The idea of reading D-Day Through German Eyes: The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944 by Holger Eckhertz intrigued me. When you hear war stories told from the American perspective it is mostly about pride, dedication and a lot of rah-rah. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some American combat stories… this one was just different.

This story unfolded in a unique way. The story was divided told by a survivor from each of the beaches (as named the Allied forces):

  • Omaha
  • Utah
  • Gold
  • Juno
  • Sword

The information about the type of soldier assigned to “defend their European continent from the Allied invaders,” too is fascinating. Some were placed there because they were seen as less than optimal for front-line fighting. Some were placed there because they were en scripted Russians and the Nazi’s felt it was safer to keep them far from the Russian line.

That is not to say these were sub-par soldiers. They fought hard and fought valiantly for a cause.

The largest surprise was how descriptive the horror of war was through the eyes of these soldiers. It contains very graphic details of the carnage delivered at the hands of the Allied forces.

This being book 1 of a 2 part series, I will be looking for the other as well. If you like historical war stories, and want one from a different set of eyes, this is a great one.

by Chris Doelle