" Sand and Steel will likely be the standard work on D-Day for some time to come." -- The NYMAS Review "It's rare for a book about as huge a subject as the Normandy invasion to be totally comprehensive, but Sand & Steel genuinely is. The product of Peter Caddick-Adams' lifetime's fascination with and investigation into D-Day, its precursors and its aftermath, nothing else will need to be written on Operation Overlord for decades. Whether you are a visitor to the Normandy battlefields, a general reader interested in the greatest amphibious assault in the history of warfare, or just someone who appreciates extremely well-written military history and wants to know what it was like to have experienced combat in one of Mankind's most decisive struggles, this truly extraordinary book is undoubtedly the one for you." -- Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny "Peter Caddick-Adams is one of our brightest military historians and SAND AND STEEL offers the whole enchilada: deep research, operational acumen, and taut, terse writing. He gives us every beach, every army, every minute, with a humane eye, and with none of the special pleading for this nation or that general that tends to mar such volumes. Caddick-Adams was there thirty-five years ago when President Ronald Reagan immortalized "the boys of Pointe du Hoc" and all the others, vowing that we would always remember them. This book helps fulfill that pledge." -- Rob Citino, Senior Historian, the National World War Two Museum, New Orleans, author of Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm and The German Way of War "Even those who know a great deal about the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 will find much to admire in this detailed account. Peter Caddick-Adams punctures a number of D-Day myths, but he is at his best in weaving together the personal stories from hundreds of interviews compiled over two decades, and the result is an account of the campaign viewed not only from the conference room or headquarters, but also from the deckplate, the cockpit, the turret, and the foxhole of ordinary soldiers, sailors and airmen." -- Craig L. Symonds, author of Operation Neptune and World War II at Sea "A brilliant exploration of the military aspects of Overlord, this is an account of fortitude and an investigation of success. Following his excellent study of the Battle of the Bulge, Caddick-Adams does it again by explaining, as opposed to simply describing, the Allies' victory." -- Jeremy Black, author of Rethinking World War Two "Sand and Steel envelops the reader like a thrilling movie- shifting, with cinematic suspense, to either side of the looming Second Front in Normandy. Caddick-Adams is as good on the Germans as the Allies, and neatly describes technology, tactics, the intelligence game, and the leading personalities. We watch the opposing armies form and train - in the fields of England and France- and shudder at their impact on D-Day, with the Allies fighting for every inch of beach and the Germans bitterly resisting." -- Geoffrey Wawro, author of Sons of Freedom, A Mad Catastrophe , and The Franco-Prussian War. "A thorough, exciting, and altogether excellent choice for World War II--and especially D-Day--aficionados."-- Kirkus , Starred Review "This really extraordinary volume stands to become the new benchmark narrative, conveying both the scale and individual experiences of that momentous operation in a sharp and highly readable book... Caddick-Adams brings not only a historian's skill of research and narrative, he also incorporates his experiences as a military officer and battlefield explorer to add vignettes on the veterans he's personally met and interviewed, and a sort of battlefield archeology of the surviving monuments, bunkers, and other landmarks that still exist... There will no doubt be many new books to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. If you can only read one, make it this book." -- New York Journal of Books "For the technical purist, Peter Caddick-Adams's Sand and Steel provides wonderful insight into war on the Western Front. With this follow-up to his magisterial Snow and Steel (2014), on the Battle of the Bulge, Mr. Caddick-Adams weighs in with a detailed chronicle that hard-core World War II buffs will relish."-- Wall Street Journal "The season's best comprehensive one-volume history of Operation Overlord."-- Christian Science Monitor "For anyone wanting as complete an account of the invasion of Normandy as possible, while still appreciating admirable clarity, insight and enjoyable prose, Caddick-Adams' epic will become a volume frequently pulled off the shelf."-- Roanoke Times "By far one of the most authoritative sources... Sand & Steel is a modern tour de force in military history, and will take its place among the other notable titles that have captured our imagination when reviewing the heroics of June 6, 1944."-- CHOICE Reviews "With Sand and Steel , he has produced an account of the D-Day operation that is impressive, insightful, and very readable... Sand and Steel will likely be the standard work on D-Day for some time to come."-- StrategyPage " Sand and Steel brings to bear an extraordinary volume of primary and secondary material on both familiar and lesser known actions, all the while weaving the personal narratives of the men involved into an analysis of the operational context of their part in the longest day. As if that were not enough, Peter Caddick-Adams offers in passing sober assessments of D-Day's historiography, correcting inaccuracies and dispelling hallowed myths. All in all, an extraordinary achievement in the true sense of the word."-- Michigan War Studies Review Peter Caddick-Adams is a lecturer in military history and current defense issues at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. He is the author of Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell and Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45 . He holds the rank of major in the British Territorial Army and has served with U.S. forces in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Features & Highlights
Peter Caddick-Adams's account of the Allied invasion of France in June 1944 matches the monumental achievement of his book on the Battle of the Bulge,
Snow and Steel
, which Richard Overy has called the "standard history of this climactic confrontation in the West."
Sand and Steel
gives us D-Day, arguably the greatest and most consequential military operation of modern times, beginning with the years of painstaking and costly preparation, through to the pitched battles fought along France's northern coast, from Omaha Beach to the Falaise and the push east to Strasbourg.In addition to covering the build-up to the invasion, including the elaborate and lavish campaigns to deceive Germans as to where and when the invasion would take place, Caddick-Adams gives a full and detailed account of the German preparations: the formidable Atlantikwall and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's plans to make Europe impregnable-plans not completed by June 6.
Sand and Steel
reveals precisely what lay in wait for the Allies. But the heart of the book is Caddick-Adams' narratives of the five beaches where the terrible drama played out--
Utah
,
Omaha
,
Gold
,
Juno
, and
Sword
, and the attempt by American, British, and Canadian soldiers to gain a foothold in Europe. The Allied invasion of Europe involved mind-boggling logistics, including orchestrating the largest flotilla of ships ever assembled. Its strategic and psychological demands stretched the Allies to their limits, testing the strengths of the bonds of Anglo-American leadership. Drawing on first-hand battlefield research, personal testimony and interviews, and a commanding grasp of all the archives and literature, Caddick-Adams's gripping book, published on the 75th anniversary of the events, does Operations Overlord and Neptune full justice.
Customer Reviews
Rating Breakdown
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Most Helpful Reviews
★★★★★
1.0
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Nowhere near the quality of Snow and Steel
I’d quite looked forward to this book but am sorely disappointed. It reads like a large mass of undigested notes. And its accuracy is more what one might expect from guided luxury tours for the wealthy of WWII sites than serious historical research. Clark Gable, for example, did not give up his then astronomical Hollywood salary to be an Air Force Captain in England. Actually (check his obituary in the Los Angeles Times -- no paywall -- if you doubt me), he enlisted as a private, the military immediately sent him to OCS in Florida, when he graduated as a Second Lieutenant he was sent to train as an aerial gunner, then arrived in Britain as a First Lieutenant, and was later promoted to Captain, then Major. Of such facts are history made, but evidently not Sand and Steel.
I’m not a scholar but I have doubts also about the bibliography. It appears to contain everything plus the kitchen sink, yet strangely omits books I should have thought deserved inclusion. The wartime diary, for example, of David K.E. Bruce, head of OSS in London during the war and later Ambassador to many capitols and a leading figure in US foreign policy. I found his diary relevant to D Day because Bruce was in a ship off the landing zone during the event and, typically for him, had a number of incisive observations.
* I was going to add a third star to my review because the book picks up after about page 300, but instead I've subtracted a star, bringing it down to a minimum one star, because there's no reference in the index to John Cecil Masterman, the Twenty Committee, the Double-Cross system, or any of the organized deceptions that fooled the Germans, and especially Hitler, into expecting the Allied invasion at Pas-de-Calais, thus greatly helping to make a Normandy invasion successful. What a glaring omission! To give XX short shrift would have been a serious error, to omit it entirely in a 1,000-plus page book is surely a cardinal sin.
34 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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ONE OF THE BEST D-DAY BOOKS EVER!
I just received my copy today. Peter Caddick-Adams is a great military history writer . I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated Snow and Steel-The Battle of the Bulge 1944-45, one of his previous works.. This book has very good notes, glossary, index, photos, maps, and writing. The paper stock and type set are excellent. It is a very welcome addition to my library. I am very happy to have pre-ordered early. I must plan to attend one of his lectures if I can. Thanks also to Oxford University Press. Well done!
24 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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A great telling of The Longest Day and the preparations for it
This book does a particularly good job highlighting the training and preparation that went into D-Day, weaving individual stories with a larger narrative. The role of the naval forces gets much deserved attention. The Germans are also recognized, with the strategy debates ("near the beaches" vs "strategic reserve for counterattack") debates again weaved in with stories of the individual soldiers on the Atlantic Wall. The maps and particularly the photographs help orient the reader; the period postcards used to orient Allied soldiers are matched with battles from shortly after the battlefield showing the landmarks and the buildings replaced by bunkers.
My primary disappointment was a lack of detail on the planning process. I think there's still a story to be told about that. But if you want to read one book that explains D-Day and how the Allies and Germans prepared for that day, this is the book to read.
13 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Well done!
This is a very good overview of D-day. Well written. I'm not sure if the prior reviewer failed to read the Postscript, but it deals with Fortitude, the XX Committee and the deception schemes at some length. Anyone with an interest in WWII needs this book in their library.
12 people found this helpful
★★★★★
3.0
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The D-Day Book For Those Who Have Gotten Bored With D-Day Books
I loved Snow and Steel, and hoped for more of the same. One of the best things about Snow was the way it assumed the reader was not an expert on the battle and so carefully developed the narrative and background material.
Sand & Steel (hereafter Sand) is far less accessible, as CA assumes one comes to it having read all the usual suspects (Hastings, Beevor, D'Este, Ryan) and so seems to be setting out to cover the obscure little nooks and crannies that the other guys have not already done to death.
As it happens, I personally have read all those other guys save for Ryan, so in theory Sand would be perfect for me -- save for the fact that the nooks and crannies explored did not really fascinate me, and I found myself skimming through the first half of the book thinking "get on with it already". The book picks up quite a bit in the second half (once the battle starts) but the first 400 pages are quite a drag.
Cons:
1) Like Snow, fewer maps than might be hoped, no table listing map locations, and the maps are scattered rather haphazardly through the text. Rather like Snow, one finds oneself reading a chapter that mentions a specific location, and then the reader must test their memory. "Hmm, I think that area was mentioned on the map found 6 chapters back... or was it 11 chapters ago?" Not the best approach to military history! Why we couldn't have a map table or at the very least a centralized map section baffles me.
2) CA opposes the Hastings theory that the German defenders were better soldiers than the Allies. Unfortunately, instead of addressing this point directly, he posits that the Allies were better because they trained a lot, and then he goes on for chapter after chapter about that training. First, a lot of training does not necessarily make for a superior army, and secondly, the equation is not "balanced" as other than one brief summary chapter, we hear virtually nothing about German levels of training ... or German tactics, logistics, morale, etc. I would have loved to see CA rebut Hastings with a lot of directly pertinent evidence, but instead we get a lot of thrilling anecdotes about training, training, and additional training. So CA;s argument against the German Ubermensch theory remains purely incipient and conceptual rather than fully developed.
3) Lengthy and dull pre-battle section. As mentioned, 400 pages of "before the battle" stuff. Besides all the training mentioned, we also hear about living arrangements, transport of the troops from various places to the UK, religious services, race relations, more training, design of the various landing craft, VD prevention, generation of code names for operations, yet more training... As stated, CA seems to be trying to look into new aspects of the Overlord campaign, but has found some very dull info on which to focus.
4) Limited focus on Germans. Unlike Snow, we do not get all that much background material on German commanders, equipment, and operations.
5) Very rough opening - Chapter One is about DeGaulle and the Free French in England. Besides being a really odd way to open the narrative, this is also one of the dullest chapters in the book. Will certainly discourage the casual reader from continuing their invasion of the text!
Pros:
1) CA is ultimately an excellent writer, and even during the dull chapters, he can put a sentence and paragraph together quite well.
2) CA is very fair and balanced; unlike Hastings, he has no particular grudges and is not setting out to show "the real story behind X". He treats all the commanders with scrupulous honesty, and tries to show the good and bad in all decisions made. This aspect is quite similar to Snow.
3) Excellent second half of the book. Once the invasion starts, the book's quality ratchets upwards dramatically, and things get more interesting. Unfortunately, the grognards will not find CA's battle narrative all that different from what has come before in the extensive Overlord literature, so, ironically, the most accessible and exciting part of the book may also be of least interest to military history buffs.
4) Excellent "apparatus"- other than the map situation, we have a great scholarly framework, with plenty of footnotes, many of them "juicy", i.e. supplementing the text rather than merely confirming it). Again, quite similar to Snow and Steel, and well done.
I would call the second half of the book four stars (loses points for the sparse and well hidden maps, as well as the lack of details on the German forces) and the first half of the book two stars due to its focus on fairly uninteresting minutiae. That comes to three stars total.
If you have read a lot about D-Day and think you might want to know a lot more about every aspect of the Allied preparation for the invasion, add a star. And if training narratives are your thing, add another star still!
All in all, somewhat disappointing after Snow and Steel, and I hope CA's next book will be somewhat less of a slog when considered on a cover to cover basis.
8 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Comprehensive account and details leading up to and after D-Day
Lots of details and takes some time to digest and read.
7 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Granularity in Spades
Peter Caddick-Adams, Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France (London: Oxford University Press, 2019).
In the recent spate of books about the D-Day invasion, this work stands out for its length (1023 pages) and granularity. It covers, in minute detail, hundreds of items, events and personnel blending them all seamlessly with eyewitness accounts. At the same time, there is a forceful narrative flow which keeps the reader interested and borne along as if on a tide.
Caddick-Adams has written many books about World War II so he is able to draw on a vast amount of material, personal stories and holistic overviews. He also walked all over the actual ground and his personal insights add immediacy and liveliness to his account.
One of the most rewarding dimensions is his inclusion of images of the many “penny postcards” which the British government acquired from its citizens prior to and during the planning process. These had been sent home by those visiting France in the preceding years before the war. Here then were contemporary ant’s eye views of the French coastline in amazing detail. By including them, the author enables us to glimpse at what the planners saw at ground level. Some of the photos of the actual landings show the exact same places and provide a very illuminating dimension.
Some of the authors insights worth remembering: (1) the training of U.S., British, French and Canadian forces was so realistic and difficult that the Allies actually lost more troops before the D-Day operations than during it, (2) so much of the German equipment was captured material from other countries that standardization of parts and ammunition was a huge problem, (3) many British civilians were poignantly and forcefully removed from their ancestral homes and villages as the government took over vast territories for a plethora of air fields and training facilities, and (4) close support of the landing by air and sea (over 6900 ships and 25,000 aircraft sorties in two days) was absolutely essential to the success of the Allied endeavor.
This is a major work for all serious students of the D-Day landings.
6 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Best read of the D-Day books coming out on the 75th Anniversary
Just finished it and it is an excellent read . The commentary on the what a visitor might find on a present day visit to the Normandy beaches is a bit unusual but is an interesting juxtaposition of what the author describes in the text and how they are found today , sometimes accompanied by a photograph . First half is about the preparations for the invasion and is actually quite interesting . Second half about the landings done beach by beach , includes accounts from allied soldiers and Germans who fought on the same beach . The second half is not a comprehensive account of the battles but more on the level of individual experiences but the author has accomplished what he set out to do .
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Detailed Yet Readable
Sand and Steel: The D-Day Invasion and the Liberation of France by Peter Caddick-Adams is published by Oxford University Press.
I am really close to embracing the absurd idea that World War II never happened. In particular, I can almost find myself believing that the D-Day Normandy invasion of France on June 6, 1944 never happened. No, I am not losing my sanity, nor am I listening to weird conspiracy theories of crackpots.
Here is my thought: I cannot fathom how the men at Normandy faced the obstacles, encountered the dangers, endured the noise and destruction, and braved the event. I get frightened by severe storms or near car wrecks on the highway. How did these men, many who were barely past boyhood, do what they did? My awe extends beyond the work of just the Americans, and I even marvel at the enemies on that day.
This past June 6 marked the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings. In light of that, a number of books began appearing highlighting the events and retelling the story of Operation Overlord.
Along with this book, James Holland’s Normandy 1944 and Alex Kershaw’s The First Wave hit the shelves shortly before the 75 year commemoration. There are some older books that are great treasures as well for studying this event. The first great account was Cornelius Ryan’s The Longest Day, which was followed up with an all-star cast epic movie. Stephen Ambrose’s D-Day: June 6, 1944, John Keegan’s Six Armies in Normandy, Max Hasting’s Overlord, and Antony Beevor’s D-Day are among the books I have acquired over the years on this event.
It is hard to imagine a book, however, that is more detailed and rigorous in its content that Sand & Steel. With nearly 900 pages of narrative, Caddick-Adams goes from event to event, from landing to landing, and describes the multitude of encounters, failures, disasters, and acts of heroism. I was astounded and often simply swamped by the details. How could any one man put so much of this story together. In his acknowledgments, the author talks about his many years of research and many days spent walking the actual battlegrounds. He also accessed interviews and personal accounts and got into the story in time to talk with some of the actual participants. He was also at Pointe du Hoc in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan gave one of his greatest speeches ever.
Several points to be made about this book:
The first 400 pages of this book deal with the planning stages for the invasion. I was horrified by the fact that so many soldiers were killed during training exercises going on all across Britain during 1943 and early 1944. Many men who “died fighting the Nazis” actually died during mishaps and problems relating to the training drills. But, if these training drills had not taken place, the results would have been worse. Those poor guys are just as much fallen heroes as those who actually made it to the beaches.
The Germans were working furiously to create defensive mechanisms, collectively known as the Atlantic Wall, to repel the invasion. They were hindered in many ways, ranging from lack of supplies to efforts to sabotage their works. The beaches of northern France were turned into death zones by the mines, barbed wire, metal obstacles, and other devices. Topping the high ground were bunkers, machine gun nests, pill boxes, and other concrete fortifications stocked with all manner of weapons.
The role of air power was decisive for the Allies, but the number of times where bombs fell in the wrong places or did not succeed in destroying enemies locations is incredible. Again, adding to my disbelief, the sheer amount of tonnage dropped on Europe and particularly northern France seems impossible.
As Caddick-Adams began describing the various encounters during the landing, I found myself wondering how the Allies could possibly have been winning that day. One of the most enjoyable features of the book is the author’s short accounts of the men themselves. Thankfully, a number of personal accounts and interviews have been gathered that tell the story from the perspective of the participants. Repeatedly, the stories are filled with the horrors of seeing people killed and maimed who were standing just inches away. Some men did heroic acts while disembarking and hitting the beaches, while others cringing and panicking did whatever they could to find safety. I stand in awe of all.
Caddick-Adams does a good job of reassessing some of the previous accounts and stories and myths about D-Day. Cornelius Ryan’s book is outstanding, but in a story this big, he missed the mark quite a few times. Even with 900 pages, Caddick, Adams is still only skimming the surface of this story.
This book is not for the person who wants to just read a good account of D-Day. Maybe someone watches The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan and they want to learn more. They should go for some of the other, shorter accounts. But for the student of World War II, already well briefed on what happened, this book is a great resource, very readable, and filled with much that is unforgettable.
2 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Very good book
This is an impressive volume about D-Day. It talks about the battle from the eyes of the common soldier, sailor, airman. It explores the build up to the invasion, and then the different beaches on June 6th. I felt it was well researched and written. I don’t know why, but it was a difficult read for me, taking me almost a year and half to read. I could never get into as much as some other volumes on D-Day. Still a worthy read and good addition to anyones libary.
