recommend this book to whoever likes history and doesn't know about D-Day.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

In August 1943 Churchill and Roosevelt meet and set d day for 1944. Nov 1943 General Dwight D. Eisenhower is promoted to Supreme commander of all allied forced in Europe. In June 3rd 1944 soldiers begin boarding ships for Normandy. On June 5th he gives the order for the invasion on D day. On June 6th 1:20 am German forces open fire on paratroopers over Normandy. After 3 am D-day German radar discovers the invasion fleet ; enemy troops prepare for battle. At 9;50 Allied destroyers open fire at Omaha beach under revised orders.8 am Canadians land at Juno beach one in two soldiers are killed or wounded. and at 1:30 PM German troops begin to lose hold of Omaha beach.

I really liked this book. It was very informational. I would recommend this book to someone who likes wars and like to learn about history. I like that this book was very informational. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it was kind of short so it had to pack.

[Audrie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Was D-Day by Patricia Brennan Demuth is the day that world war two started to end. The Allies were Great Britain, the United States, and Soviet Union. The Axis leaders were Italy, Germany, and Japan. D-Day was on June 6,1944 which is when the Allies attacked Germany straight on at Omaha Beach. Adolf Hitler the top enemy and leader of Germany thought that it was a false attack to distract them from the real one but it wasn't. Once the Germany Soldiers began to lose at Omaha Beach was when they started to surrender. Eventually 11 months later they officially surrendered and the Allies won! I learned something new because I did not know when or what D-day was. I rate this book 5 stars because I learned a lot about the war and got to know more about history. Also, I liked that it had a timeline at the end to help me know the different events. I recommend this book to someone that would like to know about the history of the world and is interested in the the Holocaust.

[Tillman Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the last pages I read. I thought the author did a good job at giving very good and important detail. Saying how we attacked, where we fought, and what we did if the plan went wrong. I was happy in the events that we won, but then sad cause of how many innocent people died because Hitler was crazy. I was questioning why Hitler blamed the Jews for their loss in World War 1. I also was wondering why the Italians changed to our side after they lost one battle. I was predicting the German to give more of a fight and till they died rather then them surrendering. If I made changes to the book I would give a little detail about the weapons we were using versus the Axis. I read 20 pages last week and finished the book.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The photographs at the back are a reminder of the human toll after readers engage in the historical content thought illustrations and maps that address the heavy topic for an elementary-aged audience but anyone will learn something from the book. I always find there’s something new that I learn in any one of these.

The use of text boxes and illustrations give a heady placement for the significance of the event and the decision-making of Ike himself in leading the charge not also what was happening around the world. It’s an important book to revisit on days of remembrance but in the strength of the military, engineering triumphs, strategy, and the dedication of men to fight (with a full stomach of steak, eggs, and ice cream)!

[Heather Shembarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of information concerning D-Day and WWII. It is a quick read as it is just a little over 100 pages. Actual photos and timelines are included at the end just to tie everything together. D-Day was truly a masterpiece plan that was almost 2 years in the making. Unfortunately, weather played a role in contributing to many failures in the attack and massive loss of life to the Allies. The courage and heroics of the survivors allowed the D-Day attack to continue. Regular soldiers had to make decisions that their now dead commanders would have usually made. As a result, the Allied forces were able to turn D-Day around into a big success and a turning point in the war.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series!

These books are so fabulous at giving a brief, yet informative overview of important topics. Perfect for kids and adults alike!

I didn’t realize there were so many colossal problems on D-Day! It’s amazing the Allies were able to pull it off.

I thought all their trickery was brilliant. I especially loved the pretend base at Dover with the blow-up tanks. I can just imagine Ike walking around “inspecting” the “base.”

WWII is such a horrifying event. It’s hard to distill it down for the fifth graders. This book gave me some excellent suggestions of how to explain D-Day!

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent overview of what D-Day was, the plan, how some of the plans failed and succeeded as well as true stories of war heroes. This book also includes a whole chapter on how they fooled Hitler by using “spies, lies and clever tricks.” My boys especially found this chapter fascinating when it explained how Allied troops set up a phony army base in Dover, England across from Calais, France. And all the ways the Allied troops had Hitler fooled by this fake base by using rubber tanks and fake trucks, jeeps, planes and ships made out of canvas and stretched over wooden frames. Fascinating history with real pictures of this time period in black and white.

[Kendyn K · Rating 5 out of 5]

What Was D-Day By Patricia Brennan Demuth This was a good book and it really helped me learn something new. D-Day is a special battle that happens during the end of world war 2 because it was about how the allies defeated Hitler and one of there biggest helps were moody he helped everybody on Omaha Beach live that was on his team. One of my favorite parts of the story where when the Allies tricked Hitler by dropping dummies from there planes. Over 160,000 Allies from America came and stormed the beach of France to help there country. I rate this book a five star because I really liked learning about D-Day and it helped me see how bad those few years were for everybody.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, this book was written for a younger audience, but someone needs to check the content for completeness and accuracy. And who better than someone who has read several detailed first-hand accounts of the D-Day Invasion? For a younger generation wanting to learn about this major historical event the author does a great job presenting all the important facts in a very comprehensible and coherent narrative. All this while keeping it interesting. Great read for all ages; don’t let the youth have all the fun reads.

[David Rough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good historical book in this series for young readers. I learned a great deal about this invasion strategy of the Allied troops during WW2. I did not realize the misdirection employed and the difficulties encountered during this major turning point of the entire war.
War is not an easy topic for writers of middle-grade literature, and this book does not candy-coat the sacrifice of those in uniform, but it present the bravery and determination of the troops as they took a stand against the aggression of the Axis nations.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several books in the Who Was/What Was/Where Was series, and this one is great for WWII fans. This series is geared towards upper elementary students, but I think middle schoolers and even adults can benefit from this quick read. While D-Day can be a sad historical event to study, it is important to remember this battle and the sacrifices of all the brave soldiers.

I also enjoyed how this series always has a bibliography and timelines at the end. There are drawings throughout and then real black and white photos included too.

[Liesl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely the most intense book in this series that I've read with my son so far. The detailed material went a little over his head at times, but I appreciated Demuth writing about these events with a younger audience in mind and the focus on this single, pivotal day. I appreciated the closing timelines of both D-Day and World War II as well as the inclusion of personal stories from the front lines.

[Trent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about D-Day. It was on the invasion of the allied forces into France on June 6, 1944. It discussed that the invasion was top secret and about the base near England to make the Nazis believe that Normandy was not the target. This book had lots of great information about this important day in history.

[Jayda]

I liked the historic of the book because I am really into history, and I learned new things about history that I didn't know. Also this book was very easy for me to read, and just these types of books I really enjoy because the book just shows more to what I didn't know, and I learn new things. In conclusion I would really recommend this book if you are into historic books.

[Maddie Vannoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot say enough about this book. I am a history buff and a world war 2 buff that this was absolutely the Who Was? book for me. Of course, because it is a small book I cannot rate it accurately comparing to longer books, but overall I definitely recommend this book to young history buffs likes me :)

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with Jackson. I have read a lot about the holocaust, but not as much about specific battles and nothing about D-Day. This was quick and easy and I learned from it. The sacrifices made by Americans and other soldiers in fighting Hitler / Nazis was well portrayed for a young audience.