Readers looking for a detailed history of Operation Overlord should look elsewhere. This concise history of 180 pages is more for the reader who is already familiar with the topic, but wanted to read a personal perspective from a preeminent historian.
Gilbert knows his terrain well. He covers the preparation for the invasion, the deception practised on the Germans and the actual invasion. Interspersed are quotes by Hitler, Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt and Eisenhower etc. It is a great pity these quotes were not end noted.
Gilbert also mentioned an interesting point on strategy that has troubled me greatly for many years, which I have yet to see a satisfactory answer from the books on D day that I have read. Gilbert mentioned that Churchill considered advancing northward through Italy as the second front. { p 31}. I have always thought this was a better strategy without taking the enormous risk of a channel invasion. Unfortunately Gilbert did not explain why Churchill ‘s idea was not pursued.
This book has no endnotes but the maps are clear and excellent. I recommend this book for a reader looking for a short readable history of D Day.