D-Day: The Unheard Tapes: Powerful Eye-witness Accounts of The Battle for Normandy 1944 (Hardback) - Geraint Jones

History is brought vividly to life in this fresh, authentic and action-packed account of the largest amphibian assault the world has ever seen.

A powerful, immersive account published for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings and battle for Normandy, accompanying a groundbreaking BBC2 documentary series D-Day: The Unheard Tapes.

D-Day was a critical turning point in the Second World War, and a master stroke in planning and logistics, but for the tens of thousands of young men who took part in the amphibious assault, D-Day was bloody, chaotic, and frequently terrifying. For those who survived the beaches, months of bitter fighting lay ahead, often against some of Germany's most elite and fanatical divisions.

Using audio interviews from the archives of the Imperial War Museums and National World War II Museum, this immersive oral history describes what it was actually like to take part in the landings on 6 June 1944 and the weeks of ferocious fighting in Normandy that followed. British, American, Canadian and German veterans, as well as French civilians, speak of experiences they could never forget.

Stories include the forward observer hiding alone on Omaha beach, thinking of his wife as he waits for the invasion to begin. The commando racing to the besieged airborne forces at Pegasus Bridge. The Typhoon pilot about to be executed by the SS when he is saved by a Luftwaffe officer. The teenage GI surrounded and under fire for six days. The German soldier haunted by the memory of abandoning his dying friend.

In D-Day The Unheard Tapes Geraint Jones has skilfully brought the battle for Normandy to life in a vivid narrative that allows the voices of those who fought to shine through, authentic and unforgettable.

About the Author

Geraint Jones is a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author who served as an infantry soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan. His first work of non-fiction, No Way Out with Major Adam Jowett, was a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller. He has also written a memoir of his Afghanistan tour, Brothers in Arms, and co-authored Escape from Kabul with Levison Wood, using first-hand accounts to describe the dramatic military evacuation of the city in 2021. He has published several novels, including titles with James Patterson. His podcasts, Veteran State of Mind and The War Story Podcast, include interviews with D-Day survivors.