The epic account of how the fate of Operation Overlord and the Battle of Normandy was determined at the lengthy and harrowing battle for Caen.
This book, written by a veteran of the campaign and renowned historian, Alexander McKee, is essential reading for fans of Anthony Beevor, Max Hastings, and Stephen E. Ambrose. D-Day was the greatest amphibious operation in history, yet the battle for the beaches was only the beginning of a long campaign to push back German forces from Normandy. The Battle for Caen was the climax of the Normandy fighting, where, for two months, elite troops from the British, Canadian, and German forces clashed in ferocious combat, house by house, hedge by hedge, beneath massive air bombardments. Using over sixty-five eye-witness accounts from both the Allied and German sides, as well as from the French civilians caught in the conflict, McKee reconstructs the struggle to secure the Allied position in Western Europe. From the storming of the beaches on D-Day to the decisive Battle of the Falaise pocket, McKee charts the course of the Battle of Normandy and provides fascinating detail on how the conflict at Caen shaped the entire campaign.
'An excellent series of eye-witness accounts from both sides ... a first-class "worm's eye view" of the fighting.'
The Daily Telegraph
'A superb tribute to the bravery and tenacity of both the Allied and enemy troops.'
Time and Tide
'A brilliant and moving account of the confusion, the bravery and terror of war.'
Sunday Express