| Hitler's Atlantic Wall: From Southern France to Northern Norway, Yesterday and Today Contributor(s): Marriott, Leo (Editor), Forty, Simon (Author) |
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ISBN: 1612003753 ISBN-13: 9781612003757 Publisher: Casemate OUR PRICE: $26.96 Product Type: Hardcover Published: August 2016 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Military - World War Ii - History | Military - Pictorial - History | Military - Strategy |
| Dewey: 940.54 |
| Physical Information: 0.9" H x 8.6" W x 11.8" (2.55 lbs) 192 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 1940's - Cultural Region - Germany - Cultural Region - Western Europe |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Masters of the continent, the Nazis realized that they would have to defend their gains, and once the United States entered the war, redoubled their efforts. Using forced and slave labor they built a chain of defensive positions, coastal batteries, and beach defenses from the top of Norway to the Franco-Spanish border. However, as was so typical of the Nazis, while the bunkers and batteries seem impressively constructed, and the Atlantic Wall has left a permanent reminder of the years of Nazi domination, it was crippled by lack of strategic planning, internal bickering, and a multitude of command structures that did not communicate with each other effectively. In June 1944 the Allies burst through the wall, and while it took many lives to break the crust of the German defenses, the vaunted Atlantic Wall proved ineffective save for the fortresses the Allies bypassed and subdued later. Using the same formula as in their books on The Normandy Battlefields and Race to the Rhine, Leo Marriott and Simon Forty combine bespoke aerial photography with old photographs, maps, and current illustrations to provide a pictorial analysis of the subject--Around 500 illustrations ensure the subject is well covered. After opening sections on the construction of the wall, the defensive plan, and the different structures that were built, Hitler's Atlantic Wall yesterday and today provides a survey of the key locations and what can be seen today--including many of the museums that interpret them. The bulk of the book is divided geographically by country, dealing with France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. After 70 years, the Atlantic Wall is still a remarkable reminder of the war years, and one that continues to fascinate. |
Contributor Bio(s): Forty, Georger: - George Forty had three careers: as a serving officer for 30 years in the Royal Tank Regiment; as curator of the world-famous Bovington Tank Museum; and as a prolific author of military books.Forty, Simon: - Simon Forty was educated in Dorset and the north of England before reading history at London University's School of Slavonic and East European Studies. He has been involved in publishing since the mid-1970s, first as editor and latterly as author. Son of author and RAC Tank Museum curator George Forty, he has continued in the family tradition writing mainly on historical and military subjects including books on the Napoleonic Wars and the two world wars. Recently he has produced a range of highly illustrated books on the Normandy battlefields, the Atlantic Wall and the liberation of the Low Countries with co-author Leo Marriott.Marriott, Leo: - Leo Marriott has written numerous books on aviation, naval and military subjects including Treaty Cruisers, Catapult Aircraft, Jets at Sea and Early Jet Fighters: British and American 1944-1954. He is now retired after a fifty-year career as an air traffic controller but still maintains his pilot's licence flying a syndicate-owned Cessna 172. Apart from aviation and naval history, his other interests include sailing, photography and painting. |