Overview

Between 1941 and 1944, the British army contributed relatively little to World War II. On the unremittingly bloody Eastern Front, no Russian or German soldier had experienced the luxury of having four years to prepare and train for a resumption of the European continental campaign. But on D-Day—June 6, 1944—the lives of British soldiers changed. Thiry-five thousand infantrymen, airmen, and special service operatives were sent headfirst into the whitest heat of war, almost overnight. Max Hastings’s Sword Beach tells the story of a handful of British soldiers and their critical role in D-Day’s parachute and seaborne offensive. On Sword, the codename of one of the two beaches assaulted by the British, scores of soldiers were killed by the first shots that they ever heard fired in anger. One British corporal insisted on apologizing to his enemy prisoners, and the Free French troops, 120-men strong, suffered 60 percent losses in the first days of fighting. With his signature blend of drama and detail, Hastings shows how the men who landed on Sword played a critical role in Britain’s preeminent landmark victory and the most spectacular battlefield event of World War II in the West. Sword Beach fills in many of the missing pieces and human stories that have long been left out of the sweeping macro-stories of the Normandy invasion. Based on published memoirs, interviews with D-Day veterans, and rigorous research, Hastings lends color and shade to the climactic action of the Western Front’s most famous battle. Sword Beach describes the lives of a small number of men, on a single day, who faced the immediate transition from make-believe battle to the war’s most violent circumstances.

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9781324117575

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Reviews

""An incisive exploration of a WWII turning point and of the complex psychology of men in battle."" -- Publishers Weekly ""Impressive… Hastings' new book makes gripping reading."" -- Gary Sheffield - Times Literary Supplement ""Enthralling… Just when you think there's nothing new to say about D-Day, Max Hastings proves you wrong with this gripping, insightful and extraordinarily vivid retelling of the pivotal moment of the Second Front."" -- Saul David - BBC History Magazine ""With sensitivity and beautiful prose… Hastings deserves praise for bringing [these men] to life and, more importantly, for understanding them."" -- Gerard DeGroot - The Times ""The best kind of history books draw on compelling, richly textured human stories in order to chronicle wider events—and Hastings does this with aplomb."" -- Anna Bonet - The Independent ""Exceedingly well [told]… A cracking tale in the hands of a practised storyteller."" -- Jonathan Boff - Spectator ""Hastings is a prolific military historian, experienced war reporter and commentator, and consummate storyteller… D-Day was one of the British army's finest hours, perhaps the finest. The author has matched that hour admirably."" -- Allan Mallinson - Country Life

""Admirably captures the tumult of war."" -- Lawrence D. Freedman - Foreign Affairs ""Hastings [is] a master of military history… A new look at D-Day from perhaps the best possible source."" -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review ""An incisive exploration of a WWII turning point and of the complex psychology of men in battle."" -- Publishers Weekly ""Impressive… Hastings' new book makes gripping reading."" -- Gary Sheffield - Times Literary Supplement ""Enthralling… Just when you think there's nothing new to say about D-Day, Max Hastings proves you wrong with this gripping, insightful and extraordinarily vivid retelling of the pivotal moment of the Second Front."" -- Saul David - BBC History Magazine ""With sensitivity and beautiful prose… Hastings deserves praise for bringing [these men] to life and, more importantly, for understanding them."" -- Gerard DeGroot - The Times ""The best kind of history books draw on compelling, richly textured human stories in order to chronicle wider events—and Hastings does this with aplomb."" -- Anna Bonet - The Independent ""Exceedingly well [told]… A cracking tale in the hands of a practised storyteller."" -- Jonathan Boff - Spectator ""Hastings is a prolific military historian, experienced war reporter and commentator, and consummate storyteller… D-Day was one of the British army's finest hours, perhaps the finest. The author has matched that hour admirably."" -- Allan Mallinson - Country Life

""Impressive… Hastings' new book makes gripping reading."" -- Gary Sheffield - Times Literary Supplement ""Enthralling… Just when you think there's nothing new to say about D-Day, Max Hastings proves you wrong with this gripping, insightful and extraordinarily vivid retelling of the pivotal moment of the Second Front."" -- Saul David - BBC History Magazine ""With sensitivity and beautiful prose… Hastings deserves praise for bringing [these men] to life and, more importantly, for understanding them."" -- Gerard DeGroot - The Times ""The best kind of history books draw on compelling, richly textured human stories in order to chronicle wider events—and Hastings does this with aplomb."" -- Anna Bonet - The Independent ""Exceedingly well [told]… A cracking tale in the hands of a practised storyteller."" -- Jonathan Boff - Spectator ""Hastings is a prolific military historian, experienced war reporter and commentator, and consummate storyteller… D-Day was one of the British army's finest hours, perhaps the finest. The author has matched that hour admirably."" -- Allan Mallinson - Country Life

Author Information

Max Hastings is the author of more than thirty books, including Inferno and The Secret War. Knighted in 2002 and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph, then editor of the Evening Standard. He lives in West Berkshire, England.

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