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D-DAY: The Oral History

The Turning Point of WWII By the People Who Were There

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D-DAY: The Oral History

By: Garrett M. Graff
Narrated by: Various, Edoardo Ballerini, Graham Halstead, Mathew Lloyd Davies, Imogen Church, Gary Furlong, Saskia Maarleveld, Kevin R Free, Leon Nixon, James Langton, Garrett M. Graff
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About this listen

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A LANDMARK NEW ACCOUNT OF THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT DAY OF WW2, IN THE WORDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED IT

**** 'Comprehensive... from a large and wide range of witnesses on both sides' -The Telegraph

'A sprawling history of D-Day from the point of view of participants on both sides.' -Kirkus

'A masterpiece of oral history. Stirring, surprising, grim, joyous, moving and always riveting.' -Evan Thomas

'A new, complete portrait in time for the 80th anniversary [...] Graff uses a wide array and diversity of voices that give a fuller picture of the lead-up to the invasion, as well as the fighting itself.' -Associated Press

On 6th June 1944, the Allied invasion began. For hours, wave after wave of soldiers, sailors, and airmen crossed the channel and stormed the Normandy coast, fighting to gain a foothold in Nazi-occupied Northwest Europe. It was the largest combined air and seaborne invasion ever, involving over 150,000 Allied troops on the ground, and its eventual success became a critical turning point in the war, spelling the beginning of the end for the Third Reich.

As the events of that day fade from living memory, it's more important than ever to understand what it felt like to be there and to live through it, on both sides. In this definitive work, Garrett M. Graff, the bestselling author of The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11, compiles over 600 US, Canadian, UK, French and German voices to tell the full story of exactly how that historic day unfolded, in visceral detail - as well as the weeks and months leading up to it. From paratroopers to fighter pilots to nurses, generals, French villagers, German Defenders to Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt, this is the most intimate re-telling of D-Day published to date.

©2024 Garrett M. Graff (P)2024 Orion Publishing Group Limited
Editors Select France Great Britain Military

Editorial Review

Eight decades later, the voices of D-Day live on
It’s June 6, 1944, and along the beaches of Normandy, one of the most significant operations in military history is underway: Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France, and the beginning of the milestone campaign that would propel the Allies to victory in World War II. In When the Sea Came Alive, journalist Garrett M. Graff ventures to craft a comprehensive, compassionate portrait of the momentous event now known simply as “D-Day.” Graff curated the accounts of hundreds of folks intimately involved, from those who planned the assault, to those whose boots tread through the sand, to the French civilians who watched it all unfold. I’m really looking forward to hearing this one—like Graff’s Audie-winning The Only Plane in the Sky, this oral history is performed by a full cast including the author and decorated narrator Edoardo Ballerini, promising a chronicle that truly shines in audio.. — Alanna M., Audible Editor

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Wonderful Voices

An Outstanding Book that I will never forget. This is what makes Audible a must have, just to be able to listen to all these wonderful voices. It moved me to tears in places, the last great generation. These young men went through hell for us. This book takes you back to those times and it feels your heart with sadness and pride for what sacrifice they did for us. So many of them were so young, still boys and they gave away their lives for us. My Dad landed on the beaches one week after D-Day with the Dorset's, he was in the back up force, he was a teenager, he survived the war but died in 1956. Some of these woke people living today who complain about everything should listen to this book. This book is a truly a moving incredible history of the greatest day in Human History.

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