[.ca] Fighting in Normandy: The German Army from D-Day to ... (ISBN 1853674605)

First eight days:
This book covers the German army from D-day to D+7. Each day begins with an overview by the editor, David C. Isby. The OKW war diary comments on the conflict follow. These summaries are helpful, but the real meat on the coconut are the specific descriptions of the actual German units doing the fighting and the problems they faced as well as successes and failures experienced for each day. Most the the narratives are based on recollections of the officer participants whose rank varied. They are dominated by the general officers, naturally. The volume closes with some overview comments by some of the senior German officers involved in the fighting. This book is a useful addition to any library concerning the Normandy campaign. Despite the many German units involved, the organization of the material is easy to follow. There are interesting tidbits spread through it as well as some opinions about the quality of the allied forces. No surprise, they didn't think much of the competence of the British leadership although the courage of the British soldiers was admired. Pride in the German army is evident, and its ability to respond to the invasion described through these dispassionate commentaries is impressive. Example: despite taking the brunt of the attack at Omaha Beach, the 352nd infantry division was still a cohesive entity at the end of the eight days. Even though its losses were terrible, it remained in the line fighting the invaders.

excellent read:
The book is mainly composed of memoirs. Each chapter of the book covers a single day after the invasion: chapter one covers D-Day +1, chapter 2 D-Day+2, etc...as seen from the german perpective. I really loved the format: most memoirs are around 2 pages long, by unit/officer per day. It makes for short chapters and quick description of events; thus, it conveys the urgency and initial shock of the landing for the german army. I would have given it 5 stars, but good maps are missing - in fact, the few small maps provided in the book are of no help,so it is easy to become lost as soon as smaller or not-so-famous cities and villages are mentionned as objectives. Beside that small flaw, it is an excellent read. WARNING: don't buy it to read from Guderian - his "chapter" is really short, just like the other chapters. It's really just a sales-pitch.