books on Normandy campaign

McDrum · Post by **McDrum** » Tue Nov 07, 2000 11:48 am

Gentlemen: I am looking for good books about the Normandy battles after D-day. For good I mean books where maps action is described at level under division, just the level I suppose to do SPWaW maps and battles. I am new to this and my only guess is about official histories, but don't know how and where get them.

I am very interested in Bluecoat op.
Thank you for your kindness,this forum is very interesting.

McDrum

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Tue Nov 07, 2000 8:57 pm

Here are a few. Map details varies, Mc Drum

US Army in World War II Series
"Breakout and Pursuit"

Six Armies in Normandy, Keegan

Beyond the Beachhead, Balkowski

Steel Inferno, Reynolds

Against the Panzers, Karamales

Death Traps, Cooper

Overlord, Hastings

The View from the Turret, Folkstead

Normandy, 1944, Osprey Books

Battle Diary, Martin

St Lo, CMH (Excellent maps)

The Clay Pigeons of St. Lo, Johns

That should be enough to get you going

Wild Bill

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

McDrum · Post by **McDrum** » Tue Nov 07, 2000 9:32 pm

Thank you, Wild Bill.
Could you, please, explain me what for is the
"CMH" in "St Lo, CMH (Excellent maps)"

Sorry for my ignorance. English is not my tongue and dont know all the common knowledge terms.

Hope to be able of finding these books in the net!

McDrum

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Tue Nov 07, 2000 9:34 pm

My pleasure. CMH stands for Center of Military History...their material can be secured from the Printing Office of the US Govt.

They have some great books, but some are expensive. This one is not, about $6 if I remember correctly.

Wild Bill

Fabs · Post by **Fabs** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 12:19 pm

To Wild Bill's list I would add 3 books by Ken Tout:

- Tank
- Tanks advance
- To hell with tanks

There is also "Battle", by kenneth Macksey. This book analyses a fictional battalion assault within the context of Bluecoat. Although the story is fictional, it is an excellent book to understand military operations of this size in the Bocage.

More books about Normandy after D-Day:

- Caen Anvil of victory Alexander mcKee
- Hitler's fortress Cherbourg William B. Breuer
- Hill 112 Major J.J. How
- Normandy: the British breakout Major J.J. How (This is about operation Bluecoat and has excellent situation maps)

If you can speak French, there are:

- Charnwood Dominique Barbe (operations North west of Caen, june-early july '44)
- 9 SS Panzer Division Herbert Fuerbringer (From Editions Heimdahl - available also in English, I think)
- 12 SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend Hubert Meyer (Also Heimdahl, also possibly available in English)
- La Panzer Lehr Division Jean Claude Perrigault (another effort by Heimdahl, may be available in English)

Divisional and battalion histories offer the most detailed accounts and the better maps.

Some excellent ones are:

- The 15th Scottish Division 1939 - 1945 Lieut. Gen. H. G. Martin (Epsom and Bluecoat covered with excellent maps)

- The Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry 1939 - 45 Major E.G. Godfrey

There are many others.

A good place to look for these books is the specialist book search engine at:
http://www.sonic.net/~bstone/booksearch.html

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Fabs

[This message has been edited by Fabs (edited November 08, 2000).]

McDrum · Post by **McDrum** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 1:53 pm

Thank you Fabs, for sharing with me your knowledge on bibliography. The kindness and pasion of people in the net helping us the newbies always surprises me greatly.

McDrum

Fabs · Post by **Fabs** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 10:11 pm

No trouble, mcDrum, always glad to help a fellow wargamer.

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Fabs

Bonzo · Post by **Bonzo** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 10:32 pm

I'd add one book to Fabs' Ken Trout list, "A Fine Night for Tanks".

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Robert (Bonzo) Lindsay, Coordinator
28th (North-west) Battalion Headquarters
http://dreadnaught.home.icq.com
nwbattalion@icqmail.com

Tazman85 · Post by **Tazman85** » Wed Nov 08, 2000 10:48 pm

Hi All,Just a bit more on Normandy Books------Decision In Normandy,D'Este-Harper Perennial also Cross Channel Attack,Harrison-Konecky & Konecky.You may also try to get hold of After the Battle magazine issues which contain lots of info,maps,OOB etc. for many different battles of WW2.

GrinningDwarf · Post by **GrinningDwarf** » Fri Nov 10, 2000 2:05 am

At the risk of sounding trendy (or non-academic, or at least mainstream!), how about "Pegasus Bridge" by Stephen Ambrose? "Band of Brothers" (also by Ambrose) was pretty good, too.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » Fri Nov 10, 2000 8:44 am

A lot of excellent books posted to date. From the German perspective the Canadian publisher JJ.Fedorwicz has a lot of excellent books especially on some of the SS Panzer divisions. http://www.jjfpub.mb.ca/.

RUsco · Post by **RUsco** » Sat Nov 11, 2000 4:52 am

Just finished "Battle for Mortain" by Alwyn Featherstone originaly titled "Saving the Breakout". Mostly about the US 30th Inf Div.Has a lot of battalion and company level action with antitank guns and artillary.