On the 6th of June 1944, thousands of men landed on the Normandy beaches
to free Europe from the Nazi occupation. Over 2 months, soldiers of all
origins were to battle in the Normandy bocage. American and British
soldiers of course, but also Canadian, Polish, Belgian and French troops
were to challenge those from the German Wehrmacht and SS, together with
Russians donning the German uniform. Over 240,000 soldiers were to pay
the ultimate sacrifice during these 2 months of intense combat, during
which landscapes were devastated and Normandy's towns and villages
destroyed, with civilian losses estimated at 45,000.The aim of this book
is to offer an insight into the uniforms worn and the equipment used by
the soldiers who fought on Norman soil, many of whom are now laid to
rest throughout the region's cemeteries. Several collectors have
contributed towards enhancing the book's contents, presenting, for the
first time, the finest from their collections, painstakingly and
patiently recovered across Normandy's battlefields. Each and every one
of these precious objects holds its own share of history and many are
the last remaining witnesses of this terrible combat.
