Utah Beach

“A first-class history, impeccably researched and skillfully written . . . by the foremost historian of the American D-Day experience.” —Naval History

Added to the invasion plan largely at the insistence of British General Bernard Montgomery, the attack at Utah Beach aimed to secure the Cotentin Peninsula and ultimately seize the port of Cherbourg. Although the assault on Utah Beach became one of the most successful American military operations of World War II, it was fraught with risk from the beginning: Not only was Utah the most isolated of the five D-Day beaches, but the airborne operation was of unprecedented size and scope. Despite the perils, American troops cascaded into that corner of Normandy from the sea and the sky, gaining a military triumph that contributed decisively to Allied success on D-Day. 

With many never-before-published firsthand accounts from the men who were there; detailed maps providing minute-by-minute insight into the combat; photos; and comprehensive lists of all of Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross recipients at Utah Beach, this book, a companion to the author’s Omaha Beach, is both an engaging narrative and a tribute to the men who stormed the beaches and dropped from the sky.

“Even the most seasoned historian will find something new in these pages.” —Army magazine

“[A] groundbreaking analysis of the other half of America’s D-Day.” —Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel