This is an interesting and informative book from the German view of events that unfolded during this period of the war. I would have to recommend this to those that like to get into the minds of the generals that where there and their thinking.

Read the full review here.

inScale, GS Danis

Using de-briefing reports written by senior Wehrmacht officers for the US Army's Historical Division shortly after the war, David Isby has put together a German narrative encompassing the Allied breakout from the Normandy beachhead to the wholesale destruction of men and material caught in the Falaise pocket.

The two main contributors are Seventh Army's CIC,Generaloberst Paul Masser and his Chief of Staff, Freiherr Von Gersdorff, with additional accounts provided by Divisional and Corps commanders...

... Given the seniority and advantageous perspective of the contributors, it is not surprising that there is a wealth of detail in the book which is akin to a very long staff report. This is not a book for the casual reader but is a superlative source for researchers and students interested in this particular period.

What is apparent is the effort made to further the reputation of the superiority of the German soldier over his Allied counterparts during the war - a belief which exists to this day in some quarters. Whilst recording events, the writers bring to the fore the quality of leadership exercised at all levels and the combat abilities of its soldiers in the face of such overwhelming odds. Maybe history is not always written by the victors; certainly, in this case, it was written by the vanquished!

Army Rumour Service