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Sand and Steel: A New History of D-Day
The most comprehensive and authoritative history of D-Day ever published
‘Extraordinary’ Andrew Roberts
‘Fascinating’ Daily Mail
‘Magisterial’ James Holland
________________
6 June 1944, 4 a.m.
Hundreds of boats assemble off the coast of Normandy. By nightfall, thousands of the men they carry will be dead.
Through their sacrifice, the Allies will gain a foothold in Europe that will ultimately lead to the downfall of the Third Reich.
This was D-Day, the most important day of the twentieth century.
________________
In Sand and Steel, one of Britain’s leading military historians draws on a decade of archival research and thousands of interviews to offer a panoramic new account of the Allied invasion of France.
Peter Caddick-Adams masterfully recreates what it was like to wade out onto the carnage of Omaha Beach, facing the machine-gun fire that wiped out whole battalions of troops. He delves into how the Allied generals came to choose Normandy in June 1944, and describes the extraordinary subterfuge that went into keeping the decision secret. And he recounts how the operation transformed the lives of Britons back home, transforming sleepy villages in the Home Counties into bustling military outposts.
His findings offer revelatory new insights into our understanding of D-Day. Sand and Steel is the only book to discuss the experiences of every major military force: not just the infantrymen on the beaches, but also the paratroopers, sailors and aircrew, resistance fighters in France, women on the Home Front, and even the German Wehrmacht. It offers the first full analysis of the year-long invasion preparations, revealing that more men died in training exercises than during the landing itself. Above all, it pays tribute to soldiers of all nationalities, demonstrating that the often-overlooked UK and Canadian troops were just as crucial to victory as the American forces were.
The result is an authoritative and compulsively readable exploration of the most important battle in history. It will be the definitive work on D-Day for years to come.
________________
PRAISE FOR SAND AND STEEL
‘Whether you are a visitor to the Normandy battlefields, a general reader interested in the greatest amphibious assault in the history of warfare, or just someone who appreciates extremely well-written military history . . . this truly extraordinary book is undoubtedly the one for you.’ Andrew Roberts
‘Fascinating . . . Reveals the full horror Allied troops suffered as they prepared to overwhelm the Nazis, examining the facts behind the historic assault.’ Daily Mail
‘Following his excellent study of the Battle of the Bulge, Caddick-Adams does it again by explaining, as opposed to simply describing, the Allies’ victory.’ Jeremy Black
‘Peter Caddick-Adams is unquestionably one of the very finest historians of the Second World War . . . His D-Day must surely go down as the definitive narrative of that pivotal moment in the history of the war.’ James Holland
‘Extraordinary’ Andrew Roberts
‘Fascinating’ Daily Mail
‘Magisterial’ James Holland
________________
6 June 1944, 4 a.m.
Hundreds of boats assemble off the coast of Normandy. By nightfall, thousands of the men they carry will be dead.
Through their sacrifice, the Allies will gain a foothold in Europe that will ultimately lead to the downfall of the Third Reich.
This was D-Day, the most important day of the twentieth century.
________________
In Sand and Steel, one of Britain’s leading military historians draws on a decade of archival research and thousands of interviews to offer a panoramic new account of the Allied invasion of France.
Peter Caddick-Adams masterfully recreates what it was like to wade out onto the carnage of Omaha Beach, facing the machine-gun fire that wiped out whole battalions of troops. He delves into how the Allied generals came to choose Normandy in June 1944, and describes the extraordinary subterfuge that went into keeping the decision secret. And he recounts how the operation transformed the lives of Britons back home, transforming sleepy villages in the Home Counties into bustling military outposts.
His findings offer revelatory new insights into our understanding of D-Day. Sand and Steel is the only book to discuss the experiences of every major military force: not just the infantrymen on the beaches, but also the paratroopers, sailors and aircrew, resistance fighters in France, women on the Home Front, and even the German Wehrmacht. It offers the first full analysis of the year-long invasion preparations, revealing that more men died in training exercises than during the landing itself. Above all, it pays tribute to soldiers of all nationalities, demonstrating that the often-overlooked UK and Canadian troops were just as crucial to victory as the American forces were.
The result is an authoritative and compulsively readable exploration of the most important battle in history. It will be the definitive work on D-Day for years to come.
________________
PRAISE FOR SAND AND STEEL
‘Whether you are a visitor to the Normandy battlefields, a general reader interested in the greatest amphibious assault in the history of warfare, or just someone who appreciates extremely well-written military history . . . this truly extraordinary book is undoubtedly the one for you.’ Andrew Roberts
‘Fascinating . . . Reveals the full horror Allied troops suffered as they prepared to overwhelm the Nazis, examining the facts behind the historic assault.’ Daily Mail
‘Following his excellent study of the Battle of the Bulge, Caddick-Adams does it again by explaining, as opposed to simply describing, the Allies’ victory.’ Jeremy Black
‘Peter Caddick-Adams is unquestionably one of the very finest historians of the Second World War . . . His D-Day must surely go down as the definitive narrative of that pivotal moment in the history of the war.’ James Holland
1072 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2019
185 people are currently reading
1122 people want to read
About the author
Peter Caddick-Adams
18 books146 followersPeter Caddick-Adams is a lecturer in military history and current defense issues at the UK Defence Academy. He is the author of Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell and Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives. He holds the rank of major in the British Territorial Army and has served with U.S. forces in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
July 5, 2025
“Tuesday 6 June 1944 was a day like no other. Although every military operation has a D-day, in the popular mind there is only one D-Day. As Robert Capa, the acclaimed war photographer who found himself on Omaha Beach that morning, observed, ‘from North Africa to the Rhine there were too many D-days, and for every one of them we had to get up in the middle of the night.’ It was massively over-insured against every conceivable setback or adversity, making the twenty-four hours of the ‘Longest Day’ one of the best-prepared in military history. Sand and Steel charts the lifting of the German yoke from a small corner of Normandy during one day, but it was an enterprise that involved millions of people. Hence, this is also the story of a generation…”
- Peter Caddick-Adams, Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France
This might not be the best book you read about the 1944 invasion of France, but it will probably be the lengthiest. Though it covers only the first twenty-four hours of history’s most famous D-Day, Sand and Steel is a huge endeavor consisting of nearly nine-hundred pages of text. When you add in the endnotes and bibliography, it is almost more than the binding can bear.
With that much space, that much freedom from the keen scissors of an editor stressing concision and brevity, Peter Caddick-Adams’s project had the opportunity to be the last word on this well-covered subject. He could have taken the combined knowledge of hundreds of prior books, thousands of documents, and his own numerous interviews, and turned it into a comprehensive epic of one of the more consequential days in the world’s greatest war.
Instead – and to my deep disappointment – this is sort of a mess. Imagine gathering up the finest ingredients for a luxurious meal. Then imagine pouring all those ingredients into a bowl, mixing them together, and putting them into the microwave. That’s a bit like what happens here.
***
The D-Day landings need little to no introduction. On June 6, 1944, thousands of American, British, Canadian, and French soldiers floated down from the air or landed on the beaches of Nazi-occupied France, beginning a drive that would end on the Elbe River, where they met Soviet forces steamrolling in from the east. Cynics and Soviet partisans will tell you that this second front – to me, actually a fifth front, after the east, North Africa, Italy, and the air – is overrated, and pales in comparison to Russian efforts against the bulk of German forces.
Leaving that argument aside, however, one cannot deny the essential qualities of the operation. It was an incredible logistical and tactical feat, one that the Soviet Union never could have pulled off in its wildest dreams. It also had a true nobility to it, a rare occasion in which a descending army actually – as opposed to rhetorically – came to liberate a land and a people. It’s a darn good tale, one that bears repeating.
***
Structurally, Sand and Steel appears sound. There is an obvious overlying method to the presentation. Focus wise, Caddick-Adams divides things into two roughly equal parts. The first section is all leadup, providing global context, and covering the planning, troop buildup, and training. The second part is about the big day itself, beginning with the airborne assaults, and then proceeding methodically from west to east, covering each of the landing sites: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
For me, a solid framework is a key condition for ultimate success. There are many ways to tell a story, but at the end of the day, a writer has to provide something that life often denies us: coherence. Even with good bones, Sand and Steel lacks this virtue.
***
At this point I’ve made Sand and Steel seem like a steaming pile of rubbish, which it certainly is not. There’s a lot of good in it, which makes it all the more frustrating that it never comes close to cohering. So, let’s talk about some positives.
To begin, Caddick-Adams shines a bright light on the preparatory phase of an incredibly complicated undertaking. The Yankee preinvasion invasion of England is finely portrayed, demonstrating the tension between well-paid, well-provisioned American soldiers; poorly-paid, less-well-provisioned British soldiers; and the average British citizen who preferred the former to the latter. Making use of an unlimited page count, Caddick-Adams does a nice job reflecting on the experience of black American soldiers toiling in a racist and segregated military, and of the many women in uniform performing vital roles.
Caddick-Adams also marvelously demonstrates how the Allies readied themselves for contingences, and backstopped themselves against failure. Great Britain and the United States engaged in an incredibly elaborate deception campaign to confuse the Germans, to the extent that the west’s best fighting general was put in charge of a fake army. They constructed artificial harbors, so that they did not have to sail into the teeth of heavily defended French ports. They dropped exploding dummies from planes in effective acts of misdirection. They advanced on multiple axes, so one setback would not doom the whole.
Of course, the old saying is that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. As Caddick-Adams notes, this was never truer than on D-Day, when so many things went wrong. Airborne drops were scattered. Elaborately designed swimming tanks sank in the Atlantic. Men were dropped off at the wrong places. This is where the training comes in. Caddick-Adams reminds us several times that more men died getting ready for D-Day than on the day itself. This paid off at crucial moments, when individual officers and men had the flexibility to improvise on the fly.
Throughout, Caddick-Adams seeks to challenge conventional wisdom. Sometimes this is done quite clumsily, as in his repetitive use of Saving Private Ryan as a straw man. That said, he makes some good points. For instance, I enjoyed Caddick-Adams’s discussion on the tension between those who wanted a quick-and-dirty surprise attack, and the veterans of the Pacific War who wanted a massive pre-assault bombardment. The resulting mishmash combined the worst elements of both: a quick bombardment that alerted the enemy and did no real damage.
Caddick-Adams also asserts – somewhat undercutting his own celebratory statements – that the Atlantic Wall was a joke, and that the men defending the beaches represented the dregs of the German military. Oftentimes, they weren’t even Germans.
***
Now to the bad, which I will not belabor.
In short, researching history involves one skill set, writing it another. Caddick-Adams’s prose style is awkward and inelegant, full of disruptive obtrusions and digressions. Individual pages ping-pong from one topic to the next. Subjects are picked up, then dropped in mid-thought. Non-sequiturs reign; paragraphs do not flow; transitions are painful; tangents are embarked upon, then returned to unnecessarily. Much of the info packed into the body might better have served as footnotes.
Sand and Steel often resembles an oral history, with long excerpts taken from first-person recollections. Instead of carefully snipping this testimony and weaving it into a tapestry, Caddick-Adams just quotes them at length. Thus, we are confronted with off-topic statements, abundant cliches, the repetition of hearsay and gossip, and irrelevant asides. Curiously, Caddick-Adams makes the strange decision to censor any expletives. This misbegotten attempt to sanitize war is infantilizing. These faults – I hasten to add – do not rest with the participants, but with the author. Soldiers soldier; writers are supposed to write.
The upshot is that despite a solid edifice, the battle narrative is hopelessly confusing and dramatically inert.
***
This may go without saying, but I generally seek out books I think I’m going to like. I don’t get paid to read; I don’t receive books for free; and I work very hard on Only Fans – I mean, my normal, non-erotic job – and want to invest those funds wisely in my paper assets. This is one of those books I expected and wanted to love.
Despite my dissatisfaction, it should also go without saying that this might work better for others. As I’ve noted before, I’m not a huge fan of oral-history-type nonfiction. Instead, I prefer an author to make judicious use of perceptive first-person accounts, but also to take the raw material provided by others and distill that into a polished story. But this is not a universal view.
For me, this book was a mild failure, though D-Day books – like pizza – are never totally bad. This is not a function of a lack of passion or ambition, but of literary execution.
- Peter Caddick-Adams, Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France
This might not be the best book you read about the 1944 invasion of France, but it will probably be the lengthiest. Though it covers only the first twenty-four hours of history’s most famous D-Day, Sand and Steel is a huge endeavor consisting of nearly nine-hundred pages of text. When you add in the endnotes and bibliography, it is almost more than the binding can bear.
With that much space, that much freedom from the keen scissors of an editor stressing concision and brevity, Peter Caddick-Adams’s project had the opportunity to be the last word on this well-covered subject. He could have taken the combined knowledge of hundreds of prior books, thousands of documents, and his own numerous interviews, and turned it into a comprehensive epic of one of the more consequential days in the world’s greatest war.
Instead – and to my deep disappointment – this is sort of a mess. Imagine gathering up the finest ingredients for a luxurious meal. Then imagine pouring all those ingredients into a bowl, mixing them together, and putting them into the microwave. That’s a bit like what happens here.
***
The D-Day landings need little to no introduction. On June 6, 1944, thousands of American, British, Canadian, and French soldiers floated down from the air or landed on the beaches of Nazi-occupied France, beginning a drive that would end on the Elbe River, where they met Soviet forces steamrolling in from the east. Cynics and Soviet partisans will tell you that this second front – to me, actually a fifth front, after the east, North Africa, Italy, and the air – is overrated, and pales in comparison to Russian efforts against the bulk of German forces.
Leaving that argument aside, however, one cannot deny the essential qualities of the operation. It was an incredible logistical and tactical feat, one that the Soviet Union never could have pulled off in its wildest dreams. It also had a true nobility to it, a rare occasion in which a descending army actually – as opposed to rhetorically – came to liberate a land and a people. It’s a darn good tale, one that bears repeating.
***
Structurally, Sand and Steel appears sound. There is an obvious overlying method to the presentation. Focus wise, Caddick-Adams divides things into two roughly equal parts. The first section is all leadup, providing global context, and covering the planning, troop buildup, and training. The second part is about the big day itself, beginning with the airborne assaults, and then proceeding methodically from west to east, covering each of the landing sites: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
For me, a solid framework is a key condition for ultimate success. There are many ways to tell a story, but at the end of the day, a writer has to provide something that life often denies us: coherence. Even with good bones, Sand and Steel lacks this virtue.
***
At this point I’ve made Sand and Steel seem like a steaming pile of rubbish, which it certainly is not. There’s a lot of good in it, which makes it all the more frustrating that it never comes close to cohering. So, let’s talk about some positives.
To begin, Caddick-Adams shines a bright light on the preparatory phase of an incredibly complicated undertaking. The Yankee preinvasion invasion of England is finely portrayed, demonstrating the tension between well-paid, well-provisioned American soldiers; poorly-paid, less-well-provisioned British soldiers; and the average British citizen who preferred the former to the latter. Making use of an unlimited page count, Caddick-Adams does a nice job reflecting on the experience of black American soldiers toiling in a racist and segregated military, and of the many women in uniform performing vital roles.
Caddick-Adams also marvelously demonstrates how the Allies readied themselves for contingences, and backstopped themselves against failure. Great Britain and the United States engaged in an incredibly elaborate deception campaign to confuse the Germans, to the extent that the west’s best fighting general was put in charge of a fake army. They constructed artificial harbors, so that they did not have to sail into the teeth of heavily defended French ports. They dropped exploding dummies from planes in effective acts of misdirection. They advanced on multiple axes, so one setback would not doom the whole.
Of course, the old saying is that no plan survives first contact with the enemy. As Caddick-Adams notes, this was never truer than on D-Day, when so many things went wrong. Airborne drops were scattered. Elaborately designed swimming tanks sank in the Atlantic. Men were dropped off at the wrong places. This is where the training comes in. Caddick-Adams reminds us several times that more men died getting ready for D-Day than on the day itself. This paid off at crucial moments, when individual officers and men had the flexibility to improvise on the fly.
Throughout, Caddick-Adams seeks to challenge conventional wisdom. Sometimes this is done quite clumsily, as in his repetitive use of Saving Private Ryan as a straw man. That said, he makes some good points. For instance, I enjoyed Caddick-Adams’s discussion on the tension between those who wanted a quick-and-dirty surprise attack, and the veterans of the Pacific War who wanted a massive pre-assault bombardment. The resulting mishmash combined the worst elements of both: a quick bombardment that alerted the enemy and did no real damage.
Caddick-Adams also asserts – somewhat undercutting his own celebratory statements – that the Atlantic Wall was a joke, and that the men defending the beaches represented the dregs of the German military. Oftentimes, they weren’t even Germans.
***
Now to the bad, which I will not belabor.
In short, researching history involves one skill set, writing it another. Caddick-Adams’s prose style is awkward and inelegant, full of disruptive obtrusions and digressions. Individual pages ping-pong from one topic to the next. Subjects are picked up, then dropped in mid-thought. Non-sequiturs reign; paragraphs do not flow; transitions are painful; tangents are embarked upon, then returned to unnecessarily. Much of the info packed into the body might better have served as footnotes.
Sand and Steel often resembles an oral history, with long excerpts taken from first-person recollections. Instead of carefully snipping this testimony and weaving it into a tapestry, Caddick-Adams just quotes them at length. Thus, we are confronted with off-topic statements, abundant cliches, the repetition of hearsay and gossip, and irrelevant asides. Curiously, Caddick-Adams makes the strange decision to censor any expletives. This misbegotten attempt to sanitize war is infantilizing. These faults – I hasten to add – do not rest with the participants, but with the author. Soldiers soldier; writers are supposed to write.
The upshot is that despite a solid edifice, the battle narrative is hopelessly confusing and dramatically inert.
***
This may go without saying, but I generally seek out books I think I’m going to like. I don’t get paid to read; I don’t receive books for free; and I work very hard on Only Fans – I mean, my normal, non-erotic job – and want to invest those funds wisely in my paper assets. This is one of those books I expected and wanted to love.
Despite my dissatisfaction, it should also go without saying that this might work better for others. As I’ve noted before, I’m not a huge fan of oral-history-type nonfiction. Instead, I prefer an author to make judicious use of perceptive first-person accounts, but also to take the raw material provided by others and distill that into a polished story. But this is not a universal view.
For me, this book was a mild failure, though D-Day books – like pizza – are never totally bad. This is not a function of a lack of passion or ambition, but of literary execution.
July 19, 2019
This book will rank in the Overlord Pantheon next to Ryan, Hastings, Beevor & (don't start) Ambrose. To everyone who has ever had faith in my reviews : READ IT.
At 900 pages, it feels like a Bible, even if comprehensiveness necessitates sacrificing depth on somebody's favorite aspect of D-Day - say, Pointe Du Hoc, which has its own monograph. The volume is evenly split between the preparations & the actual landings.
The first half contains the bulk of historiographic revisions. For example, the German meteorology services were far from inept, they could read a front coming in from Iceland as well as mavericks in Kent, but they differed in their interpretation. 4-6 feet high waves were deemed too severe for the enemy to land, since all amphibious operations on the Atlantic & Mediterranean coasts had taken place during 'fair weather'.
Numerous question marks are raised & anchored with convincing arguments against Cornelius Ryan - when the classified nature of ULTRA doesn't excuse him - and all more recent authors which have perpetuated his errors, or added their own. A favourite Anglo-American dispute is Monty getting stuck in front of Caen - it was also part of the plan to draw German reinforcements while U.S. troops broke through further south.
On the other hand, he tips his hat to Ryan and the Longest Day - they are our gateway drug & will always prove an easy link to the facts in our memory palace.
Caddick-Adams benefits from three fountains of knowledge here.
First is his own military experience, including airborne drops & amphibious assault. This allows him to absolve the "cowardly coxswains" and "inept glider pilots" which feature so ubiquitously in the veterans' collective memory: The former had to keep their craft from stranding, the latter did not flinch from heading straight into flak. One fact that struck me in the face was his evaluation of the common role of the Rangers, the Commandos and the Airborne units. This wasn't just about seizing a bridge or a battery. Dotted on the map, they were protecting the flanks, by blocking the main avenues of reinforcement to the beaches.
Second, the veterans. It's a pity the book doesn't list them alphabetically. The numbers from recordings, written questionnaires & over 20 years of his own commemoration interviews on the beaches must run into the hundreds. He's as adapt as Hastings at integrating their words into the text where their individual experience adds just that right detail. Or at speaking for the silent: "Few who landed in the town square[of St.-Mère-Église]stood a chance against the armed and jumpy Germans who machine-gunned to death those caught in trees or on buildings."
Third, all those walks along the Calvados coasts have given him a delicate feel for the ground; I've never counted so many "Then & Now" paragraphs to take with me to Normandy next time. If there's a piece of bullet-scared concrete left, he'll tell you. If a cemetery or museum has been dropped on it, he'll tell you too without regret.
The second half is best read with a break between each chapter, lest they feel repetitive. Yet together, interesting common features stand out.
Middle-aged Britons weren't wholly wrong in articulating a 1916 feel about the plan: the landing shedules were mercilessly tight at 30 minute intervals, resulting in a bloody saturation of the beaches. The old idea that it'd be a walk-over because the artillery would've pancaked absolutely everyone & everything as disproved yet again. Most tactical bombing prior to H-Hour missed their targets. Artillery firing from bouncing ships & rocket saturation salvoes also boosted more than they busted. Still, the sight of "more ships than a leopard with measles" which covered the sea so that you could almost walk across the Channel, never failed to inspire awe or fear.
On the other hand, those swimming tanks that didn't flounder became a crucial element in unlocking the exits with point-blank 75mm fire. Tactical leadership, from surviving officers down to a notoriously insubordinate private, was equally instrumental into getting the infantry on the move - by cane & revolver if necessary.
The combat value of each Widerstandsnest varied enormously, but once off the beach, it became clear that the second line of defences, such as the bunker complex "Hillman" on the route to Caen, required combined-arms operations at batalion level. The bocage also triggered an tactical improvisation. Overall, the North Africa-seasoned forces landing on D-Day had to learn warfare all over again in Normandy.
Memorable (often underwritten) are the contributions of the French resistance & ordinary citizenry, for whom Paul Verlaine was but one coded message among many. The German Osttruppen also perform less stereotypical: some hailed from "warrior cultures" & fought tenaciously in any uniform. In a similar vein, the international composition of a fighter wing or fleet component will never not be spelled out in full, even if an overall 80% of that naval support was under the ensign of the Royal Navy (the widespread tendency to turn D-Day into an American show is an admirable pet peeve).
On the German side of things, it was impossible to prepare a proper welcome. Thanks as much to the deception shemes popularily grouped under "Fortitude" as to inter-service rivalry, there was never agreement on the most likely landing zone. For armchair historians it boils down to "Pas de Calais is too obvious & only Normandy was within fighter range" but in situ this was too vague. Identifying the separate beaches was beyond the Germans. Rommel, in the time that rested him, chose the lesser of two evils with his focus on building over training. The state of the Antlantikwall in spring '43 was too dismal even for SS Panzer divisions to hold. A greater folly was the creation of an air-portable division while the Allies already ruled the skies. (91. Luftlande, incl. 6. Reg. Fallschirmjäger).
At 900 pages, it feels like a Bible, even if comprehensiveness necessitates sacrificing depth on somebody's favorite aspect of D-Day - say, Pointe Du Hoc, which has its own monograph. The volume is evenly split between the preparations & the actual landings.
The first half contains the bulk of historiographic revisions. For example, the German meteorology services were far from inept, they could read a front coming in from Iceland as well as mavericks in Kent, but they differed in their interpretation. 4-6 feet high waves were deemed too severe for the enemy to land, since all amphibious operations on the Atlantic & Mediterranean coasts had taken place during 'fair weather'.
Numerous question marks are raised & anchored with convincing arguments against Cornelius Ryan - when the classified nature of ULTRA doesn't excuse him - and all more recent authors which have perpetuated his errors, or added their own. A favourite Anglo-American dispute is Monty getting stuck in front of Caen - it was also part of the plan to draw German reinforcements while U.S. troops broke through further south.
On the other hand, he tips his hat to Ryan and the Longest Day - they are our gateway drug & will always prove an easy link to the facts in our memory palace.
Caddick-Adams benefits from three fountains of knowledge here.
First is his own military experience, including airborne drops & amphibious assault. This allows him to absolve the "cowardly coxswains" and "inept glider pilots" which feature so ubiquitously in the veterans' collective memory: The former had to keep their craft from stranding, the latter did not flinch from heading straight into flak. One fact that struck me in the face was his evaluation of the common role of the Rangers, the Commandos and the Airborne units. This wasn't just about seizing a bridge or a battery. Dotted on the map, they were protecting the flanks, by blocking the main avenues of reinforcement to the beaches.
Second, the veterans. It's a pity the book doesn't list them alphabetically. The numbers from recordings, written questionnaires & over 20 years of his own commemoration interviews on the beaches must run into the hundreds. He's as adapt as Hastings at integrating their words into the text where their individual experience adds just that right detail. Or at speaking for the silent: "Few who landed in the town square[of St.-Mère-Église]stood a chance against the armed and jumpy Germans who machine-gunned to death those caught in trees or on buildings."
Third, all those walks along the Calvados coasts have given him a delicate feel for the ground; I've never counted so many "Then & Now" paragraphs to take with me to Normandy next time. If there's a piece of bullet-scared concrete left, he'll tell you. If a cemetery or museum has been dropped on it, he'll tell you too without regret.
The second half is best read with a break between each chapter, lest they feel repetitive. Yet together, interesting common features stand out.
Middle-aged Britons weren't wholly wrong in articulating a 1916 feel about the plan: the landing shedules were mercilessly tight at 30 minute intervals, resulting in a bloody saturation of the beaches. The old idea that it'd be a walk-over because the artillery would've pancaked absolutely everyone & everything as disproved yet again. Most tactical bombing prior to H-Hour missed their targets. Artillery firing from bouncing ships & rocket saturation salvoes also boosted more than they busted. Still, the sight of "more ships than a leopard with measles" which covered the sea so that you could almost walk across the Channel, never failed to inspire awe or fear.
On the other hand, those swimming tanks that didn't flounder became a crucial element in unlocking the exits with point-blank 75mm fire. Tactical leadership, from surviving officers down to a notoriously insubordinate private, was equally instrumental into getting the infantry on the move - by cane & revolver if necessary.
The combat value of each Widerstandsnest varied enormously, but once off the beach, it became clear that the second line of defences, such as the bunker complex "Hillman" on the route to Caen, required combined-arms operations at batalion level. The bocage also triggered an tactical improvisation. Overall, the North Africa-seasoned forces landing on D-Day had to learn warfare all over again in Normandy.
Memorable (often underwritten) are the contributions of the French resistance & ordinary citizenry, for whom Paul Verlaine was but one coded message among many. The German Osttruppen also perform less stereotypical: some hailed from "warrior cultures" & fought tenaciously in any uniform. In a similar vein, the international composition of a fighter wing or fleet component will never not be spelled out in full, even if an overall 80% of that naval support was under the ensign of the Royal Navy (the widespread tendency to turn D-Day into an American show is an admirable pet peeve).
On the German side of things, it was impossible to prepare a proper welcome. Thanks as much to the deception shemes popularily grouped under "Fortitude" as to inter-service rivalry, there was never agreement on the most likely landing zone. For armchair historians it boils down to "Pas de Calais is too obvious & only Normandy was within fighter range" but in situ this was too vague. Identifying the separate beaches was beyond the Germans. Rommel, in the time that rested him, chose the lesser of two evils with his focus on building over training. The state of the Antlantikwall in spring '43 was too dismal even for SS Panzer divisions to hold. A greater folly was the creation of an air-portable division while the Allies already ruled the skies. (91. Luftlande, incl. 6. Reg. Fallschirmjäger).
July 13, 2019
If any book deserves the subtitle of “Everything you wanted to know about D-Day, but were afraid to ask” (to paraphrase a title from my youth) it is this one. Mr. Caddick-Adams (C-A) has produced the most complete look at Operation Overlord that I personally have ever read. Coming in a just under 900 pages of text (in the U.S. version), it is a bit of a doorstop. In spite of its length, it is very, very enjoyable read. Mr. C-A is fast becoming one of the “Go To” authors on World War II.
In the first half of the narrative, Mr. C-A tells the reader just how “Operation Overlord” came to be. From its beginnings in the COSSAC staff work under British General Fredrick Morgan through to the final plan produced by Montgomery and Eisenhower. In this section of the narrative, the author takes pains to credit Morgan and his staff for their planning, flatly stating it is the basis for the more ambitious SHAFE plan that was actually carried out. C-A states the contrary to the criticisms leveled about the plan both at the time and later about lack of imangination, Morgan was working with actual constraints of available personal and probably more importantly landing craft. These limitations held him to a 3 division landing force. The beaches he and his staff identified actually became the 3 British Beaches.
In telling the story of the training, Mr. C-A gives an excellent telling of the disaster that happened off of Slappton Sands in April 1944, where German E-Boats were able to attack an LST Convoy, sinking 2 and severely damaging 2 more and killing more than 800 troops. He also tells of the development of training areas in England. Both the US and British forces outright confiscated many old manors and villages and after the war they were in no condition to give them back to there prewar owners and inhabitants. Even today many are still uninhabited.
In addition to the Allied preparation, the author also gives an excellent accounting of just what their opponents were doing. His assessment the German Army defending the beaches in a departure from conventional understanding. The author states that in addition to a large percentage not even being German, they were not very well trained. He states that unlike the Allies, most of the German troops spent the 6 mths leading up to D-Day building bunkers and beach obstacles not learning/refreshing their knowledge of the military arts. Mr C-A also feels that their upper leadership, esp the 7th Army Commander where not up to the high standards of the German Army.
His telling of the actual invasion is superb. C-A starts with the Airborne drops and then takes each invasion beach in turn starting with Utah Beach and ending with the relief of the Glider forces holding the bridges over the Orne River and the Caen Canal by Lord Lovat and his commandos. He tells the story from both sides and tries to debunk some of the myths that have arisen about the invasion.
This leads us to a major sub-theme of the narrative, Cornelius Ryan’s research. Mr. C-A does pay homage to Mr. Ryan and “The Longest Day.’ He states “The Longest Day” started the D-Day industry. He has real problems with much of his research. The above is just part of it.
One other sub-theme of this book, that in addition to an excellent history, the narrative is almost a tour guide of the D-Day battlefields. Mr. C-A tells what is preserved, where the museums are and their quality, changes in terrain, what kind of parking is available etc. I wish this was available when I visited the Normandy Battlefields in 2008.
To sum this up, Mr. C-A has produced both an extremely well researched and well written look at probably the most important day of the twentieth century! About the only problem I had with it was a couple of minor mistakes in Unit Identification that only someone who is way, way too immersed in WW II trivia would have picked up on. Because of that, I would rate this 4.75 stars so I’ve rounded up. This narrative could definitely become THE go to book for D-Day!
In the first half of the narrative, Mr. C-A tells the reader just how “Operation Overlord” came to be. From its beginnings in the COSSAC staff work under British General Fredrick Morgan through to the final plan produced by Montgomery and Eisenhower. In this section of the narrative, the author takes pains to credit Morgan and his staff for their planning, flatly stating it is the basis for the more ambitious SHAFE plan that was actually carried out. C-A states the contrary to the criticisms leveled about the plan both at the time and later about lack of imangination, Morgan was working with actual constraints of available personal and probably more importantly landing craft. These limitations held him to a 3 division landing force. The beaches he and his staff identified actually became the 3 British Beaches.
In telling the story of the training, Mr. C-A gives an excellent telling of the disaster that happened off of Slappton Sands in April 1944, where German E-Boats were able to attack an LST Convoy, sinking 2 and severely damaging 2 more and killing more than 800 troops. He also tells of the development of training areas in England. Both the US and British forces outright confiscated many old manors and villages and after the war they were in no condition to give them back to there prewar owners and inhabitants. Even today many are still uninhabited.
In addition to the Allied preparation, the author also gives an excellent accounting of just what their opponents were doing. His assessment the German Army defending the beaches in a departure from conventional understanding. The author states that in addition to a large percentage not even being German, they were not very well trained. He states that unlike the Allies, most of the German troops spent the 6 mths leading up to D-Day building bunkers and beach obstacles not learning/refreshing their knowledge of the military arts. Mr C-A also feels that their upper leadership, esp the 7th Army Commander where not up to the high standards of the German Army.
His telling of the actual invasion is superb. C-A starts with the Airborne drops and then takes each invasion beach in turn starting with Utah Beach and ending with the relief of the Glider forces holding the bridges over the Orne River and the Caen Canal by Lord Lovat and his commandos. He tells the story from both sides and tries to debunk some of the myths that have arisen about the invasion.
This leads us to a major sub-theme of the narrative, Cornelius Ryan’s research. Mr. C-A does pay homage to Mr. Ryan and “The Longest Day.’ He states “The Longest Day” started the D-Day industry. He has real problems with much of his research. The above is just part of it.
One other sub-theme of this book, that in addition to an excellent history, the narrative is almost a tour guide of the D-Day battlefields. Mr. C-A tells what is preserved, where the museums are and their quality, changes in terrain, what kind of parking is available etc. I wish this was available when I visited the Normandy Battlefields in 2008.
To sum this up, Mr. C-A has produced both an extremely well researched and well written look at probably the most important day of the twentieth century! About the only problem I had with it was a couple of minor mistakes in Unit Identification that only someone who is way, way too immersed in WW II trivia would have picked up on. Because of that, I would rate this 4.75 stars so I’ve rounded up. This narrative could definitely become THE go to book for D-Day!
April 29, 2024
Exceptional history book. Deeply researched and very well written. Great to get this WW2 history from a British point of view. Very recommended
November 29, 2019
This is the definitive history. Caddick-Adams updates and corrects Cornelius Ryan, using both the book and the film (The Longest Day) as a reference point through-out. As I have seen the movie a dozen times, this made it easier to find my way around the various beaches and bridges. 800+ pages of carefully footnoted narrative supplemented by excellent maps. The corrects a lot of missed or erroneous notions that have found their way into standard histories of this battle. Fir example, the fierce struggle for Juno beach fought by the Canadians has always been given short shrift as a relative cake walk compared to Omaha. The author present convincing evidence that this beach was hotly contested, and gives the Canadians due praise for making the deepest penetration of Normandy by the end of the day. Anyone interested in a thoughtful appraisal of the battle and a review of the historiography of the same must read Sand and Steel.
May 24, 2019
Absolutely magnificent. The literary and historical successor to The Longest Day.
February 16, 2020
Rewarding for those Fascinated by D-Day
Those who tackle this 900 page book are likely fascinated by World War II and the D-Day landings in Normandy. Even if one has read other accounts, he or she will be rewarded by author Peter Craddick-Adams’ research, knowledge of his subject gained on many tours he has led over the terrain, and the quality of his analysis and writing.
An area that Craddick-Adams profitably explores concerns all the training that preceded June 6, 1944, when the landings took place. Some units had been in Britain for as much as three years, training again and again for the invasion. Others, arriving from the US, Canada, or battle experience in North Africa, Sicily, or Italy, found themselves engaged in live-fire exercises, real-life landings, and other realistic invasion requirements such as climbing cliffs.
The author postulates that casualties from this often dangerous training may have equaled or perhaps exceeded the casualties suffered by those landing on D-Day itself. Of course these training casualties were sustained over many months, not just a single day. But some 749 Americans died in a single training exercise in an area on the English south coast called Slapton Sands when the German equivalent of fast US Navy PT boats managed to attack a concentration of landing vessels. This was a fact hidden at the time and only made public years later.
Craddick-Adams also argues that many published casualty figures for D-Day fail to include air crew and sailors, particularly those dropping airborne forces or manning the landing craft. He specifically disputes accounts that have questioned the bravery of these airmen and sailors, pointing out how bravely C-47 crew dropping paratroopers flew through murderous anti-aircraft fire, or how beach obstacles rather than cowardice prevented those piloting landing craft from getting closer to shore before disembarking troops.
Incredibly, there was little transfer of skills between the U.S. Marine Corps which gained experience in landings in the Pacific and those planning the Normandy landings. The Marine Corps’ tracked landing craft were superior to anything used on D-Day.
Similarly there was service rivalry between the Americans and the British. Flailing tanks to clear land mines would have been useful on Omaha and Utah beaches but there was a “not invented here” attitude. The two Mulberry Harbors, one in the British and one the American sectors, were damaged by a storm on June 19. The British repaired theirs and kept it functional. The Americans believed this was unnecessary since they were confident of their imminent capture of the port of Cherbourg. Unfortunately, the Germans so destroyed the port that Cherbourg didn’t become functional until October, thus hampering supplies in a critical period after the allied breakout from Normandy.
Much of the book consists of a detailed account of the fighting that took place on the five invasion beaches. But for many who have read other accounts, there is particular value in observations by the author that may be new even to those who have read a great deal about D-Day:
1) As Churchill and Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke dragged their feet on the direct invasion of France, and argued for operations in the Balkans or Norway, the U.S. played an effective card, threatening to make the Pacific “first” in wartime priorities.
2) By choosing an American commander (Ike) for D-Day, Churchill could distance himself should anything go wrong with the invasion.
3) The British navy provided 80% of the ships supporting he landing, the U.S. 20% — a fact generally overlooked in American accounts of the day.
4) The quality of the German forces manning the front line defenses in Normandy was very poor to begin with, compounded by lack of training and motley equipment. Many of these troops were Poles and others from nations Germany had defeated earlier in the war, not hardened Nazis. They were poorly trained, spending much of their time building the bunkers and other defenses, they were equipped with a rag-tag assortment of arms that were French, Czech, and even the detritus that the British had abandoned at Dunkirk. German officers were not first-rate and were often more concerned about being transferred to the Eastern front than about the possibility of an invasion in their sector.
5) “Fortitude”, the elaborate deception effort to make the Germans believe that an additional army under General George Patton was posed to invade Calais, was probably not a factor in the D-Day outcome. Despite all the phony radio traffic, deployment of rubber inflatables to look like tanks, etc., there was never any reference to this in high level German intelligence reports.
6) German weather forecasting was as good as that of the Allies. They simply looked at the same information about the weather on June 6 and concluded it was unacceptable for a landing. The author questions whether history has inflated the role of Group Captain James Stagg of the Royal Air Force who presented a crucial forecast to Eisenhower on the eve of the invasion. Stagg’s metrological credentials were thin and he was simply reporting on the conclusions of three separate teams from the UK Meterological Office, the US Air Force, and the Royal Navy.
7) Finally, weather was the factor that could have spelled defeat for the invasion force. Caddick-Adams estimates that 10% of the fatalities on June 6 were due to drowning. An invasion that was postponed to June 19 when Normandy was hit by a terrible storm, likely would have failed.
This is an impressive book, well researched, well-told, and with fresh insights. It is worth the reader’s investment of time whether you have read little or a lot about D-Day.
Those who tackle this 900 page book are likely fascinated by World War II and the D-Day landings in Normandy. Even if one has read other accounts, he or she will be rewarded by author Peter Craddick-Adams’ research, knowledge of his subject gained on many tours he has led over the terrain, and the quality of his analysis and writing.
An area that Craddick-Adams profitably explores concerns all the training that preceded June 6, 1944, when the landings took place. Some units had been in Britain for as much as three years, training again and again for the invasion. Others, arriving from the US, Canada, or battle experience in North Africa, Sicily, or Italy, found themselves engaged in live-fire exercises, real-life landings, and other realistic invasion requirements such as climbing cliffs.
The author postulates that casualties from this often dangerous training may have equaled or perhaps exceeded the casualties suffered by those landing on D-Day itself. Of course these training casualties were sustained over many months, not just a single day. But some 749 Americans died in a single training exercise in an area on the English south coast called Slapton Sands when the German equivalent of fast US Navy PT boats managed to attack a concentration of landing vessels. This was a fact hidden at the time and only made public years later.
Craddick-Adams also argues that many published casualty figures for D-Day fail to include air crew and sailors, particularly those dropping airborne forces or manning the landing craft. He specifically disputes accounts that have questioned the bravery of these airmen and sailors, pointing out how bravely C-47 crew dropping paratroopers flew through murderous anti-aircraft fire, or how beach obstacles rather than cowardice prevented those piloting landing craft from getting closer to shore before disembarking troops.
Incredibly, there was little transfer of skills between the U.S. Marine Corps which gained experience in landings in the Pacific and those planning the Normandy landings. The Marine Corps’ tracked landing craft were superior to anything used on D-Day.
Similarly there was service rivalry between the Americans and the British. Flailing tanks to clear land mines would have been useful on Omaha and Utah beaches but there was a “not invented here” attitude. The two Mulberry Harbors, one in the British and one the American sectors, were damaged by a storm on June 19. The British repaired theirs and kept it functional. The Americans believed this was unnecessary since they were confident of their imminent capture of the port of Cherbourg. Unfortunately, the Germans so destroyed the port that Cherbourg didn’t become functional until October, thus hampering supplies in a critical period after the allied breakout from Normandy.
Much of the book consists of a detailed account of the fighting that took place on the five invasion beaches. But for many who have read other accounts, there is particular value in observations by the author that may be new even to those who have read a great deal about D-Day:
1) As Churchill and Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke dragged their feet on the direct invasion of France, and argued for operations in the Balkans or Norway, the U.S. played an effective card, threatening to make the Pacific “first” in wartime priorities.
2) By choosing an American commander (Ike) for D-Day, Churchill could distance himself should anything go wrong with the invasion.
3) The British navy provided 80% of the ships supporting he landing, the U.S. 20% — a fact generally overlooked in American accounts of the day.
4) The quality of the German forces manning the front line defenses in Normandy was very poor to begin with, compounded by lack of training and motley equipment. Many of these troops were Poles and others from nations Germany had defeated earlier in the war, not hardened Nazis. They were poorly trained, spending much of their time building the bunkers and other defenses, they were equipped with a rag-tag assortment of arms that were French, Czech, and even the detritus that the British had abandoned at Dunkirk. German officers were not first-rate and were often more concerned about being transferred to the Eastern front than about the possibility of an invasion in their sector.
5) “Fortitude”, the elaborate deception effort to make the Germans believe that an additional army under General George Patton was posed to invade Calais, was probably not a factor in the D-Day outcome. Despite all the phony radio traffic, deployment of rubber inflatables to look like tanks, etc., there was never any reference to this in high level German intelligence reports.
6) German weather forecasting was as good as that of the Allies. They simply looked at the same information about the weather on June 6 and concluded it was unacceptable for a landing. The author questions whether history has inflated the role of Group Captain James Stagg of the Royal Air Force who presented a crucial forecast to Eisenhower on the eve of the invasion. Stagg’s metrological credentials were thin and he was simply reporting on the conclusions of three separate teams from the UK Meterological Office, the US Air Force, and the Royal Navy.
7) Finally, weather was the factor that could have spelled defeat for the invasion force. Caddick-Adams estimates that 10% of the fatalities on June 6 were due to drowning. An invasion that was postponed to June 19 when Normandy was hit by a terrible storm, likely would have failed.
This is an impressive book, well researched, well-told, and with fresh insights. It is worth the reader’s investment of time whether you have read little or a lot about D-Day.
September 2, 2019
I am finishing the second of PETER CADDICK-ADAMS STEEl books (STEEL and SAND). I have read hundreds of WWII books and have enjoyed these immensely. I have learned a lot that I did not know (African-American experience in England pre-D-Day for example). not to mention interviews I had never read before. I think this book, so well written, will be a cornerstone of D-Day literature. Congratulations. A great companion to all the fine D-Day books I have read from THE LONGEST DAY to Six Armies in Normandy etc.
I know good history having read almost all of David Howarth, Alan Moorehead, Cornelius Ryan, John Keegan, Andrew Roberts, Alex Kershaw, Stephen Ambrose, Michael Grant plus of course the classic historians including Churchill I am impressed by a work that 1) is compelling and well-written 2) fair to all sides 3) accurate ( I haven't found one typo or historical error 4) full of new information and new insights. If anyone would ask me why read STEEL and SAND and I would say it is like reading a whole new book about D-Day, ITS ORIGINS, and its aftermath. Of course, I recognize some of the same source material in other books but PETER CADDICK-ADAMS always bring a fresh approach. This book is highly recommended. Now I want to read all of his WWII books!
I know good history having read almost all of David Howarth, Alan Moorehead, Cornelius Ryan, John Keegan, Andrew Roberts, Alex Kershaw, Stephen Ambrose, Michael Grant plus of course the classic historians including Churchill I am impressed by a work that 1) is compelling and well-written 2) fair to all sides 3) accurate ( I haven't found one typo or historical error 4) full of new information and new insights. If anyone would ask me why read STEEL and SAND and I would say it is like reading a whole new book about D-Day, ITS ORIGINS, and its aftermath. Of course, I recognize some of the same source material in other books but PETER CADDICK-ADAMS always bring a fresh approach. This book is highly recommended. Now I want to read all of his WWII books!
December 5, 2019
I finished Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France by Peter Caddick-Adams, this morning.
To call it a well researched book is not doing it justice It deals with the planning and the execution of Overlord and unlike many histories it covers in detail landings on all the beaches and provides in-depth coverage an analysis for both the British, Canadian and U.S. beaches. The book also discusses in significant detail the German side of the battle as well.
It is both a big history and a small history not just focusing on units and Army leadership but individuals, from the British, Canadian, U.S. and German units as well.
The book with an analysis of the effectiveness of Operation Fortitude, counter intelligence and ability the Germans to react to the attack taking into account both the effectiveness of the feint operations and their overall abilities.
If you are looking for top shelf book on the coverage of the invasion of Western Europe this should be on the top of the pile.
To call it a well researched book is not doing it justice It deals with the planning and the execution of Overlord and unlike many histories it covers in detail landings on all the beaches and provides in-depth coverage an analysis for both the British, Canadian and U.S. beaches. The book also discusses in significant detail the German side of the battle as well.
It is both a big history and a small history not just focusing on units and Army leadership but individuals, from the British, Canadian, U.S. and German units as well.
The book with an analysis of the effectiveness of Operation Fortitude, counter intelligence and ability the Germans to react to the attack taking into account both the effectiveness of the feint operations and their overall abilities.
If you are looking for top shelf book on the coverage of the invasion of Western Europe this should be on the top of the pile.
August 17, 2019
Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France by Peter Caddick-Adams is published by Oxford University Press.
I am really close to embracing the absurd idea that World War II never happened. In particular, I can almost find myself believing that the D-Day Normandy invasion of France on June 6, 1944 never happened. No, I am not losing my sanity, nor am I listening to weird conspiracy theories of crackpots.
Here is my thought: I cannot fathom how the men at Normandy faced the obstacles, encountered the dangers, endured the noise and destruction, and braved the event. I get frightened by severe storms or near car wrecks on the highway. How did these men, many who were barely past boyhood, do what they did? My awe extends beyond the work of just the Americans, and I even marvel at the enemies on that day.
This past June 6 marked the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. In light of that, a number of books began appearing highlighting the events and retelling the story of Operation Overlord. I first learned of Sand & Steel from a friend and historian Tony Williams, who wrote a fine account of some of the books on this crucial day during World War II.
Along with this book, James Holland’s Normandy 1944 and Alex Kershaw’s The First Wave hit the shelves shortly before the 75 year commemoration. There are some older books that are great treasures as well for studying this event. The first great account was Cornelius Ryan’s The Longest Day, which was followed up with an all-star cast epic movie. Stephen Ambrose’s D-Day: June 6, 1944, John Keegan’s Six Armies in Normandy, Max Hasting’s Overlord, and Antony Beevor’s D-Day are among the books I have acquired over the years on this event.
It is hard to imagine a book, however, that is more detailed and rigorous in its content that Sand & Steel. With nearly 900 pages of narrative, Caddick-Adams goes from event to event, from landing to landing, and describes the multitude of encounters, failures, disasters, and acts of heroism. I was astounded and often simply swamped by the details. How could any one man put so much of this story together. In his acknowledgments, the author talks about his many years of research and many days spent walking the actual battlegrounds. He also accessed interviews and personal accounts and got into the story in time to talk with some of the actual participants. He was also at Pointe du Hoc in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan gave one of his greatest speeches ever.
Several points to be made about this book:
The first 400 pages of this book deal with the planning stages for the invasion. I was horrified by the fact that so many soldiers were killed during training exercises going on all across Britain during 1943 and early 1944. Many men who “died fighting the Nazis” actually died during mishaps and problems relating to the training drills. But, if these training drills had not taken place, the results would have been worse. Those poor guys are just as much fallen heroes as those who actually made it to the beaches.
The Germans were working furiously to create defensive mechanisms, collectively known as the Atlantic Wall, to repel the invasion. They were hindered in many ways, ranging from lack of supplies to efforts to sabotage their works. The beaches of northern France were turned into death zones by the mines, barbed wire, metal obstacles, and other devices. Topping the high ground were bunkers, machine gun nests, pill boxes, and other concrete fortifications stocked with all manner of weapons.
The role of air power was decisive for the Allies, but the number of times where bombs fell in the wrong places or did not succeed in destroying enemies locations is incredible. Again, adding to my disbelief, the sheer amount of tonnage dropped on Europe and particularly northern France seems impossible. (How did people endure the noise of World War II?)
As Caddick-Adams began describing the various encounters during the landing, I found myself wondering how the Allies could possibly have been winning that day. One of the most enjoyable features of the book is the author’s short accounts of the men themselves. Thankfully, a number of personal accounts and interviews have been gathered that tell the story from the perspective of the participants. Repeatedly, the stories are filled with the horrors of seeing people killed and maimed who were standing just inches away. Some men did heroic acts while disembarking and hitting the beaches, while others cringing and panicking did whatever they could to find safety. I stand in awe of all.
Caddick-Adams does a good job of reassessing some of the previous accounts and stories and myths about D-Day. Cornelius Ryan’s book is outstanding, but in a story this big, he missed the mark quite a few times. Even with 900 pages, Caddick, Adams is still only skimming the surface of this story.
This book is not for the person who wants to just read a good account of D-Day. Maybe someone watches The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan and they want to learn more. They should go for some of the other, shorter accounts. But for the student of World War II, already well briefed on what happened, this book is a great resource, very readable, and filled with much that is unforgettable.
I am really close to embracing the absurd idea that World War II never happened. In particular, I can almost find myself believing that the D-Day Normandy invasion of France on June 6, 1944 never happened. No, I am not losing my sanity, nor am I listening to weird conspiracy theories of crackpots.
Here is my thought: I cannot fathom how the men at Normandy faced the obstacles, encountered the dangers, endured the noise and destruction, and braved the event. I get frightened by severe storms or near car wrecks on the highway. How did these men, many who were barely past boyhood, do what they did? My awe extends beyond the work of just the Americans, and I even marvel at the enemies on that day.
This past June 6 marked the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. In light of that, a number of books began appearing highlighting the events and retelling the story of Operation Overlord. I first learned of Sand & Steel from a friend and historian Tony Williams, who wrote a fine account of some of the books on this crucial day during World War II.
Along with this book, James Holland’s Normandy 1944 and Alex Kershaw’s The First Wave hit the shelves shortly before the 75 year commemoration. There are some older books that are great treasures as well for studying this event. The first great account was Cornelius Ryan’s The Longest Day, which was followed up with an all-star cast epic movie. Stephen Ambrose’s D-Day: June 6, 1944, John Keegan’s Six Armies in Normandy, Max Hasting’s Overlord, and Antony Beevor’s D-Day are among the books I have acquired over the years on this event.
It is hard to imagine a book, however, that is more detailed and rigorous in its content that Sand & Steel. With nearly 900 pages of narrative, Caddick-Adams goes from event to event, from landing to landing, and describes the multitude of encounters, failures, disasters, and acts of heroism. I was astounded and often simply swamped by the details. How could any one man put so much of this story together. In his acknowledgments, the author talks about his many years of research and many days spent walking the actual battlegrounds. He also accessed interviews and personal accounts and got into the story in time to talk with some of the actual participants. He was also at Pointe du Hoc in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan gave one of his greatest speeches ever.
Several points to be made about this book:
The first 400 pages of this book deal with the planning stages for the invasion. I was horrified by the fact that so many soldiers were killed during training exercises going on all across Britain during 1943 and early 1944. Many men who “died fighting the Nazis” actually died during mishaps and problems relating to the training drills. But, if these training drills had not taken place, the results would have been worse. Those poor guys are just as much fallen heroes as those who actually made it to the beaches.
The Germans were working furiously to create defensive mechanisms, collectively known as the Atlantic Wall, to repel the invasion. They were hindered in many ways, ranging from lack of supplies to efforts to sabotage their works. The beaches of northern France were turned into death zones by the mines, barbed wire, metal obstacles, and other devices. Topping the high ground were bunkers, machine gun nests, pill boxes, and other concrete fortifications stocked with all manner of weapons.
The role of air power was decisive for the Allies, but the number of times where bombs fell in the wrong places or did not succeed in destroying enemies locations is incredible. Again, adding to my disbelief, the sheer amount of tonnage dropped on Europe and particularly northern France seems impossible. (How did people endure the noise of World War II?)
As Caddick-Adams began describing the various encounters during the landing, I found myself wondering how the Allies could possibly have been winning that day. One of the most enjoyable features of the book is the author’s short accounts of the men themselves. Thankfully, a number of personal accounts and interviews have been gathered that tell the story from the perspective of the participants. Repeatedly, the stories are filled with the horrors of seeing people killed and maimed who were standing just inches away. Some men did heroic acts while disembarking and hitting the beaches, while others cringing and panicking did whatever they could to find safety. I stand in awe of all.
Caddick-Adams does a good job of reassessing some of the previous accounts and stories and myths about D-Day. Cornelius Ryan’s book is outstanding, but in a story this big, he missed the mark quite a few times. Even with 900 pages, Caddick, Adams is still only skimming the surface of this story.
This book is not for the person who wants to just read a good account of D-Day. Maybe someone watches The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan and they want to learn more. They should go for some of the other, shorter accounts. But for the student of World War II, already well briefed on what happened, this book is a great resource, very readable, and filled with much that is unforgettable.
March 17, 2022
While I had been highly impressed with the author's book on the Ardennes Offensive, when I looked at this hunk of processed wood pulp I'll admit wondering whether I even wanted to get stuck in. However, I did persevere and can recommend it with very few reservations. One thing that has to be kept in mind is that this is a narrower book than it looks, with about half of the book devoted to the preparation for D-Day, and the other half devoted to D-Day itself. If you're interested in the conduct of the war after 6/6/1944 you'll be disappointed.
As for Caddick-Adams' mission, much of it relates to examining, and in a lot cases debunking, the myths that were created by Cornelius Ryan's "The Longest Day" (both the book and the film), and Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan." From there, there is also an effort to put the experiences of the other assault beaches into perspective, as the epic desperation experienced on "Omaha" beach tends to suck all the oxygen out of the room. In particular, this means playing up the Canadian experience on "Juno" Beach, and critically examining whether the British forces on "Sword" beach really had a chance to grab Caen. In the second case, the author has to conclude that while Bernard Montgomery may have had daydreams about grabbing the French town, he wasn't prepared to admit that the resources just weren't there to enable the mission to be accomplished; it should be noted that Caddick-Adams is not a great admirer of the field marshal.
One could go on and on about the all the small, but, salient matters that the author makes note of, from the experiences of the German make-weight battalions recruited from their POW camps, to the impact of the clockwork Allied invasion plan, to how the dicey weather inflicted havoc on the small land craft and amphibious vehicles, to squarely facing the mediocrity of the (for the most part) German anti-invasion plan. Still, at the end of the day, Caddick-Adams has to conclude that it was fortunate that June 6 was chosen as "the day" and that Eisenhower deserves all the credit in the world for having the moral courage to pull the trigger.
Highly recommended.
As for Caddick-Adams' mission, much of it relates to examining, and in a lot cases debunking, the myths that were created by Cornelius Ryan's "The Longest Day" (both the book and the film), and Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan." From there, there is also an effort to put the experiences of the other assault beaches into perspective, as the epic desperation experienced on "Omaha" beach tends to suck all the oxygen out of the room. In particular, this means playing up the Canadian experience on "Juno" Beach, and critically examining whether the British forces on "Sword" beach really had a chance to grab Caen. In the second case, the author has to conclude that while Bernard Montgomery may have had daydreams about grabbing the French town, he wasn't prepared to admit that the resources just weren't there to enable the mission to be accomplished; it should be noted that Caddick-Adams is not a great admirer of the field marshal.
One could go on and on about the all the small, but, salient matters that the author makes note of, from the experiences of the German make-weight battalions recruited from their POW camps, to the impact of the clockwork Allied invasion plan, to how the dicey weather inflicted havoc on the small land craft and amphibious vehicles, to squarely facing the mediocrity of the (for the most part) German anti-invasion plan. Still, at the end of the day, Caddick-Adams has to conclude that it was fortunate that June 6 was chosen as "the day" and that Eisenhower deserves all the credit in the world for having the moral courage to pull the trigger.
Highly recommended.
January 7, 2023
Really good book! I enjoyed how in depth it was and I enjoyed that it talked about the different regiments and how they operated.
August 4, 2023
One word for this book…..superb!
January 12, 2025
Masterful history of d-day
July 6, 2025
A fabulous work of historical writing! Exhaustive, but never exhausting, it is simply the best book about D-Day that I have ever read. Cannot recommend highly enough.
March 18, 2022
Actually the ebook from Google Play, Excellent all the same.
January 17, 2025
Yet another book on D-Day. I've read a lot of them and it is always interesting to see if the author can bring a different take on a well-known story. And in this case, for the first 50% of the book, the answer is an unqualified yes. The latter half, not so much.
First half - Preparation
This was all about readiness operations and planning for D-Day and, through extensive interviews with participants, one got quite a few interesting chapters covering in more detail than I recall from other books. For example, the extensive practice landings done by the Brits and Canadians (normally, you just get the Slapton Sands disaster and little more). Another memorable sub-chapter was on the extent of prostitution in London. The reader gets a deep dive on the weather forecasters with more than the well-known Captain Stagg. You also get to learn about what life was like in the embarkation zones which were buttoned up once the date was near. All-in-all, this half of the book was interesting and included many unfamiliar photos.
Of course, the night of June 5 rolls around and men embark on the landing ships. Much seasickness. Transport crews with their gliders and paratroops take off. Bombers head in to plaster the defenses (spoiler alert - they all missed). Warships start bombardment. The Germans wake up and start their alerts.
And, it's morning and PCA (the author, as known on social media) tells the story going from west to east meaning Utah - Omaha - Gold - Juno - Sword though the British 6th airborne drop gets told along with the American airborne drop so the strict west-to-east narrative is understandably violated.
PCA had first hand accounts from over 1000 participants, including Germans and those accounts form the basis of the entire book. This methodology worked well for the first half when the topics were relatively new to the well-read military history enthusiast but not so well (for me) for the actual landings.
The landings
PCA had to blend in a narrative of the actual battle progress with all these collected first hand accounts. Since I was reading the paperback edition, the maps were tiny and had to sometimes serve two chapters. This meant constantly flipping back to see where each village was positioned or numbered strongpoint was located.
You felt as if each beach landing was a story of men observing their buddies blown to smithereens, landing craft sinking, beaches raked with defensive fire and then as if by magic, the defenses were breached and troops moved inland. This "magic" occurred because the story was told through the first hand accounts so as the participants advanced, so did you the reader. I'm not saying there was a better way to tell the story, just that the drama of the morning got lost somehow in the narrative style. It is completely clear that whether you survived or not had everything to do with timing and luck. A mortar might kill you or spare you; a sniper might pierce your helmet or miss, your coxswain might steer your boat into an demolition-rigged obstacle or not. Thank goodness for the rest of history the soldiers were very well-trained with an enormous logistical backing.
PCA "shown" while doing analysis and what-if discussions. As an inveterate walk-the battle historian, he did a good job of describing the terrain, leavened with photos from the time. In the epilogue, he analyzes the effect of the Allied deception plan and which aspect of it had the most impact on German thinking. I liked all of this analysis.
The book is certainly readable and would inspire anyone to visit the beaches and innumerable museums in Normandy as well as the UK. I went to Normandy in 1995 and I really should go back.
Movie buffs will like the references to various scenes, actors, and characters from The Longest Day to Saving Private Ryan that pepper this well-written book.
I will point out that this is a book on the D-Day preparation and the 6th of June. It is not a book on the Normandy campaign or for that matter, even June 7th. It is completely even-handed to the Americans-Brits-Canadians-Germans and even the small unit Free French commandos.
First half - Preparation
This was all about readiness operations and planning for D-Day and, through extensive interviews with participants, one got quite a few interesting chapters covering in more detail than I recall from other books. For example, the extensive practice landings done by the Brits and Canadians (normally, you just get the Slapton Sands disaster and little more). Another memorable sub-chapter was on the extent of prostitution in London. The reader gets a deep dive on the weather forecasters with more than the well-known Captain Stagg. You also get to learn about what life was like in the embarkation zones which were buttoned up once the date was near. All-in-all, this half of the book was interesting and included many unfamiliar photos.
Of course, the night of June 5 rolls around and men embark on the landing ships. Much seasickness. Transport crews with their gliders and paratroops take off. Bombers head in to plaster the defenses (spoiler alert - they all missed). Warships start bombardment. The Germans wake up and start their alerts.
And, it's morning and PCA (the author, as known on social media) tells the story going from west to east meaning Utah - Omaha - Gold - Juno - Sword though the British 6th airborne drop gets told along with the American airborne drop so the strict west-to-east narrative is understandably violated.
PCA had first hand accounts from over 1000 participants, including Germans and those accounts form the basis of the entire book. This methodology worked well for the first half when the topics were relatively new to the well-read military history enthusiast but not so well (for me) for the actual landings.
The landings
PCA had to blend in a narrative of the actual battle progress with all these collected first hand accounts. Since I was reading the paperback edition, the maps were tiny and had to sometimes serve two chapters. This meant constantly flipping back to see where each village was positioned or numbered strongpoint was located.
You felt as if each beach landing was a story of men observing their buddies blown to smithereens, landing craft sinking, beaches raked with defensive fire and then as if by magic, the defenses were breached and troops moved inland. This "magic" occurred because the story was told through the first hand accounts so as the participants advanced, so did you the reader. I'm not saying there was a better way to tell the story, just that the drama of the morning got lost somehow in the narrative style. It is completely clear that whether you survived or not had everything to do with timing and luck. A mortar might kill you or spare you; a sniper might pierce your helmet or miss, your coxswain might steer your boat into an demolition-rigged obstacle or not. Thank goodness for the rest of history the soldiers were very well-trained with an enormous logistical backing.
PCA "shown" while doing analysis and what-if discussions. As an inveterate walk-the battle historian, he did a good job of describing the terrain, leavened with photos from the time. In the epilogue, he analyzes the effect of the Allied deception plan and which aspect of it had the most impact on German thinking. I liked all of this analysis.
The book is certainly readable and would inspire anyone to visit the beaches and innumerable museums in Normandy as well as the UK. I went to Normandy in 1995 and I really should go back.
Movie buffs will like the references to various scenes, actors, and characters from The Longest Day to Saving Private Ryan that pepper this well-written book.
I will point out that this is a book on the D-Day preparation and the 6th of June. It is not a book on the Normandy campaign or for that matter, even June 7th. It is completely even-handed to the Americans-Brits-Canadians-Germans and even the small unit Free French commandos.
April 26, 2020
If you could only have one book on D-Day then I would recommend this book. It covers every aspect of the battle and has a lot of details that most other books omit. The author also addresses some of the more common myths that have arisen about the invasion since Cornelius Ryan first wrote "The Longest Day".
The book could be considered to be in two parts, the lead up to the battle and the actual invasion/battle.
The lead up to the battle covers several aspects. Not only does it cover the military situation at the time how both the Axis and Allies were situated but more interestingly how each of the main participants arrived to that point in time. So for example for the American and Canadian forces it talked about their arrival in the United Kingdom and the social and cultural reactions to their arrival. It was interesting and disturbing when for example the author talked about the American's policy of racial segregation and how the British were not used to this and unfortunately for the sake of avoiding confrontation the British government allowed the USA to continue the policy while in the UK. Also in the lead up to the invasion he covers the training the participants did to get ready for the invasion. If you thought that they were just sitting around waiting to go well after reading this you will realize that this was not true. He covers all the different exercises that occurred to ensure that the invasion would be successful, including examples of how dangerous the training was (spoiler: there were fatalities and casualties in the training).
The second half of the book was the invasion, starting from the departure from various ports around England and the voyage across the channel and the landing on the beaches. The way the author did it was beach by beach so a chapter on each beach. I thought that this was an excellent way to depict it. There are a lot of details on each beach and allows you to get a better understanding of the invasion.
Overall I thought this was a great book and would highly recommend it. One thing as a Canadian that I liked was that he actually includes the Canadian contribution to the operation, a lot of writers just lump the Canadians with the British forces and he even talked about CANLoan officers, something a lot of people don't know about. My one minor complaint about the book is that a few times when giving examples of points he seemed to get repetitive with the personal reflections from participants. This only occurred once or twice so not a big deal.
Finally this is a big book , hardcover is 1025 pages so it does take a while to read but well worth the time.
The book could be considered to be in two parts, the lead up to the battle and the actual invasion/battle.
The lead up to the battle covers several aspects. Not only does it cover the military situation at the time how both the Axis and Allies were situated but more interestingly how each of the main participants arrived to that point in time. So for example for the American and Canadian forces it talked about their arrival in the United Kingdom and the social and cultural reactions to their arrival. It was interesting and disturbing when for example the author talked about the American's policy of racial segregation and how the British were not used to this and unfortunately for the sake of avoiding confrontation the British government allowed the USA to continue the policy while in the UK. Also in the lead up to the invasion he covers the training the participants did to get ready for the invasion. If you thought that they were just sitting around waiting to go well after reading this you will realize that this was not true. He covers all the different exercises that occurred to ensure that the invasion would be successful, including examples of how dangerous the training was (spoiler: there were fatalities and casualties in the training).
The second half of the book was the invasion, starting from the departure from various ports around England and the voyage across the channel and the landing on the beaches. The way the author did it was beach by beach so a chapter on each beach. I thought that this was an excellent way to depict it. There are a lot of details on each beach and allows you to get a better understanding of the invasion.
Overall I thought this was a great book and would highly recommend it. One thing as a Canadian that I liked was that he actually includes the Canadian contribution to the operation, a lot of writers just lump the Canadians with the British forces and he even talked about CANLoan officers, something a lot of people don't know about. My one minor complaint about the book is that a few times when giving examples of points he seemed to get repetitive with the personal reflections from participants. This only occurred once or twice so not a big deal.
Finally this is a big book , hardcover is 1025 pages so it does take a while to read but well worth the time.
June 6, 2020
'D-Day'. Over the decades since 6th June 1944, the very term has become iconic. It has entered the lexicon of everyday language to signify any day on which a significant, landmark event is scheduled to take place. But in terms of the D-Day, the term summons up in the imagination truly Herculean efforts to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Efforts which culminated in the Allies mounting the largest seaborne invasion fleet the world has ever known, sent across the English Channel to defeat the tyranny of the Nazi war machine.
As a result of D-Day's iconography, there are countless books, movies and TV series depicting the events of that day. In other words, it is ground which is extremely well-trodden from a historical point of view. Anyone who has something approaching a keen interest in twentieth century military history, will have heard, read, or viewed the events being reconstructed through various media.
Caddick-Adams manages to overcome this by not only covering the event in an impressively detailed manner, but in debunking some of the commonly held misconceptions on what took place. The central argument of Max Hastings Overlord, that the Germans were the better army in almost every regard, being one easy to recall example.
When I say that Caddick-Adams uses an impressive amount of detail, I really mean it. The book is close to 900 pages (kindle edition), so if you want a quick read, this isn't the book for you. But if you do persevere and read it, you will be justly rewarded. The book exhaustively details the leadup to the day. The deceptions employed by the Allies, how effective (or ineffective) they were, the weaponry used on both sides, the training involved in preparation, the 'conflicts' between US and UK troops, the deaths while those troops were training - it's really quite spectacular.
Caddick-Adams also strikes me as an author who has a balanced perspective on history. Even though I read it well over a decade ago, Stephen E. Ambrose's eponymously titled book D-Day still rankles with me to this day, due to it's unashamed 'America saved the day' approach to WW2 history. Instead, Caddick-Adams explains that the Brits and the Canadians had no easy time of it and that the whole day wasn't all about Omaha Beach and the Rangers at Pointe Du-Hoc.
In short, when I think that in years to come I will try and recall what books are worth reading on the subject of what happened in the months prior to 6th June 1944, and on the day itself, this will be the one that stands out as definitive.
As a result of D-Day's iconography, there are countless books, movies and TV series depicting the events of that day. In other words, it is ground which is extremely well-trodden from a historical point of view. Anyone who has something approaching a keen interest in twentieth century military history, will have heard, read, or viewed the events being reconstructed through various media.
Caddick-Adams manages to overcome this by not only covering the event in an impressively detailed manner, but in debunking some of the commonly held misconceptions on what took place. The central argument of Max Hastings Overlord, that the Germans were the better army in almost every regard, being one easy to recall example.
When I say that Caddick-Adams uses an impressive amount of detail, I really mean it. The book is close to 900 pages (kindle edition), so if you want a quick read, this isn't the book for you. But if you do persevere and read it, you will be justly rewarded. The book exhaustively details the leadup to the day. The deceptions employed by the Allies, how effective (or ineffective) they were, the weaponry used on both sides, the training involved in preparation, the 'conflicts' between US and UK troops, the deaths while those troops were training - it's really quite spectacular.
Caddick-Adams also strikes me as an author who has a balanced perspective on history. Even though I read it well over a decade ago, Stephen E. Ambrose's eponymously titled book D-Day still rankles with me to this day, due to it's unashamed 'America saved the day' approach to WW2 history. Instead, Caddick-Adams explains that the Brits and the Canadians had no easy time of it and that the whole day wasn't all about Omaha Beach and the Rangers at Pointe Du-Hoc.
In short, when I think that in years to come I will try and recall what books are worth reading on the subject of what happened in the months prior to 6th June 1944, and on the day itself, this will be the one that stands out as definitive.
May 21, 2020
Really excellent second look at the D-Day Invasions and the planning that went into them. Easily a 4.5 or 5 star read.
Let me get one minor quibble off my chest - the title is a bit misleading. Based on the "Liberation of France" portion, I assumed Caddick-Adams was going to cover more into the Normandy campaign at least until the Breakout in late July. But that's not the case, this book essentially ends at midnight on June 6th.
That's the only negative... knowing ahead, would I have purchases, maybe maybe not - but I'm glad I did. This is not just another rundown of D-Day planning, it comes down to the weather, Eisenhower makes the tough decision, and the Allies hit the beach. Yes, all of that is in there of course.
But so is the relative effectiveness of Operation Fortitude and the other various attempts at deception. What I enjoyed the most, was a bit short, but a deeper look at the effectiveness of the double agents involved in feeding the Third Reich believable but false intelligence. Caddick-Adams does a great job of giving a second look at the myth that these inflatable tanks and false radio traffic had the Nazi's convinced the invasion would come at Calais. Rather, a look at who was looking at what, in the Nazi high command, what pieces of information was getting to whom and who was connecting the dots. Or not, as it were.
We also get a beach by beach rundown of what went right and wrong at each of the invasion beaches as well as the airdrops. Here we're dispelling some myths as well (Utah was not as easy as conventional wisdom suggests).
It's D-Day, you're read a hundred books about it. But you need to make it 101. Caddick-Adams has done his homework, not relied on convention and redug things that were buried. A great read. Excellent, and worth your time.
Let me get one minor quibble off my chest - the title is a bit misleading. Based on the "Liberation of France" portion, I assumed Caddick-Adams was going to cover more into the Normandy campaign at least until the Breakout in late July. But that's not the case, this book essentially ends at midnight on June 6th.
That's the only negative... knowing ahead, would I have purchases, maybe maybe not - but I'm glad I did. This is not just another rundown of D-Day planning, it comes down to the weather, Eisenhower makes the tough decision, and the Allies hit the beach. Yes, all of that is in there of course.
But so is the relative effectiveness of Operation Fortitude and the other various attempts at deception. What I enjoyed the most, was a bit short, but a deeper look at the effectiveness of the double agents involved in feeding the Third Reich believable but false intelligence. Caddick-Adams does a great job of giving a second look at the myth that these inflatable tanks and false radio traffic had the Nazi's convinced the invasion would come at Calais. Rather, a look at who was looking at what, in the Nazi high command, what pieces of information was getting to whom and who was connecting the dots. Or not, as it were.
We also get a beach by beach rundown of what went right and wrong at each of the invasion beaches as well as the airdrops. Here we're dispelling some myths as well (Utah was not as easy as conventional wisdom suggests).
It's D-Day, you're read a hundred books about it. But you need to make it 101. Caddick-Adams has done his homework, not relied on convention and redug things that were buried. A great read. Excellent, and worth your time.
June 30, 2019
On the 75th anniversary of D-Day, there are few better testaments to the courage, bravery, and perseverance of the American, British, Canadian, French and other troops who launched the herculean task of rolling back Hitler's empire than Peter Caddick-Adams's "Sand & Steel." Throughout nearly 900 pages of prose, Caddick-Adams tells not only the story of Utah, Omaha, Sword, Juno, and Gold, but also the vast preparations and planning that occurred in the years and months leading up to June 6, 1944. Caddick-Adams may not quite possess the verve of a Rick Atkinson or David McCullough, but the story unfurled across the pages is meticulous, well-researched, and relayed in minute detail that not only takes you to the beaches, but makes you understand why those beaches were stormed.
The Allies are not the only actors portrayed in this drama. The German soldiers guarding the Atlantikwall are shown to be largely the young and old cast-offs from the Eastern Front and ethnic minorities shipped off to defend the Reich. While Caddick-Adams does much to show that the superiority of the Nazi troops is often overrrated in D-Day narratives, the plain luck of the Allies' operations is demonstrated. At many points, Omaha especially, and the whole Second Front generally, could have ground down into stalemate and perhaps worse.
While much of the first half of the story rests with the "giants" - Eisenhower; Montgomery; Churchill; Ramsay - much of the book is devoted to the exploits of ordinary men and women. It is to them that the West, and civilization as a whole, owes eternal thanks. Those men and women trudged through hell so that their colleagues near and far, and future generations, might attain a more heavenly and peaceful state on this earth, for now and for all time.
The Allies are not the only actors portrayed in this drama. The German soldiers guarding the Atlantikwall are shown to be largely the young and old cast-offs from the Eastern Front and ethnic minorities shipped off to defend the Reich. While Caddick-Adams does much to show that the superiority of the Nazi troops is often overrrated in D-Day narratives, the plain luck of the Allies' operations is demonstrated. At many points, Omaha especially, and the whole Second Front generally, could have ground down into stalemate and perhaps worse.
While much of the first half of the story rests with the "giants" - Eisenhower; Montgomery; Churchill; Ramsay - much of the book is devoted to the exploits of ordinary men and women. It is to them that the West, and civilization as a whole, owes eternal thanks. Those men and women trudged through hell so that their colleagues near and far, and future generations, might attain a more heavenly and peaceful state on this earth, for now and for all time.
August 3, 2024
Sand & Steel: The D-Day Invasions and the Liberation of France
Caddick-Adams’s 2019 work, Sand & Steel, is a comprehensive history of the D-Day invasion. It presents a thorough explanation of the battle from preparation to landing to its aftermath. Its thoroughness is unsurpassed. Anyone interested in the Normandy D-Day invasion will find many fresh insights even though this is a battle written by scores of fine historians.
The analysis of the build up to the invasion, the preparation, the intense training, the mistakes and miscalculations by both the Allies and the German high command is thorough and well-presented.
Also, Caddick-Adams tries to correct the record about established ideas of the invasion, especially those put forward in the groundbreaking, but early, history of this invasion, The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, first published in 1959, just 15 years after the event. Caddick-Adams never attacks Ryan, merely points out where the earlier historian may have misjudged or overemphasized certain aspects of the battle. As time has passed, and with the opening up of a vast trove of historical documents not seen by Ryan, Caddick-Adams reviews this subject with more objectivity and perspective. The movie adaptation of this seminal work, also titled The Longest Day, 1962, only made some misconceptions worse, such as overlooking the significant contribution of Canadian troops at Juno Beach, and the elevation of the significance of French commandos who actually played a small part in the invasion.
Although I have read many find histories by Ryan, Ambrose, Keegan, and Atkinson, I found a wealth of new information in Caddick-Adams’ book. It kept me reading and completely interested. I would recommend this work to any student of World War II.
Caddick-Adams’s 2019 work, Sand & Steel, is a comprehensive history of the D-Day invasion. It presents a thorough explanation of the battle from preparation to landing to its aftermath. Its thoroughness is unsurpassed. Anyone interested in the Normandy D-Day invasion will find many fresh insights even though this is a battle written by scores of fine historians.
The analysis of the build up to the invasion, the preparation, the intense training, the mistakes and miscalculations by both the Allies and the German high command is thorough and well-presented.
Also, Caddick-Adams tries to correct the record about established ideas of the invasion, especially those put forward in the groundbreaking, but early, history of this invasion, The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, first published in 1959, just 15 years after the event. Caddick-Adams never attacks Ryan, merely points out where the earlier historian may have misjudged or overemphasized certain aspects of the battle. As time has passed, and with the opening up of a vast trove of historical documents not seen by Ryan, Caddick-Adams reviews this subject with more objectivity and perspective. The movie adaptation of this seminal work, also titled The Longest Day, 1962, only made some misconceptions worse, such as overlooking the significant contribution of Canadian troops at Juno Beach, and the elevation of the significance of French commandos who actually played a small part in the invasion.
Although I have read many find histories by Ryan, Ambrose, Keegan, and Atkinson, I found a wealth of new information in Caddick-Adams’ book. It kept me reading and completely interested. I would recommend this work to any student of World War II.
February 11, 2022
This review will be continued as soon as I'll finish the second part of the book.
PREPARATIONS (11.02.2022)
First part of the book consists every important event that happened in period prior to June 6th. Author starts with de Gaulle's speech to the Free Frenchmen, and ends with descriptions of landing flotilla's approach the french coast. Only the second chapter of this part of the book address Germans and their forces in area of further operations, which was clearly outlined by the author in the preface.
Obviously, we'll read a lot about them in next chapters, but only in terms of creating context or giving the insight into the outcome to some of allied actions. I'm not sure how it's gonna look like in the INVASION-part of the tome, but at this moment it's not a nuissance for me at all.
This half of "Sand & Steel" is full of not well known facts, such as black americans involvement in preparations and actual landings, or their relations with brits and white US folks. Series of rehearsals which took a lot of lives due to unexpected weather conditions, planning mistakes or simple lack of knowledge about equipment's behaviour in certain circumstances. Bombing of french railway system because of Wehrmacht's dependency on it. Unequallity in regard of wages between Commonwealth soldiers and their US Army counterparts, which caused a lot of strains in pre-invasion period. Even "love-business" has been portrayed in quite long part of one of the chapters.
I'm familiar with Mr Caddick Adams's books so I knew what I should expect. There is a lot of reminiscences of people who took part in these events, and sometimes I felt overburdened by them. It's not a real, typical flaw, but I felt like I'm plughing through these accounts which was bit tiring after longer session. Some might say it's the clue of history books, but I think there is small room for improvement.
INVASION
(as soon as I finish reading)
PREPARATIONS (11.02.2022)
First part of the book consists every important event that happened in period prior to June 6th. Author starts with de Gaulle's speech to the Free Frenchmen, and ends with descriptions of landing flotilla's approach the french coast. Only the second chapter of this part of the book address Germans and their forces in area of further operations, which was clearly outlined by the author in the preface.
Obviously, we'll read a lot about them in next chapters, but only in terms of creating context or giving the insight into the outcome to some of allied actions. I'm not sure how it's gonna look like in the INVASION-part of the tome, but at this moment it's not a nuissance for me at all.
This half of "Sand & Steel" is full of not well known facts, such as black americans involvement in preparations and actual landings, or their relations with brits and white US folks. Series of rehearsals which took a lot of lives due to unexpected weather conditions, planning mistakes or simple lack of knowledge about equipment's behaviour in certain circumstances. Bombing of french railway system because of Wehrmacht's dependency on it. Unequallity in regard of wages between Commonwealth soldiers and their US Army counterparts, which caused a lot of strains in pre-invasion period. Even "love-business" has been portrayed in quite long part of one of the chapters.
I'm familiar with Mr Caddick Adams's books so I knew what I should expect. There is a lot of reminiscences of people who took part in these events, and sometimes I felt overburdened by them. It's not a real, typical flaw, but I felt like I'm plughing through these accounts which was bit tiring after longer session. Some might say it's the clue of history books, but I think there is small room for improvement.
INVASION
(as soon as I finish reading)
June 14, 2021
This is an excellent, comprehensive account of the Normandy invasion. This is a well written, engaging account, but the adjective that stands out is comprehensive. Interested in learning about the training done prior to the invasion? It's covered here. Curious about the role of meteorology? Caddick-Adams does a great job explaining the process that shaped both the Allied and the Nazi process in developing forecasts - key to this is Caddick-Adams explanation of the different assumptions for proper invasion conditions could lead the Allies and Nazis to reach different conclusions based on similar meteorologic data. Caddick-Adams explores a number of important areas such as the evolution of planning and some of the dynamics of having a segregated US military in the UK and its interactions with local residents.
He does a nice job discussing the narrative of the invasion, providing a high level overview for how the different aspects fit together mixed with views from individual soldiers, sailors, and airmen. He also provides insight into both Allied and German perspectives, the factors they faced, and the impacts of decisions they made.
Flat out an outstanding book on the Normandy invasion.
He does a nice job discussing the narrative of the invasion, providing a high level overview for how the different aspects fit together mixed with views from individual soldiers, sailors, and airmen. He also provides insight into both Allied and German perspectives, the factors they faced, and the impacts of decisions they made.
Flat out an outstanding book on the Normandy invasion.
February 6, 2023
Une étude très fouillée sur le Débarquement en Normandie, le 6 juin 1944. C'est très bien écrit, ça se lit très bien. Travail rigoureux, documenté, particulièrement clair.
L'auteur est un spécialiste britannique, mais il ne délaisse aucun des protagonistes du D-Day, troupes britanniques, américaines, canadiennes, les quelques Français du commando Kieffer debarqués à Ouistreham. L'ennemi allemand non plus. Mention des civils normands.
Après un long exposé de la préparation de l'opération, Peter Caddick-Adams traite l'événement plage par plage, de manière dynamique. Illustrations, témoignages, analyses toujours pertinentes, parfois brillantes. C'est certainement un ouvrage de référence grand public sur le sujet.
Pour un lecteur normand, dont la famille a été plongée au cœur de l'action (Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, dont la jolie plage de la Madeleine est devenue le 6 juin 1944 "Utah Beach"), et familier du sujet, pas une erreur, pas une approximation dans cet ouvrage, j'ai beaucoup appris.
Un ouvrage monumental pour un évènement qui ne l'est pas moins. L'excellence d'un historien anglo-saxon particulièrement compétent sur un sujet qui passionne bien au-delà de la Normandie depuis bientôt 80 ans.
Ce livre sur le Débarquement en Normandie est remarquable.
L'auteur est un spécialiste britannique, mais il ne délaisse aucun des protagonistes du D-Day, troupes britanniques, américaines, canadiennes, les quelques Français du commando Kieffer debarqués à Ouistreham. L'ennemi allemand non plus. Mention des civils normands.
Après un long exposé de la préparation de l'opération, Peter Caddick-Adams traite l'événement plage par plage, de manière dynamique. Illustrations, témoignages, analyses toujours pertinentes, parfois brillantes. C'est certainement un ouvrage de référence grand public sur le sujet.
Pour un lecteur normand, dont la famille a été plongée au cœur de l'action (Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, dont la jolie plage de la Madeleine est devenue le 6 juin 1944 "Utah Beach"), et familier du sujet, pas une erreur, pas une approximation dans cet ouvrage, j'ai beaucoup appris.
Un ouvrage monumental pour un évènement qui ne l'est pas moins. L'excellence d'un historien anglo-saxon particulièrement compétent sur un sujet qui passionne bien au-delà de la Normandie depuis bientôt 80 ans.
Ce livre sur le Débarquement en Normandie est remarquable.
February 18, 2022
Peter Caddick Adams is a hero amongst the We Have Ways Podcast. Luckily i had the chance to meet the gent that is PCA at Warfest in 2021 and true form, he readily signed my book with his fountain pen.
The book lay on pile of shame for many months. With its near 900 pages and 35+ chapters it was slightly intimidating. With PCA new book arriving in May, i figured it was time to get it read.
Don't let the size put you off, its a book that really is unputdownable.
I think a good way to approach this book, is to try and forget what you know of D-day, especially if your opinion is formed from Saving Private Ryan. This book throws open the preexisting D-day narrative and examines some of the myths, truths and misconceptions of overlord. It will challenge most but not everyones opinion of D-day.
The research is abundant in this book, from first hand accounts logged from war diaries, letters home, the fighting Tommy's diary, to the war correspondents on the beaches and of course from the author simply walking the ground and providing photos from his own collection.
Probably one of the finest books on the SWW and its one not to be missed!
The book lay on pile of shame for many months. With its near 900 pages and 35+ chapters it was slightly intimidating. With PCA new book arriving in May, i figured it was time to get it read.
Don't let the size put you off, its a book that really is unputdownable.
I think a good way to approach this book, is to try and forget what you know of D-day, especially if your opinion is formed from Saving Private Ryan. This book throws open the preexisting D-day narrative and examines some of the myths, truths and misconceptions of overlord. It will challenge most but not everyones opinion of D-day.
The research is abundant in this book, from first hand accounts logged from war diaries, letters home, the fighting Tommy's diary, to the war correspondents on the beaches and of course from the author simply walking the ground and providing photos from his own collection.
Probably one of the finest books on the SWW and its one not to be missed!
September 23, 2019
What an amazing amount of research Caddick-Adams has done! Multiple stars just for the details he has uncovered and written about.
Having said that, it does take awhile to get through the details, and C-A sometimes seems to hide his analysis in the last sentence of the last paragraph. Since I'm looking for more analysis and less information about what the 2nd dress rehearsal for the Normandy invasion was called, it does become tedious reading at times. I really appreciated his criticism of Cornelius Ryan and his including references to movie Saving Private Ryan---since that is where most people today get their DDay information from. He also isn't shy about calling out self-promotion in memoirs written by key figures. But he provides balance by acknowledging that those key figures couldn't write about national secrets when they published those accounts.
It's not a real page-turner, but serious WWII historians will recognize that this is going to become a cornerstone work on the DDay invasion of Normandy, France.
Having said that, it does take awhile to get through the details, and C-A sometimes seems to hide his analysis in the last sentence of the last paragraph. Since I'm looking for more analysis and less information about what the 2nd dress rehearsal for the Normandy invasion was called, it does become tedious reading at times. I really appreciated his criticism of Cornelius Ryan and his including references to movie Saving Private Ryan---since that is where most people today get their DDay information from. He also isn't shy about calling out self-promotion in memoirs written by key figures. But he provides balance by acknowledging that those key figures couldn't write about national secrets when they published those accounts.
It's not a real page-turner, but serious WWII historians will recognize that this is going to become a cornerstone work on the DDay invasion of Normandy, France.
January 12, 2022
Absolutely an amazing read. So many lessons and so much information packed into it. Although it is on the longer end of book lengths, there is always something new to read and learn from and to gain a new perspective of what our servicemen and women go through for our freedom. It shows how against all odds the Allies were able to push through and succeed due to their pure motivations of freedom and perseverance. Highly recommend to anyone interested in learning about this amazing day in history of Good triumphing over Evil, as well as someone wanting to gain perspective of the unthinkable that so many brave men and women go through for others.
I annotated throughout, so I highly recommend having your own personal copy. There is so much to unpack, as well as connections to be made between pages 100's of pages away from each other. It is a fantastic and impactful book. Definitely a "Must Read".
I annotated throughout, so I highly recommend having your own personal copy. There is so much to unpack, as well as connections to be made between pages 100's of pages away from each other. It is a fantastic and impactful book. Definitely a "Must Read".
July 6, 2022
Not the seminal account of the ‘Day of Days.’
A most detailed account of what historians have called, ‘…the most important day of the twentieth century.’ I would have liked to have read more about the pivotal role of espionage conducted within operation Fortitude, and more of the private soldier’s viewpoint, who actually made Overlord successful, instead of the bias shown toward the standpoint of the Generals, in particular Eisenhower who had never been in action before, nor had he seen a shot fired in anger. Nor does the book show the utter chaos that reigned on that day and that survival at the beaches was indeed a lottery. Overall a good read but not a page turner for me…
A most detailed account of what historians have called, ‘…the most important day of the twentieth century.’ I would have liked to have read more about the pivotal role of espionage conducted within operation Fortitude, and more of the private soldier’s viewpoint, who actually made Overlord successful, instead of the bias shown toward the standpoint of the Generals, in particular Eisenhower who had never been in action before, nor had he seen a shot fired in anger. Nor does the book show the utter chaos that reigned on that day and that survival at the beaches was indeed a lottery. Overall a good read but not a page turner for me…
June 18, 2023
Outstanding. If you have to read one book on D-Day, make it this one. Caddick-Adams busts myths, reviews original documents, memoirs, and other histories, as well as films. You get a true sense of the planning and logistics it took to drive the strategy (roughly half the length).
Covers all the operational beaches (with overdue attention to Juno), Pointe du Hoc and Ouisterham, and airborne zones, as well as training, signals intelligence, the seaborne support, espionage, politics, Operation Fortitude, the reasons behind the success (and failure) of objectives, and the causes of German inability to react. It's also peppered with firsthand accounts, from infantry and commandos all the way to WRENs and American Red Cross volunteers - some of which are blood-curdling.
Covers all the operational beaches (with overdue attention to Juno), Pointe du Hoc and Ouisterham, and airborne zones, as well as training, signals intelligence, the seaborne support, espionage, politics, Operation Fortitude, the reasons behind the success (and failure) of objectives, and the causes of German inability to react. It's also peppered with firsthand accounts, from infantry and commandos all the way to WRENs and American Red Cross volunteers - some of which are blood-curdling.
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