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Recommended Reading

I am always asked about my favourite books about D-Day, and the fact is with over 1000 books in my library, it is very hard to select a few favorites. However here are some that I especially like.

General books on D-Day
Here are some very good books that cover the landings on June 6th and in some cases the first few days. In my opinion they are balanced and cover all the participant Nations' roles well.
  1. Normandy '44 and the Battle for France by James Holland
  2. Sand and Steel: A New History of D-Day by Peter Caddick-Adams
  3. Overlord by Sir Max Hastings
  4. Six Armies in Normandy by John Keegan
  5. Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben MacIntyre
  6. D-Day. Piercing the Atlantic Wall by Robert Kershaw

The Americans on D-Day and in the Battle of Normandy
The three books by my friend Joe Balkoski are meticulously researched and his Omaha book is exceptionally good. Marty Morgan's photographic book is also superb.
  1. ​Omaha Beach by Joseph Balkoski
  2. Utah Beach by Joseph Balkoski
  3. The First Wave by Alex Kershaw
  4. The Americans at DDay by John C McManus
  5. The Americans at Normandy by John C McManus
  6. The Americans on D-Day: A Photographic History of the Normandy Invasion by Martin K A Morgan
  7. The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach by John C McManus - see John talk about DDay in this video.
  8. The Bedford Boys by Alex Kershaw
  9. The Guns at Last Light by Rick Atkinson
The British in Normandy
There are less books solely about the British in Normandy, but John Buckley's book is a great new and unbiased account.
  1. Monty's Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe by John Buckley
  2. D-Day Documents by Paul Winter

The Canadians in the Battle of Normandy
My friend Mark Zuehlke's books are unrivaled in terms of accuracy and readability, but anything by Terry Copp is also worth reading.
  1. The Juno Beach Trilogy by Mark Zuehlke
  2. Fields of Fire by Terry Copp
  3. Cinderella Army: The Canadians in Northwest Europe, 1944-1945 by Terry Copp
  4. A Rising of Courage: Canada's paratroops in the liberation of Normandy by Dan Hartigan

British Airborne Troops on D-Day
​Neil Barber's books are superb, so too are Carl Shilleto's and both these historians are friends of mine.
  1. The Pegasus and Orne Bridges: Their Capture, Defence and Relief on D-Day by Neil Barber
  2. Day the Devils Dropped In by Neil Barber
  3. Pegasus Bridge and Merville Battery by Carl Shilleto
  4. 13 - Lucky For Some: The History of the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion by Andrew Woolhouse

American Rangers and Specialist Troops
Patrick O'Donnell is another friend and I helped a little bit with his Dog Company book, I also like Joanna McDonald's book on Pointe du Hoc.
  1. Dog Company: The Boys of Pointe du Hoc--the Rangers Who Accomplished D-Day's Toughest Mission and Led the Way across Europe by Patrick K. O'Donnell
  2. Liberation of Pointe Du Hoc by Joanna  McDonald
  3. Spearheading DDay - American Special Units in Normandy by Jonathan Gawne

82nd Airborne
The books by Phil Nordyke are packed with information and Robert Murphy's book remains a classic.
  1. On to Berlin by James M Gavin
  2. To DDay and Back by Bob Bearden
  3. All American All The Way by Phil Nordyke
  4. Four Stars of Valor by Phil Nordyke
  5. No Better Place to die by Robert Murphy
  6. Down to Earth by Martin K A Morgan

 101st Airborne
We are spoiled for choice these days with books about the Screaming Eagles in the post Band of Brothers era. Here are a selection of great works.
  1. Vanguard of the Crusade by Mark Bando
  2. Screaming Eagles at Normandy by Mark Bando
  3. DDay With the Screaming Eagles by George Koskimaki
  4. Tonight We Die As Men by Ian Gardner and Roger Day
  5. Easy Company Soldier by Donald Malarkey
  6. Fighting Fox Company by Terry Poyser
  7. We Who Are Alive and Remain by Marcus Brotherton
  8. A Company of Heroes: Personal Memories about the Real Band of Brothers by Marcus Brotherton
  9. In The Footsteps of the Band of Brothers by Larry Alexander
  10. Currahee - A Screaming Eagle in Normandy by Donald R Burgett

Books by friends (Not all Normandy and WWII)
This section of books are all penned by friends of mine. They are all enjoyable reads and come with my recommendation but cover a variety of subjects.
  1. Hitler's Death: The Case Against Conspiracy by Luke Daly Groves
  2. Appeasement: Chamberlain, Hitler, Churchill, and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
  3. A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900 by Andrew Roberts
  4. Walking DDay by Paul Reed
  5. DDay Survivor by Harold Baumgarten
  6. Somme 1916: Success and Failure on the First Day of the Battle of the Somme by Paul Kendall
  7. Patton's Photographs by Kevin M Hymel
  8. Animals in the First World War by Neil R Storey
  9. Game to the Last the 11th Australian Infantry Battalion at Gallipoli by James Hurst
  10. We Got Each Other Home - The Most Decorated Coastguard LST of WWII by Andrew Zimmerman

Contact me if you have other suggestions for this list​
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  • Home
    • Contact Me
    • Bayeux
    • Facts about Normandy
    • Recommended Reading
    • Data Protection Page
  • About
    • Film and TV Work
    • Angels of Mercy
  • Tours & Services
    • WW2TV Group Tour (NEW)
    • Podcasts and Online Talks
    • Private Tours and Prices >
      • Falaise Gap Tour
      • Cutting the Peninsula
      • Mortain
      • Saint Nazaire
      • Custom Family Tour
  • Consultancy
  • Links
  • WW2TV