Neptune

The Allied Invasion of Europe and the D-Day Landings

By: Craig L. Symonds

Narrated by: Craig L. Symonds

Seventy years ago, more than 6000 Allied ships carried more than a million soldiers across the English Channel to a 50-mile-wide strip of the Normandy coast in German-occupied France. It was the greatest sea-borne assault in human history. The code names given to the beaches where the ships landed the soldiers have become immortal: Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah, and especially Omaha, the scene of almost unimaginable human tragedy. The sea of crosses in the cemetery sitting today atop a bluff overlooking the beaches recalls to us its cost. Most accounts of this epic story begin with the landings on the morning of June 6, 1944. In fact, however, D-Day was the culmination of months and years of planning and intense debate. In the dark days after the evacuation of Dunkirk in the summer of 1940, British officials and, soon enough, their American counterparts, began to consider how, and, where, and especially when, they could re-enter the European Continent in force. The Americans, led by U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall, wanted to invade as soon as possible; the British, personified by their redoubtable prime minister, Winston Churchill, were convinced that a premature landing would be disastrous. The often-sharp negotiations between the English-speaking allies led them first to North Africa, then into Sicily, then Italy. Only in the spring of 1943, did the Combined Chiefs of Staff commit themselves to an invasion of northern France. The code name for this invasion was Overlord, but everything that came before, including the landings themselves and the supply system that made it possible for the invaders to stay there, was code-named Neptune. Craig L. Symonds now offers the complete story of this Olympian effort, involving transports, escorts, gunfire support ships, and landing craft of every possible size and function. The obstacles to success were many.

©2014 Craig L. Symonds (P)2014 Audible Inc.

a great piece

Symonds is a superb historian and a wonderful narrator. A highly recommended author. I will read or listen to all he has written.

solid

good solid history

I have no criticism to offer

just lacked a bit of spark to take it from good to great for my taste

great, detailed book

everyone knows the story of D-Day in Normandy, but this book provide exceptional detail of the planning, strategy and the battle itself from all angles. loved it. it is all so excellently narrated by the author himself

Neptune Is A Must Read For All Students Of Naval History

As a student of Professor Symonds at the Naval Academy many years ago, I quickly learned that he was a master storyteller.

His research and ability to bring all the key players to life in Neptune is unmatched. And no historian I’ve ever read comes close to having his gift for educating while entertaining.

I’ve read nearly all of Professor Symonds books. Neptune was the first that I listened to on Audible. And hearing his voice once again took me back to my time at Annapolis, sitting in his class, listening to him educate us all through the power of storytelling.

I’m proud to say that I have been a student of American and Naval History for all of my adult life. And I have Craig Symonds to thank for that. Well done, Professor!!

Details on how the operation came about

Most accounts of Neptune focus on the brave soldiers on Normandy beach on D-day. But the invasion depended on much more than bravery - it also depended on a lot of planning and logistics preparations. This book is an indispensable guide to this lesser-known part of the story.