D-Day: The First 72 Hours

by William F. Buckingham

The Allied invasion of occupied France began with the delivery of three airborne and six infantry divisions onto a 60-mile stretch of the Normandy coast. Accomplishing this involved over 1,200 transport aircraft, 450 gliders, 325 assorted warships and over 4,000 landing vessels. Operation Overlord, as the invasion was code-named, remains the largest amphibious invasion in history. This books tells the story hour-by-hour as it unfurled on the beaches, as experienced by the Allied troops. The First 72 Hours covers the initial attacks made by airborne and special forces until the point where all the beachheads were secured.

Genres: World War II, War, History, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well readable and researched. Buckingham details the training undertaken for the invasion, covers detail, before moving onto the often neglected following days and the intense combat that followed as the Germans attempted to destroy the bridgehead and the Allies sought to expand it.

Buckingham asks a lot of tough questions, and leaves some pretty scathing analysis for some of the units involved. While not all arguments may be completely valid (based off opinions read elsewhere), the author leaves one with a lot of food for thought. In addition, he argues against the credibility and accuracy of Stephen Ambrose and his extremely popular books.

[Mike French · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book very readable, though it is a little partisan and perhaps more inclined to debunk than put forward a positive case. The train of argument is easy to follow and convincing as far as it goes.

[Steve Switzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard core information on what actually happened .
Dispels the myth of omaha
If you want to know what happened from a tactical viewpoint on the first 72 hours
then this is the book for you