Lewis, Adrian R.
Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory
Chapel Hill, NC: University of N Carolina Press, 2001
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 381
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Top Ten Award Winner
Editor's Choice Award Winner
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See also other edition(s):
University of N Carolina Press, 2003 - Softcover
See also more books from:
Adrian R. Lewis
See also more books on the same topic(s):
D-Day, 6 June 1944
D-Day, 6 June 1944: Amphibious landings
Normandy campaign, June - August 1944
Omaha beach landings, 6 June 1944
See also references to this book:
Reference in news archive September 2001
Reference in book review/survey January 2002
Reference in book review/survey June 2002
Reference in news archive November 2002
Reference in book review/survey December 2002
Reference in news archive February 2003
Reference in book review/survey March 2004
Feedback from visitors
Feedback from Lee on Saturday, 21 July 2001
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Very good
Feedback from John J. Trafford on Sunday, 22 July 2001
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Having been at OMAHA as a crew member of HMCS Mulgrave, a minesweeper of the RCN 31st Fleet Minesweeping Flotilla I can offer my comments based the Stone & Stone review only.
It my intention to purchase the book and after reading it will be better able to evaluate it.
As of now I agree that there was a lack of naval big ship gunfire until well after daylight. We had swept our channel (arriving at OMAHA before daylight) brough in our sweeps and were standing by for further orders and were thus able to witness the carnage on the beach through binoculars and to observe USS AUGUSTA directing her heavy armament ( I believe 14") shoreward, this was werll after daylight. USS ARKANSAS was also in the area but we did not observe her gunfire.
Historical accounts do not give credit to the minesweepers of the RCN who swept the channels for the invasion forces at OMAHA but we were there then and for months after sweeping for mines, a very monotonous and dangerous occupation.
John J. Trafford Belleville, Ontario, Canada
Feedback from Stephan Ö on Thursday, 27 February 2003
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Adrian Lewis has made a detailed analysis of the Omaha landing in particular and also extends the subject to involve the question of what the consequences might have been for the entire Overlord operation if some of the circumstances would have been different. The book starts with a description of the actual events and continues with an discussion about all the different - often contradictory - aspects of the decisions taken before D-Day. The latter involves issues like Army vs Navy and British vs American doctrine, the firm belief in the decisive impact of strategic bombing, the misuse of previous experience in the area of naval support and intelligence mistakes in considering material changes in the German defense. Certain subjects are discussed in very deep detail and it is sometimes difficult to assess if the decision of day or night landing for example was mostly influenced by Navy doctrine, British W.W.I experience, a certain commander in charge or the strengthening of German shore defenses. All subjects however are presented in a very objective and balanced way, not the least the biographies of commanders where criticism is given equally to American and British.
The book gives excellent arguments showing how a number of mistakes where made by the Allied Command, mistakes that could have changed the outcome of the entire operation should it not have been for the sacrifices of the soldiers ordered to make a frontal assault against heavy enemy defense.
It is definitely one of the best books I've read on the subject and it gave me a lot of new perspectives I did not have before. Highly recommended
Feedback from Anonymous on Sunday, 6 April 2003
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very good!!!
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