D-Day

British journalist Collier, who has written numerous books on World War II (The Sands of Dunkirk), has now produced a colorful and abbreviated history of the D-Day invasion of France on June 6, 1944. His succinct narrative is complemented by documents and many eyewitness accounts and is lavishly illustrated with photos and artwork. Despite its attractive visual appeal and coffee table-book format, the scholarship and research are sound. Collier clearly presents the complicated buildup and planning for the massive Allied amphibious assault on Hitler's Fortress Europe as well as the uncertainty and chaos of that fateful day on the beaches of Normandy. Best are the chapters on Allied intelligence and deception plans and the pre-invasion sabotage operations of the French partisans. This book cannot be considered the definitive history of D-Day, but it is a nice supplement to the more dramatic and detailed D-Day accounts of Stephen Ambrose, Gerald Astor, and Theodore Wilson.