Well then you’re gonna like Atkinson’s trilogy, from the first blundered landings in North Africa, to the essential role the landings at Sicily, Salerno and Anzio played in the learning curve leading up to Operation Overlord.
One thing that struck me in The Day of Battle, a million servicemen in the Mediterranean Theater by the spring of ‘44 and the author points out that most of the rapidly building US Army hadn’t even left the US yet.
By Overlord the Brits were literally running out of men to send into battle.
Finished "An Army at Dawn" a few days ago and immediately started reading "The Day of Battle", at this point in the book the Allies have just landed on Sicily. Always knew we out produced the Germans but this book and the last leave the impression that the Americans and some extent the British as well just stumbled and bumbled our way to victory helped along by outstanding examples of small unit and individual bravery. So many lives thrown away needlessly through arrogance, egotistical decisions of generals and overall bad planning and execution. SNAFU's, TARFU's, JAAFU's and FUBAR's abounded.
Very good books overall. I like the 30,000 foot view of strategy and tactics mixed with enough anecdotes to show the personal side of the war. It's obvious Atkinson did a huge amount of detailed research.
Also trying to find the tune of "Dirty Gertie from Bizerte" but so far all I've found with the music is a later cleaned up version.
