The Americans at D-Day: The American Experience at the Normandy Invasion (review)

John C. McManus is a professor of military history at the University of Missouri. He is the author of The Deadly Brotherhood: The American Combat Soldier in World War II; Deadly Sky: The American Combat Airman in World War II; and The Americans at Normandy, the companion volume to the work under review. This work is divided into two parts, Part I: Gearing Up and Part II: The Assault. McManus's book covers the planning and preparation, the transportation plan, the crossing of the channel, the airborne night drops, the naval bombardment, the battles for Utah and Omaha beaches, and the Rangers' fight at Pointe-du-Hoc.

McManus's work covers the same period as Stephen Ambrose's D-Day: The Climactic Battle of World War II (1994), Joseph Balkoski's Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy (1989), and Omaha Beach: D-Day June 6, 1944 (2004), and my book, Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory (2001). Why then another book on the American invasion at Normandy? McManus writes: "it occurred to me that a fundamental aspect of the battle—the American contribution—had not been written about with the kind of focus, and the kind of depth, it deserves. The rise of the United States as a world power, and the significant impact that U.S. soldiers had on the battle's outcome, is, in my view, the defining aspect of the story of Normandy" (p. 13). McManus argues that, "At Normandy, the U.S . . . became a superpower," and the contribution of the U.S. was "vital" to the success at Normandy (p. 22).

Given McManus's assessment of the current state of historical works on the Normandy invasion, it is surprising that he relied primarily on secondary works and oral histories to add "depth." No visits seem to have been made to the National Archives, the Military History Institute, or the Eisenhower Library. Very little basic research into the primary documents was conducted to produce this book. Hence, it does not represent original research. McManus's book also is not a new interpretation based on fresh analysis of the battles and campaign. He provides little that is new, little that either changes our views or enhances our understanding of the Normandy invasion. In the notes to his book, he wrote, "I have relied on numerous sources in the preparation of this chapter" (p. 353). He then lists Stephen Ambrose, Carlo D'Este, Forrest Pogue, David Eisenhower, Gordon Harrison, Merle Miller, and others. This methodology persists throughout the book.

Why buy this book? McManus's book is a good read. It is well written, and for the average reader of popular history is a good choice. McManus has provided us with an excellent narrative of the American campaign and he has added new personal stories of the men that fought the battle. His method is to first provide a brief narrative, and to then tell the story through the eyes of the men that landed on the beaches, jumped out of the airplanes, climbed the cliffs, manned the LCTs, bombarded the beaches, and did numerous other critical jobs that made the landing possible. While many of these personal stories have been told before, there are new ones. McManus has a critical word for no one. This is a narrative that will make every American feel proud. However, Joseph Balkoski's latest work is a better book. Balkoski has one of the most extensive collections of oral histories and personal stories available, and is stronger in analysis. Finally, there are numerous documents on the Normandy invasion that have not been mined for their insights. At the Military History Institute and the Eisenhower Library, there is still much work to be done.