NORMANDY: THE SAILOR'S STORY

NORMANDY: THE SAILOR'S STORY
by Nick Hewitt

The 80th anniversary of D-Day has brought us a new collection of books taking a look at those remarkable events of June 1944.
Over the many years since, D-Day has been written about numerous times. But alas on certain occasions, it is fair to say that the same errors & incorrect facts have often been repeated. 
Thankfully over more recent years, books like 'Sand & Steel by Peter Caddick-Adams & now a handful of new books in 2024, there has been a refreshing approach to bring us the story of what really happened. 
I'm delighted to say that Nick Hewitt's is one such book.

One might assume that a book bringing us 'The Sailor's Story' would have eyewitness accounts as its central focus. Whilst there are many included, this book is actually Nick's comprehensive look at the role of the Allied naval forces & Operation Neptune.

With the help of a great number of excellent maps, many which plot the positions of the ships & crafts, the chapters reveal an incredible attention to detail. This along with Nick's fascinating narrative provides not only a very comprehensive read, but one that the reader can follow and understand. A skill that always deserves much praise.
Nick reveals so many facets to the invasion & it's planning, that for me to try & highlight some of the subjects covered, is quite a task in itself. Construction of ships & crafts, crew training & gathering intelligence. The passages on how individual ships were given individual firing plans based on their own particular targets, was an incredible revelation.
There is so much I could mention & we haven't even got to the invasion itself!

The events of the landings are broken down into several chapters. What must be a complicated timeline to piece together, has been written very clearly & makes for compelling reading, again aided by some great maps. 

However the story doesn't stop with the troops & armour pushing on beyond the beaches. The next phase of Neptune & for those thousands of ships & crews, was to keep these land forces supplied, transport the wounded & the German POW's back to England. At this same time was the construction of the Mulberry Harbour. 
In fact the book carries on right through to September of 1944, where the naval battle continued alongside the land forces fighting through the Normandy bocage. Much in this part of the book was especially new to me & Nick himself says that it has "often been previously airbrushed from the narrative."
Thankfully Nick ends by redressing this brilliantly. 

When you start a book that has already received so much praise, especially from people you respect, it does put extra pressure on said book. I have to say that despite this, Nick's book has literally blown me away!

When time allows I shall have to read it all again. Partly because it is such a fantastic & fascinating read. The other reason being that there is so much information here that deserves to be absorbed. 
So now knowing what awaits in Nick's 'Normandy', that will certainly be a day I shall very much look forward to.

The hardbook is available now.
I'd like to thank Yale University Press for this review copy. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ROYAL NAVY FORCE H: 1940-42

Image
ROYAL NAVY FORCE H 1940-42 This is book 14 in Osprey's 'Fleet' series and is written by naval historian, Angus Konstam. If you have read any second world war books on the Mediterranean war and/or Malta, then it is highly likely that Force H and its well respected commander, V.Adm. Sir James Somerville, is mentioned. Based at Gibraltar, Force H patrolled both the Atlantic and the Western Mediterranean often escorting vital convoys to Malta. It was Somerville who led the fleet in the attack on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kébir and they would also be later involved in the hunt for the Bismarck.  As well as describing the fleet's ships, its commander and their wartime endeavors, the role and defences of Gibraltar is also covered. This is an added bonus as most books generally only give Gibraltar a passing mention. With a fascinating narrative, aided with many useful maps, charts and original artwork, it is a book I have certainly enjoyed and would definitely rec...
Read more

THE DUMMY DRONE

Image
THE DUMMY DRONE BY Rob More. Away from the Battle of Britain in the skies over the English Channel and Southern counties, or the devastating blitz bombing of London and other major cities, surely  the far North of Scotland would hardly be effected by the second world war?  Well the opposite was true. In this fabulous new book, local author and resident, Rob More reveals how the county of Caithness was a scene of great change from the coastline and beaches to the farmland, hills and villages. Not forgetting all those who lived and worked there.  With the area hosting a range of wartime installations and airfields it received many visits from the Luftwaffe. As we learn in the book, civilians and their properties would also be caught up in these raids. From the radar stations searching for enemy aircraft, to those recruited for the local Home Guard and the lesser known Auxiliary Units. Communities the length of Britain prepared for an expected German invasion. Ro...
Read more

MITCHELL

Image
MITCHELL: Father of the Spitfire  By Paul Beaver. The majority of readers will have heard the name R.J. Mitchell and certainly his most famous aircraft design, the beloved Spitfire. Yet many, myself included, might not have known that his career began in railway engineering. This and so much more is revealed by author , Paul Beaver, who shares the full story of this remarkable man who became Supermarine's chief designer at the age of just 24. Alongside Reginald's career, we also learn how the Supermarine company was founded and then grew during the decades between the two world wars.  Mitchell's answering of Supermarine's job advertisement  would prove to be the beginning of a remarkable legacy. Importantly, o ne the author also states came about with the brains and skills of a talented group of people who have been too often overlooked. This legacy is of course far more than just the Spitfire. Many other types of aircraft especially flying boats were also d...
Read more