Sword: D-Day Trial by Battle
Max Hastings, William Collins
In Sword: D-Day Trial by Battle, Max Hastings puts a magnifying glass on the actions of British forces on and around a single beach (Sword) during the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day (6 June 1944) — the largest seaborne invasion in history.
About half of the nearly three million men of the British Army spent the four years between the retreat from Dunkirk and D-Day training to take back the continent from Nazi Germany — most of the time “unimaginably bored”. Hastings relies on letters and other detailed first-hand accounts to give an authentic depiction of what life was like for these soldiers, which is, unfortunately for the first section of the book, somewhat boring but highly accurate and rarely explored.
When the invasion begins, the pace picks up, and the gritty, shambolic reality of combat comes alive. Hastings’ sometimes brutally honest accounts of the successes and failures of the operation are refreshing, as is his perspective on the British, Canadian and American contributions. Britain was tasked with capturing two beaches in Normandy, the Canadians one, and the Americans two — contrary to the movie Saving Private Ryan, the Americans did not recapture France alone.
Readers should be aware that Sword is a tightly focused book — as Hastings makes clear — and excels at humanising the “virgin” soldiers thrust into battle after years of preparation, accurately capturing their frustrations, triumphs and tragedies. His unflinching critique of leadership flaws adds brutal honesty without sensationalism, giving an in-depth look at what worked and what did not.
While not Hastings’ finest book, Sword is still a good addition to the veteran author’s extensive collection of military writing, and will be enjoyed by those who know much of the D-Day story but are seeking more detail.
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