REMEMBER D-DAY

A weak beginning and questionable ending flank a riveting account of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, 60 years ago. After an introductory chapter that sets up WWII to 1944 so sketchily it might as well not be there, Drez plunges into his subject with gusto. From the diversionary tactics designed to fool the German army into thinking the invasion would be anywhere but Normandy to the construction of two portable harbors the Allied forces would take across the Channel with them, he presents the preparations for D-Day in fascinating detail. The coverage of the actual invasion is peppered with first-person accounts by not only American, but British, Canadian, and German soldiers as well, providing “you are there” immediacy. The epilogue makes the categorical assertion that had D-Day not proven successful, Hitler would have prevailed, a melodramatic point that, however clearly seen in hindsight, is still nevertheless unprovable. The strength of the main narrative, and a design that includes archival material, modern photographs, and a splendid chart of the invasion, makes this offering a good addition to WWII collections. (Nonfiction. 9-14)