One of the more appealing aspects of the book’s contents is the use of first hand accounts. The book begins with a detailed look into the life of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. Ryan takes you into Rommel’s mind, revealing his suspicions and fears regarding the invasion. In the same respect, the beginning of the second chapter gives a first hand account of a pathfinder parachuting into the yard of a French civilian and startles her on her way to the outhouse. Ryan did his research; he sites a large list of the names of sources who contributed to the vivid retelling of D-D

I personally found the book to be delightfully well written. Ryan’s approach to such an immensely important event in history, and all of World War II for that matter, is refreshing. Aside from the basic facts of the invasion, I had minimal knowledge of the topic. After having read this work I feel that I have now, not only the understanding of the event, but also a deep insight to the gravity of the situation. Overall, Ryan does a brilliant job of compiling an immense amount of information into a rather short piece, and does it in a way that makes the book hard to put down.

In the chapters describing the battles of the invasion, Ryan blends the stories of individual actors with vivid operational and tactical information. He explains the planned attacks as well as telling the unromantic truth of how the missions unraveled. Paratroopers missing drop zones by miles (some landing on the door steps of various German headquarters), and gliders crashing virtually on top of the enemies they were to surprise.

Organizationally the book had strengths and weaknesses. The three main chapters were: The Wait, The Nig

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D-Day Sighting, Night Day, Rommel Ryan, Allied German, War II, France Germany, Overall Ryan, Ryan Ireland, Fifteenth Army, Cornelius Ryan, june 6,