-
The Germans in Normandy
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Categories: History, Europe
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Audible Premium Plus
$14.95 a month
Buy for $20.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
War on the Eastern Front
- The German Soldier in Russia 1941-1945
- By: James Lucas, Robert Kershaw - foreword
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dawn on Sunday, June 22, 1941 saw the opening onslaughts of Operation Barbarossa as German forces stormed forward into the Soviet Union. Few of them were to survive the five long years of bitter struggle. A posting to the Eastern Front during the Second World War was rightly regarded with dread by the German soldiers. They saw epic battles such as Stalingrad and Kursk, and yet it was a daily war of attrition which ultimately proved fatal for Hitler's ambition and the German military machine.
-
-
Ww2 Russian army organization, weapons, and tactic
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and camptalized M) on 07-05-20
By: James Lucas, and others
-
Countdown to D-Day
- The German Perspective
- By: Peter Margaritis
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 28 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In December 1943, with the rising realization that the Allies are planning to invade Fortress Europe, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is assigned the title of General Inspector for the Atlantic Wall. His mission is to assess their readiness. His superior, theater commander, crusty old Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, who had led the Reich to victory in the early years of the war, is now fed up with the whole Nazi regime. He lives comfortably in a plush villa in a quiet Paris suburb, waiting for the inevitable Allied invasion that will bring about their final defeat.
-
-
Forest or trees
- By Loves Latin on 08-02-20
By: Peter Margaritis
-
On a Knife’s Edge
- The Ukraine, November 1942-March 1943
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 22 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II. The German capture of the city, their encirclement by Soviet forces shortly afterwards, and the hard-fought but futile attempts to relieve them, saw bitter attritional fighting and extremes of human misery inflicted on both sides. In this title, a renowned expert on warfare on the Eastern Front reveals the often-overlooked German counteroffensive post-Stalingrad, and how it prevented the whole Axis front line from collapsing.
-
-
Best of its kind!
- By Max on 02-10-20
By: Prit Buttar
-
Normandy '44
- D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 24 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
D-Day, June 6, 1944, and the 76 days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed the Allied landing, have become the defining episode of World War II in the west - the object of books, films, television series, and documentaries. Yet as familiar as it is, as James Holland makes clear in his definitive history, many parts of the OVERLORD campaign, as it was known, are still shrouded in myth and assumed knowledge.
-
-
Excellent in every way a must listen
- By Jason on 11-04-19
By: James Holland
-
Twilight of the Gods
- A Swedish Waffen-SS Volunteer's Experiences with the 11th SS-Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, Eastern Front 1944-45
- By: Thorolf Hillblad - editor
- Narrated by: Bruce Mann
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Erik Wallin served with his unit in all of these locations, and provides the listener with a fascinating glimpse into these final battles. The book is written with a "no holds barred" approach which will captivate, excite, and maybe even shock the listener - his recollections do not evade the brutality of fighting against the advancing Red Army. Twilight of the Gods is destined to become a classic memoir of the Second World War.
-
-
A truly unique look at the Eastern Front from a devout Nazi.
- By S. H. Moore on 11-21-19
-
Battleground Prussia
- The Assault on Germany’s Eastern Front 1944-45
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 23 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The terrible months between the arrival of the Red Army on German soil and the final collapse of Hitler's regime were like no other in the Second World War. The Soviet Army's intent to take revenge for the horror that the Nazis had wreaked on their people produced a conflict of implacable brutality in which millions perished. From the great battles that marked the Soviet conquest of East and West Prussia to the final surrender in the Vistula estuary, this book recounts in chilling detail the desperate struggle of soldiers and civilians alike.
-
-
WW II Battleground Ignored by Western Historians
- By AJC on 12-16-19
By: Prit Buttar
-
War on the Eastern Front
- The German Soldier in Russia 1941-1945
- By: James Lucas, Robert Kershaw - foreword
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dawn on Sunday, June 22, 1941 saw the opening onslaughts of Operation Barbarossa as German forces stormed forward into the Soviet Union. Few of them were to survive the five long years of bitter struggle. A posting to the Eastern Front during the Second World War was rightly regarded with dread by the German soldiers. They saw epic battles such as Stalingrad and Kursk, and yet it was a daily war of attrition which ultimately proved fatal for Hitler's ambition and the German military machine.
-
-
Ww2 Russian army organization, weapons, and tactic
- By William R. Todd-Mancillas (Name includes hyphen and camptalized M) on 07-05-20
By: James Lucas, and others
-
Countdown to D-Day
- The German Perspective
- By: Peter Margaritis
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 28 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In December 1943, with the rising realization that the Allies are planning to invade Fortress Europe, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is assigned the title of General Inspector for the Atlantic Wall. His mission is to assess their readiness. His superior, theater commander, crusty old Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, who had led the Reich to victory in the early years of the war, is now fed up with the whole Nazi regime. He lives comfortably in a plush villa in a quiet Paris suburb, waiting for the inevitable Allied invasion that will bring about their final defeat.
-
-
Forest or trees
- By Loves Latin on 08-02-20
By: Peter Margaritis
-
On a Knife’s Edge
- The Ukraine, November 1942-March 1943
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 22 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The battle of Stalingrad was the turning point of World War II. The German capture of the city, their encirclement by Soviet forces shortly afterwards, and the hard-fought but futile attempts to relieve them, saw bitter attritional fighting and extremes of human misery inflicted on both sides. In this title, a renowned expert on warfare on the Eastern Front reveals the often-overlooked German counteroffensive post-Stalingrad, and how it prevented the whole Axis front line from collapsing.
-
-
Best of its kind!
- By Max on 02-10-20
By: Prit Buttar
-
Normandy '44
- D-Day and the Epic 77-Day Battle for France
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 24 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
D-Day, June 6, 1944, and the 76 days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed the Allied landing, have become the defining episode of World War II in the west - the object of books, films, television series, and documentaries. Yet as familiar as it is, as James Holland makes clear in his definitive history, many parts of the OVERLORD campaign, as it was known, are still shrouded in myth and assumed knowledge.
-
-
Excellent in every way a must listen
- By Jason on 11-04-19
By: James Holland
-
Twilight of the Gods
- A Swedish Waffen-SS Volunteer's Experiences with the 11th SS-Panzergrenadier Division Nordland, Eastern Front 1944-45
- By: Thorolf Hillblad - editor
- Narrated by: Bruce Mann
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Erik Wallin served with his unit in all of these locations, and provides the listener with a fascinating glimpse into these final battles. The book is written with a "no holds barred" approach which will captivate, excite, and maybe even shock the listener - his recollections do not evade the brutality of fighting against the advancing Red Army. Twilight of the Gods is destined to become a classic memoir of the Second World War.
-
-
A truly unique look at the Eastern Front from a devout Nazi.
- By S. H. Moore on 11-21-19
-
Battleground Prussia
- The Assault on Germany’s Eastern Front 1944-45
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 23 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The terrible months between the arrival of the Red Army on German soil and the final collapse of Hitler's regime were like no other in the Second World War. The Soviet Army's intent to take revenge for the horror that the Nazis had wreaked on their people produced a conflict of implacable brutality in which millions perished. From the great battles that marked the Soviet conquest of East and West Prussia to the final surrender in the Vistula estuary, this book recounts in chilling detail the desperate struggle of soldiers and civilians alike.
-
-
WW II Battleground Ignored by Western Historians
- By AJC on 12-16-19
By: Prit Buttar
-
Retreat from Moscow
- A New History of Germany’s Winter Campaign, 1941-1942
- By: David Stahel
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Germany's winter campaign of 1941-1942 has commonly been seen as its "first defeat". In Retreat from Moscow, David Stahel argues that, in fact, it was its first strategic success in the east. Though the Red Army managed to push the Wehrmacht back from Moscow, the Germans lost far fewer men (one to six), frustrated their enemy's strategic plan, and emerged in the spring unbroken and poised to recapture the initiative.
-
-
Nothing new on the Eastern front basically!
- By philippe jacob on 03-28-20
By: David Stahel
-
Battle for the Ruhr
- The German Army's Final Defeat in the West
- By: Derek S. Zumbro
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With Allied armies poised on the banks of the Rhine, Nazi Germany tottered on the brink of collapse. The ensuing battles on German soil - especially those in the so-called Ruhr Pocket - were as fierce and hard-fought as any in the European theater. Going well beyond previous accounts, Derek S. Zumbro chronicles this key military campaign from a unique and fresh perspective - that of the defeated German soldiers and civilians caught in the final maelstrom of the war's Western front.
-
-
Perspective on a Battle Lost
- By Kindle Customer on 04-21-19
By: Derek S. Zumbro
-
Panzers on the Eastern Front
- General Erhard Raus and His Panzer Divisions in Russia 1941-1945
- By: Peter Tsouras - editor
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
General Erhard Raus was one of the German Army's finest panzer generals and a leading exponent of blitzkrieg in the east. German panzers were witnesses to the incredible onslaught that was the first few months of Barbarossa, then the gradual strengthening of Russian resistance, counterattack and, ultimately, the long and drawn-out German retreat. Raus and his panzers were tested in every conceivable tactical situation and, inevitably, Raus became highly versed in all aspects of mobilized warfare.
-
-
Armchair Generals Rejoice!
- By shalte on 04-21-20
-
Case White
- The Invasion of Poland 1939
- By: Robert Forczyk
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The German invasion of Poland on 1 September, 1939, designated as Fall Weiss (Case White), was the event that sparked the outbreak of World War II in Europe. The campaign has widely been described as a textbook example of Blitzkrieg, but it was actually a fairly conventional campaign as the Wehrmacht was still learning how to use its new Panzers and dive-bombers. The Polish military is often misrepresented as hopelessly obsolete and outclassed by the Wehrmacht, yet in fact it was well-equipped with modern weapons and armor.
-
-
finally! a book detailing the Polish campaign
- By jacob on 06-12-20
By: Robert Forczyk
-
Retribution
- The Soviet Reconquest of Central Ukraine, 1943-44
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 17 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Making use of the extensive memoirs of German and Russian soldiers to bring their story to life, the narrative follows on from On A Knife's Edge, which described the encirclement and destruction of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad and the offensives and counter-offensives that followed throughout the winter of 1942-43.
-
-
Solid, substantial military storytelling
- By Rodney W. Schmisseur on 12-21-19
By: Prit Buttar
-
The Reckoning
- The Defeat of Army Group South, 1944
- By: Prit Buttar
- Narrated by: Richard Trinder
- Length: 20 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Prit Buttar retraces the ebb and flow of the various battles and campaigns fought throughout the Ukraine and Romania in 1944. January and February saw Army Group South encircled in the Korsun Pocket. Although many of the encircled troops did escape, in part due to Soviet intelligence and command failures, the Red Army would endeavour to not make the same mistakes again. Indeed, in the coming months the Red Army would demonstrate an ability to learn and improve, reinventing itself as a war-winning machine, demonstrated clearly in its success in the Iasi-Kishinev operation.
By: Prit Buttar
-
Goering
- The Rise and Fall of the Notorious Nazi Leader
- By: Roger Manvell, Heinrich Fraenkel
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Goering, Roger Manvell and Heinrich Fraenkel use firsthand testimonies and a variety of historical documents to tell the story of a monster lurking in Hitler's shadows. After rising through the ranks of the German army, Hermann Goering became Hitler's right hand man and was hand-picked to head the Luftwaffe, one of history's most feared fighting forces. As he rose in power, though, Goering became disillusioned and was eventually shunned from Hitler's inner circle.
-
-
POWER HUNGRY
- By Danielle M Brown on 07-01-20
By: Roger Manvell, and others
-
The First Wave
- The D-Day Warriors Who Led the Way to Victory in World War II
- By: Alex Kershaw
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beginning in the predawn darkness of June 6, 1944, The First Wave follows the remarkable men who carried out D-Day’s most perilous missions. The charismatic, unforgettable cast includes the first American paratrooper to touch down on Normandy soil; the glider pilot who braved antiaircraft fire to crash-land mere yards from the vital Pegasus Bridge; the brothers who led their troops onto Juno Beach under withering fire; as well as a French commando, returning to his native land, who fought to destroy German strongholds on Sword Beach and beyond.
-
-
Thoughtful and Sobering
- By Anonymous User on 10-07-19
By: Alex Kershaw
-
Killing Hitler’s Reich
- The Battle for Austria 1945
- By: William Alan Webb
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 36 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Austria's fate held major ramifications for postwar Europe and the entire free world, yet there is no complete account of the campaign written in English. Given the scale of the fighting and the scope of the consequences, this book fills a major gap in the literature of World War Two. On VE Day Army Group South listed 450,000 men still under arms in four armies. It was this massive force that made General Dwight Eisenhower change the entire focus of American ground operations to cut off Germans from retreating into the National Redoubt.
-
-
finally a history of the war in austria
- By Hans Steinkellner on 03-14-20
-
Panzer Ace
- The Memoirs of an Iron Cross Panzer Commander from Barbarossa to Normandy
- By: Richard Freiherr von Rosen, Robert Forczyk
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Freiherr von Rosen was a highly decorated Wehrmacht soldier and outstanding panzer commander. After serving as a gunlayer on a Pz.Mk.III during Barbarossa, he led a company of Tigers at Kursk. Later he led a company of King Tiger panzers at Normandy and in late 1944 commanded a battle group (12 King Tigers and a flak company) against the Russians in Hungary in the rank of junior, later senior lieutenant (from November 1944, his final rank). Only 489 of these King Tiger tanks were ever built.
-
-
terrific insight from the German side
- By Anonymous User on 07-24-18
By: Richard Freiherr von Rosen, and others
-
Saipan
- The Battle that Doomed Japan in World War II
- By: James H. Hallas
- Narrated by: Tim Dixon
- Length: 22 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of the Battle of Saipan has it all. Marines at war: on Pacific beaches, in hellish volcanic landscapes in places like Purple Heart Ridge, Death Valley, and Hell's Pocket, under a commander known as "Howlin' Mad." Naval combat: carriers battling carriers from afar, fighters downing Japanese aircraft, submarines sinking carriers. Marine-army rivalry. Fanatical Japanese defense and resistance. A turning point of the Pacific War. James Hallas reconstructs the full panorama of Saipan in a way that no recent chronicler of the battle has done.
-
-
Outstanding!
- By Patrick on 03-08-20
By: James H. Hallas
-
Fighting the Great War at Sea
- Strategy, Tactics and Technology
- By: Norman Friedman
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 30 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This radical new book concentrates on the way in which each side tried to use or deny the sea to the other, and in so doing describes rapid wartime changes not only in ship and weapons technology but also in the way naval warfare was envisaged and fought. Melding strategic, technical, and tactical aspects, Friedman approaches World War I from a fresh perspective and demonstrates how its perceived lessons dominated the way navies prepared for World War II.
-
-
dear lord it never ended
- By Islorad on 02-27-20
By: Norman Friedman
Publisher's Summary
An account of the D-Day invasion - from the German point of view.
The Allied invasion of Northern France was the greatest combined operation in the history of warfare. Up until now, it has been recorded from the attackers' point of view - whereas the defenders' angle has been largely ignored.
While the Germans knew an invasion was inevitable, no one knew where or when it would fall. Those manning Hitler's mighty Atlantic Wall may have felt secure in their bunkers, but they had no conception of the fury and fire that was about to break. After the initial assaults of June established an Allied bridgehead, a state of stalemate prevailed. The Germans fought with great courage - hindered by lack of supplies and overwhelming Allied control of the air. This book describes the catastrophe that followed, in a unique look at the war from the losing side.
More from the same
What listeners say about The Germans in Normandy
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Oscar Shinn
- 06-13-20
a different view of Normandy 1944
This book was excellent. I visited Normandy on vacation in 2019, so obviously I am fascinated by this battle history. We went to several battle sites, and we may go again this year. (2020) History is written by the victors, so this book gives the German perspective. Excellent collection of diary accounts of what the soldiers were seeing, from the German side. We deliberately had dinner each night at the English pubs in Bayeux Normandy. Those pubs were full of English history buffs and ex-UK military vets, all sharing battle stories they knew about. We had too much fun bs'n in those pubs. (I got accused of having a thick American accent. I also experienced the most aggressive handshakes imaginable. A lot of beer consumed, and they were all very proud of their military units. I want to go back!) Normandy in the summertime is a great place to vacation, particularly if you are into this subject. Cheers!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- D. MacLeod
- 12-05-19
Good if you're not familiar
This is a good book if you are not familiar with the events. But if you've seen or read the Longest Day, Patton, Is Paris Burning, and similar movies or books, you will know most of the content. WWII buffs especially will likely find better German perspectives from the many autobiographical books.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Arthur Balourdos
- 01-12-21
Great
Great to see the battle of Normandy from the German prospective. Everyone suffers in war.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Darrell Bibby
- 10-08-20
Most informative and a good read.
Over the years I have read many books on WWII. The books I have read, have mostly been from the American or allied point of view. Recently, I’ve started reading books that look on that piece of history from the opponent’s perspective, which makes a more enlightened regard of the subject. This book confirms what I have learned over the years and also add new knowledge to that learning along with dismissing certain myths. Upon reading the last chapter, one major revelation this book has revealed for me is how the allied powers faired in operation Market Garden and where taken completely by surprise in what ended up being called the Battle of the Bulge.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- happy customer
- 07-10-20
Montgomery’s performance during Normandy
It appeared that the author went to great lengths to justify Montgomery’s performance as a General at Normandy from a British perspective. It was over done! Although it was apparent he was running out of manpower.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 07-10-20
Thoroughly fascinating.
I enjoyed the detail of the recollections...I found myself looking skyward for allied fighter bombers.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- William R. Chadwell
- 06-07-20
Excellent History
This is an excellent history of the other side in the Battle of Normandy. It is marred, however, by a poor narrator. I don't mind English narrators at all; some are excellent. What I do mind, though, are British narrators pronouncing German and French words with a British accent. It's like fingernails on a blackboard. All audiobooks that include non-English words or place-names should require that the narrator be able to pronounce them correctly!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- SunriseSuperman
- 01-17-21
Riveting
I was glued to it. Lucky my wife had something to do. She was a WW2 D Day widow for 12 hours.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Border Collie
- 01-12-21
Thoroughly enjoyable listen.
This is a good narrative of the battle for Normandy. It is not a deep analysis, it focusses on the main personalities on the German side. The narrator is easy to listen to but (frustratingly) he pronounced Lehr (Panzer Lehr) as Leer, rhyming with here. Lehr should rhyme with hair, or in German, Herr
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ian
- 01-05-21
wasn't the easiest narrator to follow
wasn't the best narrator, often couldn't bwork out what was being quoted from a speech or if it was just the general story being told ,bit disappointing really as the intro said it would be alot more personal from a personal perspective but was far more generic .
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Antony
- 11-04-20
Awful Narrating
I’ll start by saying that this is a good book; even if you know your history surrounding D Day this is a decent read being mainly from the German view point which isn’t particularly common. But the way the narrator does his thing is nothing short if scandalous. The fact that he is quite monotone is one thing to deal with, but his pronunciation of simple French words is appalling. Some examples: Boulogne is Bolonya. Caen is Cannes. Saint Mere Eglise is “Eglaze.” Bayeaux is Bi-yoo. Cotentin is Con-Ten-Tin. It is infuriating!! Surely someone does quality assurance checks with these books, or someone monitors the narrator and can point basic errors out!! Honestly I’m still thinking of returning the book, which would feel like a defeat for me as I am enjoying the story. But I will never buy a book narrated by Chris Macdonnell again. Having just listened to Al Murray narrating Sicily’43 (what a great book) with aplomb, to be brought down to this level would have me tearing my hair out if I wasn’t already follicly challenged. Please Audible, have a word. This book is not worth the price with the way it has been narrated. I’m not a purist, believe you me, but simple, correct pronunciation is a must with all books. Update - I couldn’t hack it - book returned. MacDonnell defeated me.