It can't be easy writing a book about the World War II D-Day invasion of Normandy. The enormity and scale of the invasion, the planning, the men, the logistics, the reconnaissance, the air support, the communication, the secrecy, etc., -- it's all so complex. To try to write the whole story would take a lifetime of research and thousands of pages. To focus only on a single element of the invasion, be it the planning stages, the story of a single landing ship and its crew, of the German defensive forces, of the aerial preparatory bombardment, etc., would give just a piece of the puzzle.

Author Giles Milton simplified the problem by combining these two approaches in "Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die". He manages to convey the enormity of the invasion through capsulized stories, small vignettes, and anecdotes of essentially all the elements of the invasion forces. He includes civilian and military, invading troops as well as defending forces, top generals and admirals to teenage recruits. The stories are told in a chronological manner as the invasion preparations are being made through the invasion and fight to maintain the beaches, but through different sets of eyes and a different perspective as the battles unfold.

Stories of war can be hard to read, with death and dismemberment all around, but Milton neither glorifies the conflict nor dwells on the carnage. He does, however, give you a taste of what the battle was like, from both the American, English, Canadian and allied nations perspective, as well as from the German defensive perspective, and doesn't neglect the hardship endured by the civilians living in the landing zone. ​ ( )

Its episodic nature and lack of a continuing cast of characters make Soldier, Sailor … difficult to get into. The text consists of brief descriptions of the actions of a multitude of individuals, both Allies and Germans, during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. A limited few appear multiple times, but most are limited to a single appearance, and perhaps to a single paragraph. Some appear briefly and die a paragraph or a page later. Readers are left to wonder what happened to the rest.

I suspect many of the Allied and German survivors—like most of us—lived meaningful, but not particularly newsworthy lives. Nevertheless, it was disappointing to meet so many interesting, heroic individuals who simply disappeared after a brief introduction.

The failure to consider the context within which the invasion occurred is a significant oversight. I imagine most readers interested in a book about D-Day already possess substantial background knowledge of WW II. That’s true in my case. Nevertheless, this detailed examination of a single day without an explanation of the context within which it occurred reduces readers to voyeurs. We glimpse the heroism and pain of the soldiers and civilians caught up in the event, but the necessity and consequences of the invasion are left for others to explain.

For example, Rommel believed he would be able to throw the Allies back into the sea if the panzer divisions were permitted to advance to the coast. Failing that, he concluded that the war—not just the battle— was lost. Is there reason to think his analysis was accurate? Russia was destroying the German army in the East and the Allies had already defeated the Axis powers in Italy. The German Navy had been neutered when it attempted to break out of the north Atlantic. The Luftwaffle had been destroyed as an effective force. Had Germany already lost the war? If so, was the Normandy invasion necessary? Examination of the geopolitical context that informed the decision to invade Normandy would give readers a more nuanced understanding its significance.

Another troubling shortcoming of Soldier, Sailor … is the paucity maps. The Allied plan was to overcome the German coastal defenses and advance inland to capture designated objectives by the end of the day. The second half of the book focuses on the efforts to take these inland objectives. The three bare-bones maps in the book provide rudimentary information about the five invasion beaches. They are of no use when the book turns to the Allies’ efforts to advance beyond the beach. Maps illustrating the pursuit of these first day objectives would enhance readers’ appreciation of this phase of the D-Day operation.

Soldier, Sailor … provides a ground-level view of the horrific experiences of the soldiers and civilians in Normandy on D-Day. It is well worth reading, but it could have been so much better. ( )

I am in the midst of reading the Jan 2019 version. So far I am enjoying the read quite well. Well written (with one issue in this uncorrected copy) and engaging. It is book that covers a subject that I am well acquainted with and it is easily managing to hold my interest. I've been to many of the locations mentioned and found much of what is in the book to be new to me.
As it it is an advance copy, I suspect that is the reason there are no photos or maps. I hope the final print edition resolves that omission.

After finding some, uh, errors, I may have spoken too soon.

He spent part of a paragraph describing the HItlersage, then called it an "M42" and saying it was water cooled.

Later he describes several Sexton being knocked out by "mortars." These were Sexton's off of Gold beach commanded by Ronald Palmer. In the course of the discussion, he calls the vehicles "halftracks." I figured it was highly possible that the Sexton could be knocked out by mortars, being open topped. But when he describes how Palmer and his crew knocked out the weapon that hit the other Sextons, it was obvious from the narrative they were not attacking a mortar but a anti-tank gun.

Then on the next page he quotes Palmer instructing the gunner to "Put it in the upstairs right window. He stated Palmer was telling the loader this as "another mortar was loaded into the gun." Is this a term used in the UK for projectiles in a gun?

The last issue is just a pet peeve of mine. He talks about a British soldier reloading his Sten by putting another "clip" in. I thought a Sten was loaded by inserting a magazine. ( )

Most books I've read regarding D-Day breezed through so quickly that you really didn't get a chance to feel the human element of the battle....this book absolutely covers that. Replete with actual interviews and detailed overviews (including the backgrounds of some that perished), Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die has everything you can possibly want. Main battles, small battles, Allied and German point of views, and a lot of other subjects touched upon that most D-Day related books haven't or don't cover. I learned so much from this book that I previously had no idea about. Giles Milton does a fantastic job of letting the reader know about the objectives, but of the personnel carrying out these objectives. The ghosts of D-Day would be proud to read this book knowing someone like Mr. Milton took the time and care to portray the scared but brave men (on both sides) that fought this battle. Kudos!!! ( )

I really enjoyed this book. A lot of mini stories from all sides of the war. It was easy to keep track of the different players and the individual events that they all played a part in. I don't think anyone would be disappointed. ( )