D Day Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th, 1944.

I'm about half-way through this book and thought I'd share with those of you who might be interested. I'm finding it both fascinating and sobering. You can read it for free with Kindle Unlimited.

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Almost all accounts of D Day are told from the Allied perspective, with the emphasis on how German resistance was overcome on June 6th 1944. But what was it like to be a German soldier in the bunkers and gun emplacements of the Normandy coast, facing the onslaught of the mightiest seaborne invasion in history?
What motivated the German defenders, what were their thought processes - and how did they fight from one strong point to another, among the dunes and fields, on that first cataclysmic day? What were their experiences on facing the tanks, the flamethrowers and the devastating air superiority of the Allies?

This book sheds fascinating light on these questions, bringing together statements made by German survivors after the war, when time had allowed them to reflect on their state of mind, their actions and their choices of June 6th.

We see a perspective of D Day which deserves to be added to the historical record, in which ordinary German troops struggled to make sense of the onslaught that was facing them, and emerged stunned at the weaponry and sheer determination of the Allied soldiers. We see, too, how the Germans fought in the great coastal bunkers, perceived as impregnable fortresses, but in reality often becoming tombs for their crews.

Above all, we now have the unheard human voices of the individual German soldiers - the men who are so often portrayed as a faceless mass.

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Get it Here

It looks like there's two volumes to this...I'll have to get one of those Kindle thingies someday...:splat:...Ben

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Originally Posted by Truckman

It looks like there's two volumes to this...I'll have to get one of those Kindle thingies someday...:splat:...Ben

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You don't have to get a Kindle. You can read on your computer, a tablet or a smart phone. Most of my reading is done on my phone, it is always with me, as is my library. The subscription to Kindle unlimited is worth every penny to me. I read a new book about every two days and rarely pay for them due to the subscription.

My phone only talks...My tablet is a Big Chief...I like to read some after I go to bed, but my computer is a desktop which makes it a little inconvenient...If Kindle reader thingies are less than $16, I'll know where to spend my tax refund...:thinker:...Ben

Save your tax refund for books. I have an ancient Motorola Xoom tablet you can have gratis. It works as well as the day I bought it. I just tested it to see if it still works with Kindle. It does. We just need to make plans for a hand off.

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Originally Posted by Mike

We just need to make plans for a hand off.

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I can trade you a Folgers coffee can with an undetermined amount of unprocessed, unfiltered, room temperature, peanut butter flavored bacon fat...There's a gun show in Conroe March 16-17...:arr:...Ben

Gun show sounds good. I have not been to one in a long time.

Cool...You bring the reader thingy and I'll bring the coffee can...:handshake:...Ben

I feel a back ground check is in order before said hand off of the coffee can is completed.

Author's Introduction:

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This book was not created by me, but by my grandfather, Dieter Eckhertz. In 1944, he held the prestigious role of a military journalist, writing articles and features for German military publications including the magazines ‘Signal’ and ‘Die Wehrmacht,’ which were widely read by German troops. Dieter Eckhertz left journalism after the war, but he continued to work on one final project, which was a series of interviews with German soldiers who had fought in Normandy on June 6th 1944, the day known to the Allies as ‘D Day.’ The reason for my grandfather’s interest in the German perspective of D Day was simple: shortly before the Normandy landings, he had visited several locations on the Atlantic Wall and interviewed a number of the troops there with a view to writing a feature for ‘Die Wehrmacht’ magazine. He was fascinated by the enormous preparations being made to defend the Atlantic coast against an invasion launched from England, and by the morale of the troops on the Wall, who were in many cases inexperienced or unfit. Much later, on the tenth anniversary of D Day in 1954, when many Germans preferred to draw a veil over the events of the war, my grandfather made enormous efforts to track down some of the troops whose units he had visited. He encouraged these men to discuss with him their personal memories of the Atlantic Wall, their frame of mind at the time of the invasion, and their actions during the historic day of June 6th.

Eckhertz, Holger. D DAY Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944 (Kindle Locations 40-44). DTZ History Publications. Kindle Edition.

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Originally Posted by Phillbo

I feel a back ground check is in order before said hand off of the coffee can is completed.

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As long as it's opened only in a well-ventilated, concrete lined room with no open flames or other spark inducing sources, it'll be perfectly safe...:omfg:...Ben

Off topic, but in context with the time-frame of Mike's original post, I found this WWII era joke yesterday:

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At a dinner with Churchill, Ribbentrop had said that, in a future war with Britain, Germany would have the Italians on its side. Churchill, referring to Italy’s poor record in the First World War, responded with one of his devastating verbal flashes: “That’s only fair – we had them last time.”

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The two actually met in 1937, but the "quote" may just be period humor...:2funny:...Ben