Churchill's D-Day – Behind the Scenes of the Landings

Was Churchill a visionary strategist or the greatest detractor of the Normandy landings? What role did he leave to the leader of Free France, General de Gaulle, on 6 June 1944? This book casts fresh light on the history of the secret preparations for D-Day, drawing on the personal archives of the British Prime Minister.

The success of D-Day was far from guaranteed. Many doubted it would succeed, and there was no shortage of reasons why the operation could have ended in disaster. Winston Churchill was accused of being among the doubters: that he had deliberately delayed the assault for many months, needlessly prolonging the suffering of millions of Europeans. Yet, as the pages turn, Allen Packwood and Richard Dannatt reveal a man who proves to be a meticulous military strategist with an extraordinary political instinct, whose commitment to the liberation of French territory proved decisive.

By analysing carefully selected documents, this work retraces the discussions, hesitations and decisions made by Churchill and the Allies. Correspondence with his wife Clementine, exchanges with President Roosevelt, de Gaulle, Eisenhower, Montgomery and Patton form the substance and originality of this previously unpublished and gripping behind-the-scenes account of D-Day.