The Fury Of Battle
A D-Day Landing As It Happened
Anyone who’s seen the opening 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan will recognise the situation and events depicted in this book. On 6 June 1944 two American divisions landed at Omaha Beach in Normandy. The mission was always likely to be tough – cliffs dominated the beaches, and the enemy was well dug in – but a series of errors made the task almost impossible. Landing craft were launched too far out; the aerial bombardment missed; and the soaked, frozen troops landed under the guns of the defenders and were pinned down on the beach. Incredible heroism was required before they eventually managed to fight themselves clear of the
beach and make headway inland.
Written using the words of survivors from both sides and concentrating on the events of just the first day, this is a vivid description of the fighting and the harrowing effects modern weapons have on soldiers without adequate protection.
Many books will be published on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Few, I suspect, will concentrate so thoroughly on how a very few men suffered so much, and somehow turned what looked like catastrophic defeat into a victory. This might not be a book for genealogists, but it’s a must for anyone whose ancestors fought in the Second World War.
Phil Tomaselli is a military family history expert and answers your questions every issue – see page 39