The Americans at Normandy: The Summer of 1944--The American War from the Normandy Beaches to Falaise

by John C. McManus

In The Americans at D-Day , the first volume of this series, John C. McManus showed us the American experience in Operation Overlord. Now, in this succeeding volume, he does the same for the Battle of Normandy as a whole. Never before has the American involvement in Normandy been examined so thoroughly or exclusively as in The Americans at Normandy . For D-Day was only one part of the battle, and victory came from weeks of sustained effort and sacrifices made by Allied soldiers.

Presented here is the American experience during that summer of 1944, from the aftermath of D-Day to the slaughter of the Falaise Gap, from the courageous, famed figures of Bradley, Patton, and Lightnin' Joe Collins to the lesser-known privates who toiled in torturous conditions for their country. What was this battle really like for these men? What drove them to fight against all sense and despite all obstacles? How and why did they triumph?

Reminiscent of Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day , The Americans at Normandy takes readers into the minds of the best American strategists, into the hearts of the infantry, into hell on earth.

Engrossing, lightning-quick, and filled with real human sorrow and elation, The Americans at Normandy honors those Americans who lost their lives in foreign fields and those who survived. Here is their story, finally told with the depth, pathos, and historical perspective it deserves.

Genres: World War II, History, Military History, Nonfiction, American History

496 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

John C. McManus is an author, military historian and award-winning professor of military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He is one of America’s leading experts on the history of modern American soldiers in combat.

Reviews

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book picks up right where the author left off in "The Americans at D-Day" and doesn't miss a beat. Covering the struggle the Americans faced as they tried to expand their D-Day gains and break out into the French countryside, McManus has written an excellent history of the American campaign to liberate France from the time of just after D-Day to the end of the Falaise Gap fighting. All of the key battles/operations are analyzed in depth, and many of the key commanders are as well. Several American generals come under harsh scrutiny (particularly Omar Bradley), but such is often the case with the passing of many years. There are bits here and there about other Allied commanders, but since this book is about the Americans, the others are mentioned in small bits only.

The book provides an excellent overview of American strategy and objectives, but I feel it's best feature is the many personal recollections by the men (and some women) who were actually there: tankers, artillerymen, medics, paratroopers, pilots and of course, infantrymen. Truly a great collection of oral history, all woven together into a narrative which flows smoothly and doesn't bounce all over the place. I will say the maps could have been better, but I really didn't feel I needed them.

This is the third book I've read by John McManus on the fighting in Normandy, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

McManus, as always, delivers excellent human military history.

[Jw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about an overlooked chapter of America's WW2 experience. Most histories go right from D-Day to the liberation of Paris, ignoring those crucial months in between when American troops went up against the Wehrmacht in the hedgerow country of Normandy.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

The follow up of The Americans at D-Day picks up the story were it left us and takes us to the struggle that followed on the D-Day landings in the American sectors.

It was a brutal and bloody struggle through the bocage and beyond. Page after page we get to see the madness and horrors of war, but also the determination and ingenuity of the American soldiers that risked their life in order to liberate Europe (and obviously to get home asap). One moment you are in a foxhole and see a German counterattack heading your way, the next you are going from one hedgerow to the next in order to gain some more terrain. You are looking around from the turret of a Sherman tank to a suspicious looking building that might hide a AT gun. It was a slugfest and more than once the Americans tried to gain some more ground but were held back, be it by German resistance or bad leadership. But we also get to see the role of the unsung heroes of war, the medics. Their role needs to be highlighted far more than is mostly done. The author did this by including their stories too. They show the gruesome side of war and the price that is being paid for freedom.

The book takes us from the days following D-Day to the end of August and the Falaise Pocket struggle. What makes both books so great is the fact that you get to see this part of WWII through the eyes of the soldier on the ground, the pilots above the battlefield, but also through the eyes of men like Bradley, Patton and Ike.

If I was asked to recommend a book about the American role in the liberation of NW Europe I would highly recommend both The Americans at... books. They show a complete, detailed and balanced story of this part of the conflict. Only negative is that in both of the paperback versions the maps are just illegible. (this might be different in other versions)

Highly recommended!

[Kenneth Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a follow up of a previous book on the D-Day landings. This book continues the story of establishing the beach head and pushing inland. Through the use of battle histories, memoirs,and interviews, the author relates the struggle to move into France. One of the biggest stories in this effort is the fighting in the hedgerows. Our troops had not been trained or made aware of this feature. The hedgerows were used to divide the fields and provided excellent defensive positions for the Germans.
German resistance was strong and progress was slow. The difficulties that we faced and how we overcame them is the crux of the book. Strategy of both the Allies and the Germans is also detailed. The final German counterattack is described and the resultant encircling of a large portion of the German forces makes for interesting reading.

[Rodney J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerfully Written in Great Detail

McManus does the reader a great service in combining the oral and personal histories of many soldiers into the larger battle for Normandy in 1944. The reader should be broadly familiar with this phase of American combat before diving in, because an enormous amount of detail is provided that sometimes obscures the bigger picture. It was helpful to follow along with Google maps to trace the place names of the French locations. Sometimes this Google feature showed historical markers on the map and allowed current user-submitted photos to be viewed. It is remarkable that literally hundreds of monuments dot the French countryside memorizing the battles and sometimes the names of the soldiers mentioned in the text. This is a profoundly well-researched book that provides a unique view of a chaotic chapter of WWII history.

[Bob Spangler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice surprising read for me. Although some knowledge on what happened next after DDay, this book goes into great detail. It will show how the date of Allied success still hung very much in the balance at the US left the beaches and headed inland into Normandy. At least to me a forgotten part of the War. I’m fast becoming a big Fan of John McManus and his ability to open my eyes on familiar topics.

[Jfp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first attempted to read this book having not been to Normandy. I found it too detailed and shelved it. Since then, I had the opportunity to visit Normandy and the book became alive. Having been to several of the places mentioned in the book, it brought the words to life. I would have liked less detailed and larger maps. The maps provided were incredibly detailed and the print so small it was hard to decipher them. I took to google maps to follow they key portions of the battles.

[Scott Meyerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

I am going to visit Normandy in Aug 2026. I am sure after reading this book, as I tour the area and the cemeteries, it will bring back childhood memories of all the fathers I knew who fought this battle and were mentors to me and my childhood friends. And none of them ever spoke of this. Truly, they were the greatest generation, and may those who gave all real in peace

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sure this book is an important addition to WWII history but I couldn’t get into it. Of course the battlefield was chaotic and crowded, but trying to tell every story all at once was an exercise in frustration for the casual (i.e. non-academic) reader, especially with the maps printed too small to read.

[Jim Swike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and seen movies about D Day, this is the first book I have read about what happened immediately after D Day. Well-written, well-detailed and has great comments from those that fought. Enjoy!

[Cal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smart, brutal and important account of one of the most famous military battles in modern history. Demonstrates the fatuousness of war and also the wide-ranging impact that the D-Day campaign had on the European theatre and the war as a whole.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent followup to his book on D-Day. Great details from the generals to the grunts on the line. Lots of maps to follow the action. Gritty details on the failure to close the Falaise Gap on the German Army and the later affect on the European Theater.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most histories of the Americans in Europe in WWII go something like this: The 8th Air Force bombs Europe, the Allies invade France in Normandy, Patton breaks out of Normandy and leads the charge across France towards Germany, Market-Garden slows things down, the Bulge really slows things down, they finally cross the Rhine, concentration camps are liberated and there is all kinds of grumbling about the Russians taking Berlin.

Dr. McManus tackles one of the often overlooked phases of the European land war. Between D-Day and the breakout, there was a terrible struggle to expand the beachheads and move inland. The battles in Northern France were a slug fest of the highest order costing the Americans upwards of 120,000 casualties. He lays out the operational goals and strategy. He also assesses the leaders from General Eisenhower down who put that strategy into action. These assessments are not always glowing but I think they are well thought out criticisms and fairly administered.

Dr. McManus really shines in the use of the words and memories of the common soldier. He does not leave the reader behind the lines looking at lines on a map, he puts you right next to the soldiers in the dirt, mud and hedgerows. In this way, you get to meet and endure with the men who followed their orders. You also get a glimpse of some of the soldiers who where killed and did not leave a memory for us and whose legacy lives on in the men who did come home.

This book is a history of a battle. It comes with a long list of unit numbers and obscure destinations. While each are important to following the battle, they tend to slow down the narrative. This is not unique to this book nor is the criticism unique to me. I think Dr. McManus handles this better than other battle histories I've read.

This book is necessary for all students of WWII to understand what happened between the D-Day landings and the breakout by Patton and the allies. Overall, Dr. MaManus has written a fantastic book that fills a void in the lexicon of the American history of WWII.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, this book, like its predecessor, is a superbly detailed account of the Normandy Campaign. McManus combines the general history with plenty of horrifying firsthand accounts. He also offers plenty of engaging insights into the campaign and focuses in on sections often skipped over by other historians.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good follow up to the previous book on D-Day.

[Jared Bryson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent look at the American campaign in Normandy. Can't wait to read this author's history of D-Day and Market Garden

[JJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what a WWII book should be. You almost feel like you are in Normandy with this soldiers. I especially love the stories about the soldiers who won the medal of honor.