Leo T. reviewed on 4/12/2017 + 1775 more book reviews

This is in the ETO, the 1942 landing on a well-defended beach, without previous effort to soften up the defenses. It was a waste of lives, especially Canadian. Moreover, the commanding general chose to 'reinforce failure' by sending in his reserves to die. The author considers the butcher's bill in terms of how many of the survivors were never actually put ashore, i.e. the death/wound/POW rate was much higher than indicated among those on the strand.
The author is interested in the 1st Ranger Bn. as they were just being organized in the previous two months and then a few were folded into this mission.
The prologue (pp1-8) and Chapter 10 Slaughter (pp188-202) give one without the time to read the entire book a good taste of this somewhat forgotten snafu.
The author interviewed four survivors, some sons and daughters of participants, and delved into the archives as well as walking the ground. There are end notes, bibliographic sources, and a good index. Quite a few photos, and a simple but adequate map of each beach targeted.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details