B
THIS SUMPTUOUSLY
illustrated book is
drawn from the mighty
collections at the Imperial
War Museum and proves a
striking addition to the growing
canon of works marking the
75th anniversary of the D-Day
landings. Among its 230-plus
pages are the most stirring,
gritty and illuminating images
of the men, objects, documents,
art and even life on the home
front ever seen – all are dynamic
representations of the events
of June 6, 1944 and the days
leading up to it.
Readers must prepare
themselves for an evocative
experience. The photographs,
so beautifully curated, have the
power to transport us back to a
moment in time when the actions
of so many men, often only in
their teens, led to the liberation
of Europe.
There are ten articulate and
engrossing chapters written by
the head of Documents and
Sound at the IWM – Anthony
Richards. The structure of its
content (overseen by David Tibbs
and Ian Carter) has been elegantly
designed by Kirsty Macdiarmid, who
selected the photographs that tell
such a serious story.
Readers will be led into the
Normandy invasion from the time
the Allies first began to plan for
a second front, up until the end
of August 1944, when they had
victoriously established themselves
along the dramatic French shoreline
and made ready to begin the
great advance to Berlin. The main
focus though is rightfully on the
D-Day landings and we learn so
pertinently the Normandy invasion
is one of the finest examples of
how individual bravery and military
planning can achieve ultimate
success. These stories of bravery
are at the IWM’s archival treasure
trove of social-historical information- a collection of global importance.
It is these memories that inspired
and shaped the creation and
photographic magnificence of this
large and extraordinary volume.
As the author points out:
“There is surely no better way
to understand an event of such
scale as D-Day than to perceive it
through the eyes of those who were
actually there.” An excerpt from
the diary of Lieutenant J J Moore
of Canadian 3rd Division confirms
this statement. Lt Moore’s objective
had been to secure Juno beach
and then link up with the British
troops on Gold and Sword beaches.
Clearing mines was also on his
mission statement. He wrote:
“German gunfire rained down
on to the beach, and an intense
fusillade raked the entire length
of the narrow shore, catching all
the debarking troops in enfilade.
Men were killed or wounded while
still in the water; others staggered
limp, wet and seasick to the shore
where thousands of bullets were
kicking up spurts of sand. It was
our duty to bring in the bodies
of dead soldiers. Men from the
Pioneer Corps volunteered to
help as stretcher-bearers. With a
detector and a single tape, two of
us swept a narrow path to each
body in turn so that each could be
recovered.”
What an evocative book with
many images never seen before
and yet now proudly brought
to light by the author and an
excellent associate team at the
IWM. Letters (including those
from General Montgomery),
memoirs, oral histories and
detailed diaries form this
elegantly written text which leads
us through from – The Coming
Storm, Planning the Operation,
Training and Technology, Deception
Operations, The Great Crusade,
D-Day: Airborne Operations, D-Day:
The Beach Landings, D-Day:
Consolidating the Bridgehead,
The Battle for Normandy to the
final chapter; Legacy. Then, just
to add to the menu of tantalising
and individualistic
photographs, is a
selection of objectscarried into
battle by the troops.
A pocket watch, a vomit bag
(rarely unopened) and a portable
medical kit also feature.
Despite all the careful planning
and the rigorous intelligence
that led up to June 6, it’s clear
no man expected the invasion
to be easy or danger-free. The
outcome was uncertain. We
look into their eyes, which reveal
hearts and minds that say
‘this is it!’. These men, these
warriors of Normandy loom large
and honest from the pages. As
a tribute to those who fought on
D-Day, I can’t recommend this
book enough.
Reviewed by Melody Foremenhttp://www.britainatwar.com^99Illustrations References/Notes
Appendices Index ITEMS OF INTEREST|RECONNAISSANCE REPORT
D-Day and
Normandy
A Visual History
By Anthony Richards
Publisher: Imperial War
Museum
http://www.iwm.org.uk
ISBN: 9781912423040
Hardback 232 Pages
RRP: £25carried into