Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy
How the Allies Won on D-Day
ISBN10: 1250134935
ISBN13: 9781250134936
Trade Paperback
512 Pages
$22.99
CA$31.50
Giles Milton’s bold new history narrates the events of June 6th, 1944 through the tales of survivors from all sides: the teenage Allied conscript, the crack German defender, the French resistance fighter. From the military architects at Supreme Headquarters to the young schoolboy in the Wehrmacht’s bunkers, Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die lays bare the absolute terror of those trapped in the front line of Operation Overlord. It also gives voice to those who have hitherto remained unheard—the French butcher’s daughter, the Panzer Commander’s wife, the chauffeur to the General Staff.
This vast canvas of human bravado reveals “the longest day” as never before—less as a masterpiece of strategic planning than a day on which thousands of scared young men found themselves staring death in the face. It is drawn in its entirety from the raw, unvarnished experiences of those who were there.
Reviews
Praise for Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy
“Earns its place in a crowded field by bringing a completely fresh, very human approach to the largest amphibious landing in history, telling stories from the American, British, French and German perspectives. It has a wonderful immediacy and vitality—living history in every sense.”—Anthony Horowitz, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Rider Adventure series, in The Wall Street Journal
“The day is narrated in a symphony of surviving voices—a teenage Allied conscript, a French resistance fighter, a butcher’s daughter – placing the reader in the heat of the action.”—USA Today
"Stirring and unsettling in equal measure, this is history writing at its most powerful.”—Evening Standard
“A labor of love and respect . . . Milton's writing is often vivid . . . Readers will . . . be thrilled and moved by this sweeping mosaic.”—Publishers Weekly
BOOK EXCERPTS
Read an Excerpt
PART I
Know Thy Enemy
Operation Overlord had been planned in the greatest detail, with every minute of the day accounted for. However, the success of the landings would be contingent on accurate knowledge of the terrain, weather...