Normandy : Gold Beach; Inland from King (Battleground Europe) (Battleground Europe)

The sixth chapter reverts to following the exploits of a few individuals in the 6th Green Howards - obviously the main source of information for this book - in a minor action around Tilly on 11 June 1944. The only part of this book that has any value is the chapter on the Battle of Villers-Bocage on 13 June 1944,with the epic ambush of the 7th Armored Division by Michael Wittman's Tiger tanks. While this battle is not really germane to either the Gold landings or the British 50th Division, it is much better told than the other chapters. In fact, the many excellent photographs and maps of the action allow the reader a much better appreciation of this famous action than provided in many other accounts. Unfortunately, the author slips back into his previous mode in the final chapter, which covers the capture of Lingevres on 14 June 1944. At that point, the book abruptly ends for no fathomable reason; why stop at D-Day plus 8?

...Readers expecting a detailed account of the British landing on D-Day at Gold Beach will be vastly disappointed by this collection of bric-a-brac. The quality of the Battleground Europe series var ... read more