Driving Back the Nazis: The Allied Liberation of Western Europe, Autumn 1944

by Martin King

A gripping account of the Allied liberation of Western Europe, masterfully told by Emmy-award winning writer and historian Martin King.

Through the autumn of 1944, Allied troops made their way across Nazi-occupied Europe, liberating towns and villages as they went. Driving Back the Nazis explores this process of liberation, from the arrival of Allied forces in Paris through the emancipation of Belgium to the closing down of Nazi prison camps. But there was a darker side to liberation too - collaborators were harshly punished, and in some cases the liberating forces brought their own troubles with them.

Martin King tells the story of liberation from all sides - we hear the voices of Allied high command, ordinary American and British soldiers, local civilians, and even the defeated German forces. -- Jeff Sexton

256 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2021

About the author

Emmy Award winning British Military Historian/Author/ Lecturer who's had the honor of reintroducing many US, British and German veterans to the WWII battlefields where they fought. He lives in Belgium near Antwerp where he spends his most of his time visiting European battlefields.

His voluntary work tracing individual histories has been a labor of love for almost 30 years. He speaks, and has a working knowledge of German Italian Dutch and French. Frequently in demand as a public speaker he has lectured at many British and US colleges, universities and military bases throughout the world. The History Channel hired Martin as a Historical Consultant on their series "Cities of the Underworld". In 2007 he began a new assignment working as a Historical consultant/writer on the hit series 'Greatest Tank Battles', currently the most watched military documentary in the US. Shortly thereafter he accepted an invitation to work as a Presenter/Historical Consultant on the series 'Narrow Escapes' with Bafta Award winning documentary makers WMR.

He is a frequent visitor to the prestigious West Point Military Academy. Widely regarded as a leading authority on European Military History, General Graham Hollands referred to him as the "Greatest living expert on the Battle of the Bulge". Steven Ambrose called him "Our expert in the Ardennes". Fellow writer and notable historian Professor Carlton Joyce said "He really is the best on the Ardennes". His campaigning work for World War Two veterans recently came to attention of some leading military personnel at the Pentagon who cordially invited him to present his latest work there. Awarded 'SERVICES TO EDUCATION' certificates by the USAF and NATO. In 2015 his documentary feature 'Searching for Augusta' received no less than 7 EMMY AWARDS for 'BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY'. In 2017 his book 'THe Fighting 30th Division - They called them Roosevelt's SS' was nominated in the USA for the 'Prestigious writer Award'. He's also an Honorary Citizen and chosen Cultural Ambassador

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging Account Of Oft Overlooked Era. The period between D-Day (and the summer of 1944 generally) and the Battle of the Bulge (again, and winter 1944-45 generally) is one of the more overlooked eras of WWII, particularly in the zeitgeist of at minimum Americans. (I cannot speak to what Europeans think/ know, as I've never been closer to that continent than off the coast of the State of New Hampshire.) Here, King sets out to tell the tales of this overlooked period via numerous first hand accounts and other sources, showing through the eyes of the people that were there what was happening and through the other sources of history what was going on around those events. This is one of those books that will serve as a wakeup call to those who romanticize this particular war and these particular soldiers, as King makes the point quite well - and repeatedly - that given the pervasive and frequent abuses from *all* sides, there truly were truly few innocents involved in any angle of this, certainly of the adult (and even teenager/ young adult) variety. Even knowing that both of my grandfathers were there among some of these very events (both would survive the Bulge itself), I find King's prose and commentary compelling here. He does a tremendous job of truly showing just how horrific this period was on *everyone* involved, not just the soldiers and not just the victims of the Holocaust - though he does indeed cover many of the horrors both of those groups saw in this period as well. Truly an outstanding book, and one anyone interested in WWII needs to read. Very much recommended.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the often overlooked period of the European theater of World War II between the Allied break out from Normandy until the start of the Battle of the Bulge. Using first hand accounts from civilians and soldiers of both sides it tells the story of the Allies race across France and into Belgium liberating towns and villages along the way. It also reveals the darker side of liberation where civilians were sometimes victimized by both occupiers and liberators, but were often punished as collaborators by their fellow citizens. It also looks at the mistaken belief among the high command at SHAEF that the Germans were a beaten foe who could no longer put up a serious fight. This belief led to serious mistakes in Operation Market Garden, the Hurtgen Forest and the fight for the Port of Antwerp. By dealing with a narrow place and time period the author was able bring out operations that I have never seen mentioned in the other books I’ve read on the European war. If you are looking for a general discussion of the war in Europe including the invasion of Normandy, the Battle of Bulge and the crossing of the Rhine this is not the book I would recommend, but if you are already familiar with this theater of operations and are looking for a more detailed discussion and a unique perspective then this book is a must read. Thanks to NetGalley and Sirius Entertainment for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Brooksie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book fails on so many fronts I can't list them all here. It was a bargain book, so my expectations were low, yet it still fell short.

The most engaging thing: The final chapter where King discloses his personal relationships with some of the veterans quoted in the book. He also discusses what happened to some of the worst offenders in Belgium for collaborating with the Nazis, which wasn't much. Not surprising.

The most surprising thing: For someone who's written so many books, he sure doesn't have a good handle on the English language. King uses incorrect words throughout, eg. posterity for anonymity, hiatus for apex, etc. Like if you're not sure what a word means, please look it up.

The most frustrating things: 1. Woefully inadequate citations. Quotes and numbers thrown out with no source provided. 2. King spends the last thirty pages or so repeating that the Germans were gonna do something, but the Allies weren't sure what. I assume he's referring to the Battle of the Bulge, which began in December 1944 but King inexplicably does not describe here. He just keeps hinting at something big coming but no one knows what (shrug emoji). It began in the autumn, you can include it in your work.

Disappointing, even for a bargain book.

[William Troy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a series of vignettes by soldiers and civilians who experienced the War in Europe in August 1944. It clearly shows how destructive modern war is especially for civilians caught in the war zone. one of the more interesting parts of the book for me was how communities reacted after liberation by the Allies and how they took retaliation against collaborators especially women. It shows a darker side of war. there are stories from all sides of the conflict.