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I was in Normandy recently, staying in Bayeux. This town miraculously survived without being bombed, unlike many nearby towns. British patrols approached on the evening of June 6. The advance next morning found the Germans had fallen back to a line south of the town and it was liberated without a shot. As the French owner of the beach tour I booked said, not a single bomb hit the town, not even by mistake. I have read quite a bit about D Day itself but now wonder what would be the best choice for a history of the entire campaign. For instance, what was going on that Bayeux was abandoned without a fight. A good thing too, I might add for it is one charming place, with Bishop Odo's cathedral still standing. And the tapestry is magnificent. Please suggest a good history of the entire campaign.Also, my mother-in-law's cousin was killed somewhere outside St. Lo at the start of the Mortain counter-offensive. I am interested in finding a history of the 28th Division. Yes, I know the 30th took the brunt of the attack. It seems the 28th took enough to end my wife's relative. Pointers to a history of the 28th would be appreciated.
Personally speaking, I’m just waiting for someone to write on of those middle-brow pop paperback histories that litter airports and shopping centres with the title ‘Normandy The Forgotten Battle’. Apparently, according to one notable student of history, the battle was remarkable for the absence of any Kurdish troops.
If you haven't already read it, Anthony Beevor's 'D-Day' is a very readable and thorough overview of the whole campaign, right through to the liberation of Paris, taking in the landings, the breakout, the fight for the Cotentin Peninsula, the Falaise Pocket, and all the other major movements and actions. Lots of eyewitness testimony coupled to a strong, pacy narrative.I had a wander round the town of Carentan a few weeks ago - stopped for lunch on my way west to the far end of Brittany. It's a pretty quiet town these days with little evidence of the legacy of the war except for a big memorial. Given that large parts of it were destroyed in the fighting, it's interesting that there still seem to be plenty of old buildings from earlier centuries - but you can also see a fair amount of more modern buildings that must have been restored or rebuilt in the aftermath of the war. Nothing much in the way of scarring / battle damage though (last week I was in Berlin, and there you can see evidence of the war everywhere you look on older buildings)Interesting to see the place for real having seen it portrayed so often on various wargames tables... There was a fair bit of the characteristic Norman stone in evidence, but overall not a huge degree of resemblance