A New History of D-Day

Sand and Steel

Peter Caddick-Adams is one of the leading military historians of his generation. This is the second volume of his definitive account of the liberation of Europe in 1944–45.

Whether you are a visitor to the Normandy battlefields, a general reader interested in the greatest amphibious assault in the history of warfare, or just someone who appreciates extremely well-written military history . . . this truly extraordinary book is undoubtedly the one for you.

Following his excellent study of the Battle of the Bulge, Caddick-Adams does it again by explaining, as opposed to simply describing, the Allies’ victory.

Peter Caddick-Adams is unquestionably one of the very finest historians of the Second World War . . . His D-Day must surely go down as the definitive narrative of that pivotal moment in the history of the war.

Fascinating . . . Reveals the full horror Allied troops suffered as they prepared to overwhelm the Nazis, examining the facts behind the historic assault.

This is a hugely impressive book which makes full use of a lifetime of learning and experience. It is also rich in unexpected detail . . . Such an entertaining and engaging account.

This is a warts-and-all forensic examination of the Allied invasion, offering stacks of insight based on a decade of research.

An in-depth and rigorously researched look [at D-Day].

Peter Caddick-Adams’s Sand and Steel provides wonderful insight into war on the Western Front. With this follow-up to his magisterial Snow and Steel (2014), on the Battle of the Bulge, Mr Caddick-Adams weighs in with a detailed chronicle that hard-core World War II buffs will relish.

A thorough, exciting, and altogether excellent choice for World War II – and especially D-Day – aficionados.

If you only read one book on D-Day, this should probably be it. It places a microscope on the preparation and the 24-hours of D-Day itself, using interviews and memoirs from veterans to bring the events vividly to life.

Peter Caddick-Adams is a writer and broadcaster who specialises in military history, defence and security issues. He previously lectured in Military and Security Studies at the UK Defence Academy for twenty years, and in Air Power for the Royal Air Force. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Geographical Society, he also spent thirty-five years as an officer in the UK Regular and Reserve Forces, and has extensive experience of various war zones, including the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, Sandhurst and Wolverhampton University, where he gained first class honours in War Studies; he received his PhD from Cranfield University. His previous works include Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives (2011), Monte Cassino: Ten Armies in Hell (2012), and Snow and Steel: Battle of the Bulge 1944–45 (2014).

The most comprehensive and authoritative history of D-Day ever published 
 
‘Extraordinary’ Andrew Roberts 
‘Fascinating’ Daily Mail 
‘Magisterial’ James Holland 
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6 June 1944, 4 a.m. Hundreds of boats assemble off the coast of France. By nightfall, thousands of the men they carry will be dead. 
 
This was D-Day, the most important day of the twentieth century. 
 
In Sand and Steel, one of Britain’s leading military historians offers a panoramic new account of the Allied invasion of France. Drawing on a decade of new research, Peter Caddick-Adams masterfully recreates what it was like to wade out onto the carnage of Omaha Beach, or parachute behind enemy lines in Normandy. He explores the year-long preparations that went into the invasion, overturning decades-old assumptions about Allied strategy. And he pays tribute to the remarkable individuals who made D-Day possible – not just soldiers on the beaches, but also paratroopers, sailors, aircrews, and women on the Home Front. 
 
The result is a compulsively readable account of the greatest battle of the Second World War. It will be the definitive work on D-Day for years to come. 
________________ 
 
‘A hugely impressive book which makes full use of a lifetime of learning and experience.’ Herald 
 
‘Peter Caddick-Adams’ D-Day must surely go down as the definitive narrative of that pivotal moment in the history of the war.’ James Holland 
 
‘This is a warts-and-all forensic examination of the Allied invasion, offering stacks of insight based on a decade of research.’ Soldier

Battle of the Bulge 1944-45

Snow and Steel

Peter Caddick-Adams in is one of the leading military historians of his generation and is often compared to James Holland, John Keegan, Anthony Beevor and Max Hastings. In this, his third book, he reviews one of the great final engagements of WW2: The Battle of the Bulge.

Peter Caddick-Adams - one of the leading military historians of his generation - reviews one of the great final engagements of WW2: The Battle of the Bulge. Including specially commissioned maps, black and white photography, archive material and personal interviews, this is a riveting landmark study of a pivotal historical moment and perfect for readers of James Holland, John Keegan, Anthony Beevor and Max Hastings. 
 
'A thought-provoking and compelling account of one of the most iconic battles of the Second World War. Brilliant' -- James Holland 
'Caddick-Adams knows more about the Bulge than any other historian I have read...I admire his originality...Snow and Steel offers an authoritative narrative of the drama...' -- Max Hasting, The Sunday Times 
'An encyclopaedic and eminently readable book' -- Times Literary Supplement 
'A compelling read' -- ***** Reader review 
'The definitive Bulge history' -- ***** Reader review 
'Absolutely brilliant book' -- ***** Reader review 
'Brilliant read. Captivating and informative' -- ***** Reader review 
'Excellent, authoritative and very well written' -- ***** Reader review 
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Snow and Steel is a huge reassessment of Hitler's last great throw of the dice: 'The Battle of the Bulge', the battle for the Ardennes from 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945. 
 
This is an utterly fascinating five weeks when for a time it looked like Hitler had outflanked the allied armies pushing toward the Rhine and might just throw them back to the Normandy beaches. It is also the context for the catastrophic events at Bastogne depicted so graphically in Band of Brothers. 
 
 For military history fans this is one of those touchstone battles of World War Two, written by an author with a world-wide reputation. 
 
With specially commissioned maps, photographs, primary archival material and personal interviews, this is a truly controversial, commercial and landmark book.

Ten Armies in Hell

Monte Cassino

Peter Caddick-Adams, one of the world's authorities on battle field history and author of the applauded joint biography of Montgomery and Rommel ('... a brilliant book written with passion and verve ...' BBC History Magazine), writes a compelling and authoritative account of the greatest battle of the Italian campaign of World War Two.

Peter Caddick-Adams has brought highly perceptive and much-needed fresh analysis to this new account of the Cassino battles.  Both authoritative and compellingly written, his immense knowledge and understanding of the Second World War exudes off every page.  It will unquestionably remain the standard text on this bloody episode of the war for many years to come

Peter Caddick-Adams is a Lecturer at the UK Defence Academy specialising in military history and media operations working alongside the late Richard Holmes. His special areas of interest are battlefield history and he researches in Military Doctrine and Leadership. He has led over 200 visits to more than 50 battlefields around the world. He joined the Territorial Army in 1985 and serves as a military media advisor in the rank of major .

The five-month Monte Cassino campaign in central Italy is one of the best-known European land battles of World War Two, alongside D-Day and Stalingrad. It has a particular resonance now, because Cassino, with its multitude of participating armies - most notably the American 5th Army under the controversial General Mark Clark - was perhaps the campaign of the Second World War that most closely anticipates the coalition operations of today, with its ever-shifting cast of players stuck in inhospitable, mountainous terrain, pursuing an objective set by unknowing politicians in distant capitals, where victory is difficult to define. 
 
Monte Cassino was characterised by the destruction of its world famous Abbey: in retrospect, considered an unjustifiable act of cultural vandalism by the allies.The audit trail of decision-making to destroy an icon as well known then as the Eiffel Tower or Lincoln Memorial, is a chilling reminder that similar decisions are still being made in Iraq and Afghanistan and indeed Libya. To this day, reversing normal prejudice, German troops are welcome in the abbey, having rescued its treasures from allied destruction in February 1944. 
 
Cassino was an unusual campaign for World War II in that its outcome was not reliant on sweeping movements or the use of tanks or aircraft - but by old-fashioned boots in the mud, whether capturing the town of Cassino after months of grinding urban warfare (a Stalingrad in miniature) or scrambling up the steep mountain to seize the heights and the religious complex on top of Monte Cassino. 
 
Monte Cassino Abbey was painstakingly rebuilt after the war (its baroque chapel remains incomplete) and is now a World Heritage site. An hour south of Rome, it is visited each year by up to one million tourists and pilgrims from around the world.

Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives

A stunning debut by a major new historian. Described by BBC History Magazine as 'A quite brilliant piece of writing ... a brilliant book written with passion and verve ...' The first comparative biography of two of the most charismatic, and strategically important, military leaders of the Second World War.

A quite brilliant piece of writing. Here in a single volume we have a first-rate expose of two of the war's best known commanders... if Caddick-Adams were a landscape painter his book would be the equivalent of Monet, full of rich intriguing colours and patterns. The resultant effect is spectacular, and Caddick-Adams is to be congratulated on his achievement ... a brilliant book written with passion and verve.

Robert Lyman for BBC History Magazine Book of the Month

A compelling study of two of the Second World War's best known commanders.  Peter Caddick-Adams writes with authority and a deep knowledge of both his subjects and the two world wars in which they fought. He has produced an utterly absorbing and hugely entertaining book that will provide a new benchmark on how we view these two divisive generals.

Peter Caddick-Adam's comparison of two entwined careers is full of penetrating new insights, illuminated by a clear understanding of the world wars. This impressive book will undoubtedly prove one of the best military histories of the year

Intriguing study of General Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel ... discursive ... highly rewarding book.

Distinguished military historian Caddick-Adams has achieved a first by entwining biographies of two WW2 adversaries, field marshals Montgomery and Rommel ...  Caddick-Adams makes good use of personal memoirs to make his book an exciting character-driven read and it an excellent example of how the personal experience of war can create great and yet humane generals. First class history

Caddick-Adams is a pre-eminent military historian ... an extremely readable book that gives a balanced and honest view of the two men. Well worth a read - probably one to put on your summer holiday reading list or your Christmas present list.

A new study by Peter Caddick-Adams ... succeeds in contextualising these two commanders and in analysing the contributions each made to the art of military leadership. The use of the comparative method enables us to see not only how different these two men were, but also how difficult it remains to define what successful military leadership is all about

Monty and Rommel: Parallel Lives, is an utterly absorbing and entertaining book devoted to two of the most charismatic and strategically important military leaders of the Second World War .... It is certainly a must for anyone with a modicum of interest in the military and contemporary history

A first-class work of scholarly and entertaining history

A wonderful mine of information for fans of either general ... [Caddick-Adams] is a military historian of great industry who shows an impressive grasp of his materials ... The author's central purpose is achieved with impressive and cumulative success as his book progresses

This biography is one of a kind … tactical talents, personalities and military careers are rivetingly compared and evaluated

Peter Caddick-Adams is a Lecturer at the UK Defence Academy specialising in military history and media operations working alongside the late Richard Holmes. His special areas of interest are battlefield history and he researches in Military Doctrine and Leadership. He has led over 200 visits to more than 50 battlefields around the world. He joined the Territorial Army in 1985 and serves as a military media advisor in the rank of major.

Two men came to personify British and German generalship in the Second World War: Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel. They fought a series of extraordinary duels across several theatres of war which established them as two of the greatest captains of their age. Our understanding of leadership in battle was altered for ever by their electrifying personal qualities. Ever since, historians have assessed their outstanding leadership, personalities and skill. 
 
The careers of both began on the periphery of the military establishment and represent the first time military commanders proactively and systematically used (and were used by) the media as they came to prominence, first in North Africa, then in Normandy. Dynamic and forward-thinking, their lives also represent a study of pride, propaganda and nostalgia. Caddick-Adams tracks and compares their military talents and personalities in battle. Each brought something special to their commands. Rommel's breathtaking advance in May-June 1940 was nothing less than inspired. Montgomery is a gift for leadership gurus in the way he took over a demoralised Eighth Army in August 1942 and led it to victory just two months later. 
 
This compelling work is both scholarly and entertaining and marks the debut of a major new talent in historical biography.

Peter Caddick-Adams

'Magisterial . . . [a] fine, balanced and superb account. It deserves to be read for many years to come.' Telegraph 
 
March 1945. Allied troops are poised to cross the Rhine and sweep on into Germany. Victory is at last within their grasp. But if they believe this victory can be easily won, they face swift disillusionment. The final I00 days of the Second World War will prove to be bitterly and bloodily fought, village by village, town by town. 
 
This is the extraordinary and gripping story of those final I00 days. 
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'Superbly written and full of wisdom and deep understanding, this will stand as a defining work on these darkest months of the conflict.' JAMES HOLLAND 
 
'This is the most vivid and detailed narrative of the subject that we are likely to see.' MILITARY HISTORY MAGAZINE 
 
'An impressive work. Lively, informative and comprehensively researched.' CAROLINE MOOREHEAD, SPECTATOR 
 
'An important contribution to military history. A great read.' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

Peter Caddick-Adams

1945: Victory in the West

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