Preview
  • Decision in Normandy

  • By: Carlo D’Este
  • Narrated by: Tom Weiner
  • Length: 16 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (29 ratings)

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Decision in Normandy

By: Carlo D’Este
Narrated by: Tom Weiner
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Publisher's summary

Field Marshal Montgomery’s battle plan for Normandy, following the D-day landings on June 6, 1944, resulted in one of the most controversial campaigns of the Second World War. Carlo D’Este’s acclaimed book gives the fullest possible account of the conception and execution of Montgomery’s plan, with all its problems and complexities. It brings to light information from diaries, papers, and letters that were not available in Montgomery’s lifetime and draws on interviews with senior officers who were involved in the campaign and have refrained from speaking out until now.

This is military history at its most dramatic and destined to become the definitive account of the Normandy campaign.

Carlo D’Este retired from the US Army in 1978 with the rank of lieutenant colonel to write full time. Among his books are Bitter Victory; Warlord: A Life of Churchill at War, 1874–1945; Patton: A Genius for War; World War II in the Mediterranean, 1942–1945; and Eisenhower: Allied Supreme Commander.

©1983 1994, 2004 by Carlo D’Este (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
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Critic reviews

“Superb…An extraordinarily careful and provocative study of the Normandy campaign.” (Max Hastings, New York Times bestselling author)
“The best-researched, best-written account [of the Normandy campaign] I have ever read.” ( New York Times Book Review)
“A fresh perspective on the leadership of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and the Allied landings after D-day.” ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Decision in Normandy

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great meta-narrative of a tough campaign.

Would you consider the audio edition of Decision in Normandy to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version.

What other book might you compare Decision in Normandy to and why?

D-Day by Anthony Beevor; Max Hastings' Overlord

Which scene was your favorite?

The description of the interplay between Montgomery and his subordinates in the battle for Caen.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No.

Any additional comments?

D'Este achieves what few have - an impartial and reasoned view of Montgomery. Given all the controversy around the man, this was refreshing. Also, Tom Weiner's performance was exceptional.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The best book on the Normandy campaign

This may be the best book on the Normandy campaign. Carlo D’este examined every document , conversation , diary, statistic, account published or not regarding the allied campaign in Normandy. If there is a view on any aspect of the campaign and it’s participants, based on and solidly buttressed by facts, he has included it in this book. He describes the strategy , operational art and tactics. If you want D-day from the soldiers point of view, read the longest day by Cornelius Ryan, for everything else, it’s in this book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An Outstanding book on the battle for Normandy.

To start off this review a bit of background on how I discovered this book. I bought an Audible copy of “Sicily ‘43” by James Holland, and found it to be one of the most slanted, poorly written, and biased books on a WWII campaign I’d ever heard or read. In reading the few 1 star reviews I discovered D’Este’s book “Bitter Victory” on the invasion and conquest of Sicily. That book turned out to be not only excellent, but was an incredibly even handed retelling of the Sicily campaign. I then looked up other books by D’Este and discovered this book, so I bought an Audible edition (and later a second hand copy of this book, which is out of print). When I discover a top notch book I always try to buy a print edition for my library. Electronic and Audible editions are handy, but if you ever lack an electronic device, you no longer have access to them. With a hard copy, you have it forever (unless of course, as my son-in-law pointed out, there is a fire).

Now to the review.

Carlo D’Este writes with extensive research behind every word. Beginning with Part 1: The Great Endeavor (chs. 1-6] he lays out what led up to, and hindered, the final decision(s) on when and how to make the cross Channel assault onto the Normandy beaches. This part really helps set up the how and why the decisions were made, how the original, and final plans, for Overlord took shape, who was selected for the top commands, and much more.

Part II: Invasion (chs. 7-18) covers, in the invasion, but goes into greater detail on the British/Canadian 21st Army Group’s struggle to take Caen. In doing this many myths that have grown up are delved into, most are shattered, but some are confirmed. The information provided is amazing. The struggles of the fighting men. The mistakes made by commanders, both German and Allied, leading to a near stalemate in the eastern portion of the invasion. The US invasion is discussed in less detail, and generally in relation to what is happening around Caen, and the attempt to capture the city and surrounding territory, which was to lead to, to allow, the British and Canadians to breakout and head east toward Paris. (This is later done by the US Army, by Patton’s Third Army, due to the difficulties General Montgomery ran into around Caen). It also covers the aspect of Britains beginning to run low on replacements. After several years of warfare, and with a smaller population than the United States, even with Canada providing large numbers of men, it was getting difficult for the UK to get the number of replacements it needed to fill the ranks with the rising number of casualties (killed, wounded and missing), plus those lost as prisoners of war. One of the difficulties I found most interesting was the problems and vast differences of opinions between the Army and the various parts of the Allied Air Forces. Big egos, arguments over who was to control what the Tactical, and especially the Bombers forces, were to do in cooperation with the Allied Armies.

Part III: Breakout. This is a most interesting part. What it eventually took to bring about the breakout, both the problems and successes. Chapter 25. The Great Encirclement is fascinating, and is followed up in…

Part IV: Aftermath, which begins with Chapter 26: The Falaise Controversy, about the near annihilation of a large portion of what was left of the German army attempting to escape through the Falaise pocket, as the jaws of the Allies, British and US attempt to capture the retreating Germans.

An aside, in one chapter of the fascinating book “D-Day Through German Eyes” by Holger Eckhertz (available in paperback and Audible editions), you’ll get a clear picture of one German soldier’s opinion of what happened to his fellow soldiers who did not make it out, and you will clearly see why there is still controversy on this topic. [I’ve loaned the book to my son so I cannot give the chapter and page number in this review].

The Epilogue and Postscript close the book well. I leave out a discussion of what is covered, preferring to have people listen/read the book through to the end and get a great overview of the whole campaign, its controversies and its legacy, for themselves.

Throughout the book D’Este debunks numerous fallacies, and “obfuscations” concocted to make certain commanders and battles appear to have been more successful, or less catastrophic, than what actually happened. He even covers a number of topics that have been left out of official histories in an attempt to cover up bad decisions, or statistics (such as the total number of casualties the British suffered during the Normandy campaign (though the paperwork signed over to the British Army, it has gone missing and could not be found, at least back when this book was written [have they been discovered since?]), and how the Canadians decided to follow their own way of planning for replacements because the British formulas were based on North Africa losses, and not those when facing top notch German troops in north west France.

This is a fascinating and informative book. If you are able to, search for and obtain a print copy to read yourself, for no other reason that it includes maps and charts you don’t get in the Audible edition.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good history choice to listen to

What did you love best about Decision in Normandy?

Typically I avoid listening to history books as I'm listening on the drive to an from work and there are so many map references it's hard to follow along. Since this book was of a narrow focus there were few places to look up. If you're a history buff you won't even need to do that much.

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