D-Day: The First 72 Hours

A mythbusting, hour-by-hour account of the first 72 hours of the D-Day invasion of France.

The Allied invasion of occupied France began with the delivery of three airborne and six infantry divisions onto a 60-mile stretch of the Normandy coast. Accomplishing this involved over 1,200 transport aircraft, 450 gliders, 325 assorted warships and over 4,000 landing vessels. Operation Overlord, as the invasion was code-named, remains the largest amphibious invasion in history. 

This books tells the story hour-by-hour as it unfurled on the beaches, as experienced by the Allied troops. D-Day: The First 72 Hours covers the initial attacks made by airborne and special forces until the point where all the beachheads were secured.

William F Buckingham completed his PhD on the establishment and initial development of British Airborne Forces in 2001. His other books include Arnhem 1944 also published by Tempus.