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Dawn of D-Day: These Men Were There, 6 June 1944 Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 387 ratings

This is a masterful work. I am so grateful for Howarth's dedication to capturing the experiences of those who were there that fateful, historic, world-changing day.' - Good Reads

“That morning, the fleet had sailed. He could not possibly count the ships or even guess the numbers…Wallace stood on the head of the cliff, entranced and exalted by a pageant of splendour which nobody had ever seen before, and nobody, it is certain, will ever see again.”

In
Dawn of D-Day, David Howarth weaves together the testimony of hundreds of eyewitnesses and has produced a breath-taking and atmospheric account of the greatest amphibious landing ever attempted.

Based on interviews with survivors and accounts by participants, including American paratroopers, British engineers, French civilians and German soldiers, this enthralling story brings all the drama of 6th June 1944 to life. David Howarth looks not only at the famous incidents but at the full range of D-Day experiences, relating the running battles between parachutists and Germans in the Norman countryside, the torment of being under fire for the first time, the agony on the invasion beaches, the shock of the German defenders and all the confusion, elation and horror of battle.

Dawn of D-Day is superb history from the mouths and pens of the men who fought on that first day of the battle for Normandy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Howarth was a military historian and a war correspondent for the BBC in World War II. He earned acclaim for such books as We Die Alone and The Voyage of the Armada.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CH67PCXS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Greenhill Books (August 1, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3362 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 257 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1805000470
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 387 ratings

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David Howarth
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
387 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book an engaging read with insightful and interesting details about the D-Day experience. They appreciate the well-written, concise account of actual events and individual stories of bravery. The writing quality is praised as lyrical at times. Readers value the author's ability to capture the raw emotions without overpowering or sentimentalizing them.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

39 customers mention "Readability"39 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an engaging read. They appreciate the author's personal insights and consider it a worthwhile read for history fans. The book holds their interest with interesting details that add a human touch.

"it was a very good book , eisenhower's order set the ball in motion, the planes in the air, just filling the sky, had to be something to see...." Read more

"...This was done very well, providing a good balance of general battlefield strategy intermixed with specific stories by combatants and civilians...." Read more

"...re-read this at a later date as I found it so informative and enjoyable." Read more

"...This is as good as it gets for this genre...." Read more

29 customers mention "Insight"29 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and interesting. They appreciate the first-hand accounts of what took place during D-Day from the perspective of the Allies. The author does an amazing job of relating their experiences, fears, horrors, and satisfaction as the Allies. The book opens their eyes and enhances their appreciation for the personal sacrifices made by the men. It gives them a better understanding of what inspired these men to be so brave during this time.

"...I will probably re-read this at a later date as I found it so informative and enjoyable." Read more

"...The author does an amazing job of relating their experiences, fears, horror and satisfaction as the day goes forward...." Read more

"A very interesting work, this book was written just 15 years after D Day, so the author could interview the men fo r their stories...." Read more

"...I found this book insightful and revealing. I would like to say enjoyable, but such a word seems inappropriate given the topic...." Read more

26 customers mention "History"26 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's history. They find it an excellent account of actual events, with great individual stories and details of bravery. The author does a good job of capturing the men's stories and putting them into reasonable, well-written storylines. Readers appreciate the personal experiences of infantry riflemen, of varying battle experiences, that keep the book interesting.

"...This was done very well, providing a good balance of general battlefield strategy intermixed with specific stories by combatants and civilians...." Read more

"...* Howarth does an excellent job of capturing the men's stories and putting them into some reasonable context, but without overpowering or muddling..." Read more

"...Good history" Read more

"...I found this book insightful and revealing. I would like to say enjoyable, but such a word seems inappropriate given the topic...." Read more

18 customers mention "Writing quality"18 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's writing quality good. They describe it as easy to read, concise, and interesting. The author provides personal background and lyrical writing at times. Many readers found the text informative and remembered much of it.

"...I was amazed at how much of the text I remembered, and often was able to complete paragraphs in my head as I was reading them...." Read more

"...It was however easy to read and is a book I shall willingly revisit." Read more

"...Simply, quietly Mr. Howarth brilliantly weaves together vignettes from 30 people who were there on 6-5/-6, 1944...." Read more

"This is the most informative and well written account of D-DAY that I have come across. Told as interconnecting personal stories." Read more

5 customers mention "Emotion"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's emotional portrayal of war. They find the context reasonable without overpowering or muddling the raw emotions. The book provides insight into the hearts and minds of those there, with success being both amazing and sad.

"...Instead, you will learn a great deal about the emotions, fears, motivations and successes and failures of a group of men on a stormy night in the..." Read more

"...' on the British beaches and their success was both amazing and incredibly sad, with far too many men drowning as their 'swimming' tanks did..." Read more

"...and empathy for the individual caught up in battle is clear but not sentimentalized...." Read more

"...This has much more of the human emotion side of war." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2013
    it was a very good book , eisenhower's order set the ball in motion, the planes in the air, just filling the sky, had to be something to see. the aircraft coming in, the war ships, the destroyers, everything lining up to get ready. it had to be a very brave and proud moment for everyone and yet very scary for people would die and they did.even though the mishaps of getting lost, landing in the wrong areas, the soldiers found out where they were going, they fought for all they were worth both land and sea. how do you begin to thank everyone that was there for the freedom that we have today. that's why we hang are flag out proudly for it means so much to all the servicemen for all they gave us.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2012
    This is a collection of accounts by a fairly small sampling of participants (approximately 30) in the events of D-Day. Unlike some other books in this genre, the personal reflections aren't necessarily recorded verbatim. The author has taken individual accounts and woven them into an overall account of the airborne and seaborne action. This was done very well, providing a good balance of general battlefield strategy intermixed with specific stories by combatants and civilians. Both allies and axis partcipants are included, which provides a more well-rounded book. While some of the action will be quite familiar to WWII history enthusiasts (such as the assault on Pegasus bridge), I think readers will find other portions that have received less notoriety in other works. In particular, the sections describing naval and air activities provided details that are somewhat neglected in similar works by other authors.
    18 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2021
    I’m a WWII buff and love works that give us the personal side of this conflict. I will probably re-read this at a later date as I found it so informative and enjoyable.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2012
    This book was originally published in 1959, and it appears that the author's son updated it in 2004. The corrections were to fix a few of the stories, either caused by errors in the original, some of the characters changing their recollections, or new information that came to light.

    I read the original version, probably 35 years ago. I was amazed at how much of the text I remembered, and often was able to complete paragraphs in my head as I was reading them. That statement says more about the quality of the book than anything else I could relate. My memory wasn't good enough to spot any changes, and I doubt they were all that significant anyway.

    --The Good Stuff--

    * This is as close as you will get to a major amphibious landing without joining the Marines. As a reader, you join up with several men on their way to the D-Day battle, and spend a few hours with them during the fateful night and morning of June5/June 6. The author does an amazing job of relating their experiences, fears, horror and satisfaction as the day goes forward. We even hear from a few of the German defenders.

    * Howarth does an excellent job of capturing the men's stories and putting them into some reasonable context, but without overpowering or muddling the raw emotions. We are treated to seeing the most special kind of bravery, the kind where the hero doesn't even think he was all that brave, but which raises the hairs on the back of your neck as you hear the tale.

    * While I am sure Howarth only used a small percentage of the material he had available, he does a nice job on selecting representative stories. We hear from paratroopers, glider pilots, tank and artillery troops, the lowly infantryman, a German defender, and even a glimpse or two of the men in charge...for whom D-Day was almost a spectator event. The Generals' influence was mostly over by June 4.

    --The Not So Good Stuff--

    * I believe the reader's experience would be enhanced if they had an appreciation of the events leading up to D-Day, the stakes involved, and the strategic implications of both success and failure. Howarth's book essentially starts and ends on June 6.

    * I wished it went on for another couple hundred pages.

    --Summary--

    This is as good as it gets for this genre. You aren't going to learn much about WWII, the strategy or tactics of the D-Day invasion, or even the results of the first couple weeks. Instead, you will learn a great deal about the emotions, fears, motivations and successes and failures of a group of men on a stormy night in the English Channel...playing for very high stakes. A definite must-read.
    15 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2020
    I would recommend to students interested in WWII history. A little more detail of characters should have been included to add more interest.
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2019
    A very interesting work, this book was written just 15 years after D Day, so the author could interview the men fo r their stories. Surprisingly, to me, much of which I know about *D Day was secret at the time this book was written.Good history
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2012
    Reading this helped you understand what it was like for the ordinary people involved in that momentous day. You heard about their fears, the dramas, what worked and what did not. One of the most surprising aspects of the book was when the authored talked about the reversal of roles. Men away in the English countryside, training for the big day, effectively away from the action, while their wives and families were on the front line, under the German bombs that fell with alarming regularity.

    The accounts of the 'funnies' on the British beaches and their success was both amazing and incredibly sad, with far too many men drowning as their 'swimming' tanks did everything but. However, having read the harrowing accounts of how the Americans lost so many men doing what these specialized British tanks achieved with relative ease, you could not help but ask why nationalistic pride was allowed to get in the way and effectively prevent the Americans from adopting them as well

    Many times you felt like you were witnessing the dreadful action, listening to the accounts of real people in the middle of chaos, wondering how on earth they managed to achieve success against such dreadful odds.

    I found this book insightful and revealing. I would like to say enjoyable, but such a word seems inappropriate given the topic. It was however easy to read and is a book I shall willingly revisit.
    6 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle CustomerBetty Roussos
    5.0 out of 5 stars The actions of brave and courages men
    Reviewed in Canada on November 14, 2022
    There is nothing to dislike about "Dawn of D-Day". This book tells the actual happings of D-Day. The lives it took and of those whom were willing to sacrifice their lives for worldly freedom. You will not want to put the book down until it's finished.
  • Wayne Taylor
    2.0 out of 5 stars WW2 History
    Reviewed in Canada on October 10, 2023
    In my library waiting to be read. Expect to be an interesting read.

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