The Armoured Campaign in Normandy Napier 9780750979450 Books
Download As PDF : The Armoured Campaign in Normandy Napier 9780750979450 Books
Armoured Campaign in Normandy
The Armoured Campaign in Normandy Napier 9780750979450 Books
Once again, I approached a particular purchase with caution as I wondered whether or not the author could successfully tackle the challenge of bringing sufficient new information to the table with regards to the study of armored employment by the British, Canadians, Germans and Americans. Although I winced when I found an occasional misstatement about U.S. tank destroyers and the Allied "failure" to use halftracks to carry infantry prior to TOTALIZE (still not sure if I read that one right - see page 330), by and large Napier gets it right. In addition to his (for the most part) diligent and exhaustive research, I did not detect any partisanship when he discussed any of the four major armored combatants in the campaign.Why not five stars? I felt that I had to deduct one-half star for some production issues and inaccurate statements. For one, there are far more typos than necessary in certain sections. Napier occasionally mixes up British and American small unit terminology early in the book (he refers to U.S. tank companies as Squadrons - which is a term used by the British and Canadians to describe company-sized units). And there is the sore topic of maps, or lack thereof at the tactical level, which could be a major problem for some readers. Lastly, he honed unerringly in on U.S. armor operations to the exclusion of U.S. tank destroyers, which leads to a few mix-ups like calling the 899th TD Battalion a tank battalion in one chapter and mistakenly stating that M-5 towed 3-inch tank destroyers were 90-mm weapons. That said, these are small issues in comparison to the new information he brings to light.
Perfectionists might take off one or two entire stars, but I believe that Casemate Publishing is more to blame than the author. Having published myself, I realize that at some point, authors need another set of informed eyes. That said, most publishers nowadays seem to skimp on editing, cartography, or taking the time to hunt down other subject matter experts to review a manuscript. Take Robert Baumer's recent book on Aachen published by Casemate - it has far less maps than warranted by the five-star narrative. With a little more effort by the publisher and a decent pre-publication "scrub" by someone broadly knowledgeable of U.S. armor organization and tactics, this book would be a solid five star publication.
Small disappointments aside, Napier has industriously delved into the British (+ Polish), Canadian and to a somewhat lesser extent, American archives when researching this book. Thus, the Anglo-Canadian/American narrative rests on a solid underpinning of primary source research. The German perspective, interestingly enough, is presented successfully though postwar accounts written for the Americans by senior German officers languishing in POW camps and secondary source literature. Although it is clear Napier exerted considerable effort in located German sources, he did overlook the Army Group B, Panzer Group West, and Seventh Army records located at the National Archives in College Park in Record Group 242; M. Reardon's "Defending Fortress Europe: The Seventh Army War Diary in Normandy" by Aberjona; and the excellent "Armies in Focus" series by M. Wood and J. Dugdale (Books International: Farnborough) which examines German panzer division strengths based on primary source monthly reporting.
Nuts and bolts: The book is organized with fourteen chapters entitled 1.) D-Day tanks, 2.) Fighting the Tank, 3.) Bridgehead Battles, 4.) Operation PERCH – Villers Bocage, 5.) Operation EPSOM, 6.) Battle of the Hedgerows, 7.) Operation GOODWOOD, 8.) Operation COBRA, 9.) Operation BLUECOAT, 10.) Operation LUTTICH - Mortain Counterattack, 11.) Operation TOTALIZE, 12.) Operation TRACTABLE, 13.) Falaise Gap, and 14.) Summary. I especially liked how he covered the major operations in a single chapter. In addition, he maintains continuity between chapters fairly well.
Napier has done an exceptionally solid job with this complex topic. He has succeeded in creating an interesting, objective, and informative account about the armored organizations, tactics, and technologies unique to both sides in Normandy. This book represents a worthy addition to the serious WW2 historian’s collection despite the misstatements and typos. That said, I would also recommend Casemate invest a bit more in their military history projects, to wit - better maps and more rigorous subject matter expert pre-publication reviews.
Product details
|
Tags : The Armoured Campaign in Normandy [Napier] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Armoured Campaign in Normandy,Napier,The Armoured Campaign in Normandy,The History Press,0750979453
People also read other books :
- Cyclops Road (Audible Audio Edition) Jeff Strand Joe Hempel Books
- Thru The CatFlap edition by Michael Bee Brian Heaton Crafts Hobbies Home eBooks
- Her Montana Hero Montana Home Book 1 edition by Roxanne Snopek Contemporary Romance eBooks
- Red Island eBook Martin MacDermot
- Whip Me Beat Me Make Me Write Hot Sex edition by Tymber Dalton Reference eBooks
The Armoured Campaign in Normandy Napier 9780750979450 Books Reviews
my interest in this massive under taking is boundless and the book provides more info
Excellent read for this subject many books have covered this material before but this book has more up to date historical facts. Each offensive and weapons type is covered in great detail. The lesson learned and the reason why certain offensives failed is covered in accurate detail. some picture and many maps is a plus for the reader. Easy to follow and read with clear presentation of each engagement
Incredibly detailed descriptions of the British, Canadian, and American armored attacks in Normandy. The book describes the fighting, hedgerow by hedgerow and lane by lane. Most of the text is about the Allied attacks, but there is a lot of description of the German defensive efforts and especially the counter attack at Mortain. The text discusses attacks at the squadron, company, regiment, and division levels. The level of detail is almost paralyzing.
There is relatively little comparison of the armored tactics developed by the Allies and the Germans. The tactics are described, but there is little assessment of their effectiveness or alternatives. Chapter 14 "Summary" provides a 23 page assessment of overall (mostly British and Canadian) performance and tank losses. It also provides a detailed accounting of the tank losses by all forces; the Allies lost twice as many tanks as the Germans.
Considering that the author is British, the book is surprisingly critical of Montgomery's performance. His accomplishments were almost always less than his promises and claims. As in North Africa, he was almost terrified of exploiting opportunities of the moment and really going for the jugular for a decisive victory. Given the armored and artillery resources at his disposal, his five set-piece attacks from Normandy to the south all accomplished less than they could and should have.
For more on this subject, I suggest the following books "The Germans in Normandy" by Hargreaves (2006) and "Tank Tactics -- from Normandy to Lorraine" by Jarymowycz (2009). The latter book contains a fascinating comparison of Allied, German, and Soviet armored tactics and operations doctrines.
Once again, I approached a particular purchase with caution as I wondered whether or not the author could successfully tackle the challenge of bringing sufficient new information to the table with regards to the study of armored employment by the British, Canadians, Germans and Americans. Although I winced when I found an occasional misstatement about U.S. tank destroyers and the Allied "failure" to use halftracks to carry infantry prior to TOTALIZE (still not sure if I read that one right - see page 330), by and large Napier gets it right. In addition to his (for the most part) diligent and exhaustive research, I did not detect any partisanship when he discussed any of the four major armored combatants in the campaign.
Why not five stars? I felt that I had to deduct one-half star for some production issues and inaccurate statements. For one, there are far more typos than necessary in certain sections. Napier occasionally mixes up British and American small unit terminology early in the book (he refers to U.S. tank companies as Squadrons - which is a term used by the British and Canadians to describe company-sized units). And there is the sore topic of maps, or lack thereof at the tactical level, which could be a major problem for some readers. Lastly, he honed unerringly in on U.S. armor operations to the exclusion of U.S. tank destroyers, which leads to a few mix-ups like calling the 899th TD Battalion a tank battalion in one chapter and mistakenly stating that M-5 towed 3-inch tank destroyers were 90-mm weapons. That said, these are small issues in comparison to the new information he brings to light.
Perfectionists might take off one or two entire stars, but I believe that Casemate Publishing is more to blame than the author. Having published myself, I realize that at some point, authors need another set of informed eyes. That said, most publishers nowadays seem to skimp on editing, cartography, or taking the time to hunt down other subject matter experts to review a manuscript. Take Robert Baumer's recent book on Aachen published by Casemate - it has far less maps than warranted by the five-star narrative. With a little more effort by the publisher and a decent pre-publication "scrub" by someone broadly knowledgeable of U.S. armor organization and tactics, this book would be a solid five star publication.
Small disappointments aside, Napier has industriously delved into the British (+ Polish), Canadian and to a somewhat lesser extent, American archives when researching this book. Thus, the Anglo-Canadian/American narrative rests on a solid underpinning of primary source research. The German perspective, interestingly enough, is presented successfully though postwar accounts written for the Americans by senior German officers languishing in POW camps and secondary source literature. Although it is clear Napier exerted considerable effort in located German sources, he did overlook the Army Group B, Panzer Group West, and Seventh Army records located at the National Archives in College Park in Record Group 242; M. Reardon's "Defending Fortress Europe The Seventh Army War Diary in Normandy" by Aberjona; and the excellent "Armies in Focus" series by M. Wood and J. Dugdale (Books International Farnborough) which examines German panzer division strengths based on primary source monthly reporting.
Nuts and bolts The book is organized with fourteen chapters entitled 1.) D-Day tanks, 2.) Fighting the Tank, 3.) Bridgehead Battles, 4.) Operation PERCH – Villers Bocage, 5.) Operation EPSOM, 6.) Battle of the Hedgerows, 7.) Operation GOODWOOD, 8.) Operation COBRA, 9.) Operation BLUECOAT, 10.) Operation LUTTICH - Mortain Counterattack, 11.) Operation TOTALIZE, 12.) Operation TRACTABLE, 13.) Falaise Gap, and 14.) Summary. I especially liked how he covered the major operations in a single chapter. In addition, he maintains continuity between chapters fairly well.
Napier has done an exceptionally solid job with this complex topic. He has succeeded in creating an interesting, objective, and informative account about the armored organizations, tactics, and technologies unique to both sides in Normandy. This book represents a worthy addition to the serious WW2 historian’s collection despite the misstatements and typos. That said, I would also recommend Casemate invest a bit more in their military history projects, to wit - better maps and more rigorous subject matter expert pre-publication reviews.
0 Response to "[QK8]⇒ Read Free The Armoured Campaign in Normandy Napier 9780750979450 Books"
Post a Comment