75 mm PaK 40 Anti-Tank Gun

 75 mm PaK 40 Anti-Tank Gun

 

 

As reports came in on the development of new Soviet tanks, Germany looked to improve their late-1930s era 50 mm anti-tank gun.  The result was the 75 mm PaK 40 (PanzerAbwehrKanone), not only bigger but also significantly heavier.  The new gun was built in only small numbers until the months after the invasion of Russia and actions in North Africa, when the need for such a weapon increased dramatically among German army units.

The powerful PaK 40 was an effective weapon against most types of Allied tanks, including the Soviet T-34 and American Sherman. The weapon, along with the famous 88 mm, was considered one of the best anti-tank guns of the war.

Because light and strong metal alloys were needed elsewhere in German war production, the PaK 40 was produced primarily from steel.  Gun crews had difficulty repositioning the weighty weapon quickly and long moves always required a vehicle.  Some of the guns, mired and snow and mud, were abandoned by retreating German units on the Eastern Front, captured, and used by the Soviets.  Other PaK 40-type guns were mounted to highly mobile tracked chassis as German Marder tank destroyers.

In a pinch, the PaK 40 could be operated by one soldier.  Normal gun crews consisted of five or more men working to service the cannon behind its angled gun shield and fold-down skirt.  More than 20,000 PaK 40s were produced and German military units used the PaK 40 through the last days of World War II. 

Caliber: 75 mm

Shell: Fixed QF 75×714mm R

Maximum firing range: 7,678 m (8,397 yd) indirect HE shell

Crew: 6

Rate of fire: 14 rounds per minute

Wars: World War II; Vietnam War

Designer: Rheinmetall

M1 Garand Semi-automatic rifle

Type    Semi-automatic rifle

Place of origin    United States Service history
In service  1936–1958 (as the standard U.S. service rifle)

1940s–present (other countries
Designer    John C. Garand
Designed    1928
Manufacturer  Springfield Armory

Winchester
Harrington & Richardson International Harvester
Beretta Breda[10]
F.M.A.P.
Springfield Armory, Inc. (civilian)
Unit cost        About $85 (during World War II)
$1260 current equivalent
Produced         1934—1957
No. built        5,468,772[11]
Variants         M1C, M1D

Specifications
Mass               9.5 lb (4.31 kg) to 11.6 lb (5.3 kg)
Length              43.5 in (1,100 mm)
Barrel length    24 in (609.6 mm)
Cartridge 
                       .30-06 Springfield (7.62×63mm)
                       7.62×51mm NATO (.308 Winchester) (Postwar use by U.S.Navy)
                       Action                  Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Rate of fire            40–50 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity         2,800 ft/s (853 m/s)
Effective firing range  500 yd (457 m)[12]
Feed system             8-round en-bloc clip, internal magazine Sights

The M1 Garand is a .30-06 caliber semi automatic rifle that was the standard U.S.service
rifle during World War II and the Korean War and also saw limited service during the Vietnam War.

Most M1 rifles were issued to U.S. forces, though many hundreds of thousands were also provided
as foreign aid to American allies. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honor
guards. It is also widely used by civilians for hunting, target shooting, and as a military collectible.

The M1 rifle was named after its Canadian-American designer, John Garand. It was the first standard-issue
semi-automatic military rifle. By most accounts the M1 rifle performed well. General George S. Patton
called it "the greatest battle implement ever devised". The M1 replaced the bolt action M1903 Springfield
as the standard U.S. service rifle in 1936,[16] and was itself replaced by the selective fire M14 rifle in
March 26, 1958.

Although the name "Garand" is frequently pronounced /ɡəˈrænd/, according to experts and people who knew
John Garand, the weapon's designer. Frequently referred to as the "Garand" or "M1 Garand" by civilians,
its official designation when it was the issue rifle in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps was "U.S.
Rifle, Caliber .30, M1" or just "M1" and Garand was not mentioned.

Development

French Canadian-born Garand went to work at the United States Army's Springfield Armory and began working
on a .30 caliber primer actuated blowback Model 1919 prototype. In 1924, twenty-four rifles, identified as
"M1922s", were built at Springfield. At Fort Benning during 1925, they were tested against models by Berthier,
Hatcher-Bang, Thompson, and Pedersen, the latter two being delayed blowback types.[20] This led to a further
trial of an improved "M1924" Garand against the Thompson, ultimately producing an inconclusive report.
As a result, the Ordnance Board ordered a .30-06 Garand variant.

In March 1927, the cavalry board reported trials among the Thompson, Garand, and 03 Springfield had not led to
a clear winner. This led to a gas-operated .276 (7 mm) model (patented by Garand on 12 April 1930).
In early 1928, both the infantry and cavalry boards ran trials with the .276 Pedersen T1 rifle, calling it
"highly promising" (despite its use of waxed ammunition, shared by the Thompson). On 13 August 1928, a
semiautomatic rifle board (SRB) carried out joint Army, Navy, and Marine Corps trials between the .30 Thompson,
both cavalry and infantry versions of the T1 Pedersen, "M1924" Garand, and .256 Bang, and on 21 September, the board
reported no clear winner. The .30 Garand, however, was dropped in favor of the .276.

Further tests by the SRB in July 1929, which included rifle designs by Browning, Colt–Browning, Garand, Holek,
Pedersen, Rheinmetall, Thompson, and an incomplete one by White,[nb 2] led to a recommendation that work on the
(dropped) .30 gas-operated Garand be resumed, and a T1E1 was ordered 14 November 1929.

Twenty gas-operated .276 T3E2 Garands were made and competed with T1 Pedersen rifles in early 1931.
The .276 Garand was the clear winner of these trials. The .30 caliber Garand was also tested, in the form of
a single T1E1, but was withdrawn with a cracked bolt on 9 October 1931. A 4 January 1932 meeting recommended
adoption of the .276 caliber and production of approximately 125 T3E2s. Meanwhile, Garand redesigned his bolt
and his improved T1E2 rifle was retested. The day after the successful conclusion of this test, Army Chief of
Staff General Douglas MacArthur personally disapproved any caliber change, in part because there were extensive
existing stocks of .30 M1 ball ammunition.[24] On 25 February 1932, Adjutant General John B. Shuman, speaking for the
Secretary of War, ordered work on the rifles and ammunition in .276 caliber cease immediately and completely, and all
resources be directed toward identification and correction of deficiencies in the Garand .30 caliber.[22]:111

On 3 August 1933, the T1E2 became the "semi-automatic rifle, caliber 30, M1". In May 1934, 75 M1s went to field trials; 50
went to infantry, 25 to cavalry units. :113 Numerous problems were reported, forcing the rifle to be modified, yet again,
before it could be recommended for service and cleared for procurement on 7 November 1935, then standardized 9 January 1936.

The first production model was successfully proof-fired, function-fired, and fired for accuracy on July 21, 1937.

Production difficulties delayed deliveries to the Army until September 1937. Machine production began at Springfield Armory
that month at a rate of ten rifles per day, and reached an output of 100 per day within two years. Despite going into
production status, design issues were not at an end. The barrel, gas cylinder, and front sight assembly were redesigned
and entered production in early 1940. Existing "gas-trap" rifles were recalled and retrofitted, mirroring problems with
the earlier M1903 Springfield rifle that also had to be recalled and reworked approximately three years into production
and foreshadowing rework of the M16 rifle at a similar point in its development. Production of the Garand increased in 1
940 despite these difficulties, reaching 600 a day by 10 January 1941, and the Army was fully equipped by the end of 1941.
Following the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Winchester was awarded an "educational" production contract for 65,000 rifles,
with deliveries beginning in 1943

Service use

The M1 Garand was made in large numbers during World War II; approximately 5.4 million were made. They were used by
every branch of the United States military. The rifle generally performed well. General George S.Patton called it "the
greatest battle implement ever devised." The impact of faster-firing infantry small arms in general soon stimulated
both Allied and Axis forces to greatly increase their issue of semi- and fully automatic firearms then in production,
as well as to develop new types of infantry firearms.

Many M1s were repaired or rebuilt after World War II. While U.S. forces were still engaged in the Korean War, the
Department of Defense decided more were needed. Springfield Armory ramped up production, but two new contracts were
awarded. During 1953–56, M1s were produced by International Harvester and Harrington & Richardson in which International
Harvester alone produced a total of 337,623 M1 Garands. A final, very small lot of M1s was produced by Springfield
Armory in early 1957, using finished components already on hand. Beretta also produced Garands using Winchester tooling.


The British Army looked at the M1 as a possible replacement for its bolt-action Lee–Enfield No.1 Mk III, but it was
rejected when rigorous testing suggested that it was an unreliable weapon in muddy conditions.[citation needed] However,
surplus M1 rifles were provided as foreign aid to American allies, including South Korea, West Germany, Italy, Japan, Denmark,
Greece, Turkey, Iran, South Vietnam, the Philippines, etc. Most Garands shipped to allied nations were predominantly
manufactured by International Harvester Corporation during the period of 1953–56, and second from Springfield Armory from
all periods.

Features

The M1 Garand with important parts labeled
The M1 rifle is a .30 caliber, gas-operated, 8 shot clip-fed, semi-automatic rifle.[34] It is 43.6 inches (1,107 mm)
long and it weighs about 9.5 pounds (4.31 kg).

The M1's safety catch is located at the front of the trigger guard. It is engaged when it is pressed rearward into
the trigger guard, and disengaged when it is pushed forward and is protruding outside of the trigger guard.
The M1 Garand was designed for simple assembly and disassembly to facilitate field maintenance. It can be field stripped
(broken down) without tools in just a few seconds.

The rifle had an iron sight line consisting of rear receiver aperture sight protected by sturdy "ears" calibrated for 100–1,200 yd
(91–1,097 m) in 100 yd (91 m) increments. The bullet drop compensation was set by turning the range knob to the appropriate range
setting. The bullet drop compensation/range knob can be fine adjusted by setting the rear sight elevation pinion. The elevation
pinion can be fine adjusted in approximately 1 MOA increments. The aperture sight was also able to correct for wind drift operated
by turning a windage knob that moved the sight in approximately 1 MOA increments. The windage lines on the receiver to indicate the
windage setting were 4 MOA apart. The front sighting element consisted of a wing guards protected front post.

During World War II the M1 rifle's semiautomatic operation gave United States infantrymen a significant advantage in firepower and
shot-to-shot recovery time over enemy infantrymen armed primarily with bolt-action rifles. The semi-automatic operation and reduced
recoil allowed soldiers to fire 8 rounds as quickly as they could pull the trigger, without having to move their hands on the rifle
and therefore disrupt their firing position and point of aim.[38] The Garand's fire rate, in the hands of a trained soldier, averaged
40–50 accurate shots per minute at a range of 300 yards (270 m). "At ranges over 500 yards (460 m), a battlefield target is hard for
the average rifleman to hit. Therefore, 500 yards (460 m) is considered the maximum effective range, even though the rifle is accurate
at much greater ranges."

Some Garands were still being used by the United States into the Vietnam War in 1963; despite the M14's official adoption in 1958,
it was not until 1965 that the changeover from the M1 Garand was fully completed in the active-duty component of the Army (with

the exception of the sniper variants, which were introduced in World War II and saw action in Korea and Vietnam). The Garand remained in
service with the Army Reserve, Army National Guard and the Navy into the early 1970s. The South Korean Army was using M1 Garands in the
Vietnam War as late as 1966.


Due to widespread United States military assistance as well their durability, M1 Garands have also been found in use in recent conflicts
such as with the insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some military drill teams still use the M1 rifle, including the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Team, the United States Air Force
Academy Cadet Honor Guard, the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, almost all Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and some Junior Reserve
Officer Training Corps (JROTC) teams of all branches of the U.S. military.[citation needed]

World War 2 Fact Double-O-Who? Jon Pertwee's.

Double-O-Who? Jon Pertwee's secret life as a wartime agent... years before he did battle with the Daleks 

He was best known for battling the Daleks as one of the best-loved Doctor Whos.
But now it has been revealed that Jon Pertwee was a real-life secret agent years before he donned the Time Lord’s cape.
The actor, who died in 1996 aged 76, was a senior intelligence agent during the Second World War and reported directly to Winston Churchill.
He was also recommended for another role by James Bond creator Ian Fleming – and proved to be an expert in using a range of 007-like gadgets, including a smoking pipe that fired bullets and handkerchiefs containing secret maps.

Actor Jon Pertwee, pictured left in the Navy, was a senior secret intelligence agent during World War II before he became well-known for playing Doctor Who, pictured right

The revelations – in a long-lost tape-recorded interview – confirm that Pertwee’s wartime activities were as remarkable as his acting career, which saw him play the third incarnation of the Doctor between 1970 and 1974.

Pertwee said he kept silent about the nature of his covert role with the Naval Intelligence Division for decades for fear of breaching the Official Secrets Act.
On the tape he says: ‘The team I worked with, the brothers in intelligence, were an amazing  collection of characters.

TV favourite: Jon Pertwee battled Daleks and aliens as Doctor Who for four years

‘There was a huge range of talents all being used to better protect the security of the nation, often in very surprising ways.
‘I did all sorts. Teaching commandos how to use escapology equipment, compasses in brass buttons, secret maps in white cotton handkerchiefs, pipes you could smoke that also fired a .22 bullet. All sorts of incredible things. It suited me perfectly as  I have always loved gadgets.
‘I used to attend meetings where Churchill would be at the end of the table and he would be smoking his cigars. At the end of the meeting, I used to collect the butts and sell them on to the Americans for a few dollars.
‘I don’t remember much of  my first meeting with Churchill except he gave me some priceless advice. He told me to always watch people, that there was a lot you could learn about someone’s character from the little actions they make – which was great advice for an actor.’
Pertwee also worked alongside Ian Fleming during his spell with Naval Intelligence. He recalled: ‘One day Fleming sent me for an interview for a job. They wanted a good French speaker.
‘I thought the job was going to be liaison with the Free French. I did not fancy that at all, so I deliberately messed up the interview, pretending I could not understand what they were saying at times and throwing in the most  inappropriate answers.
‘Afterwards, when Fleming got the report back, he said they did not want me and how badly I had done. I confessed I had done it on purpose because I did not want to work with de Gaulle’s mob.
‘He told me I was a blithering idiot because the interview was a chance to be our man in Tahiti.’
Before taking up his clandestine role, Pertwee narrowly avoided death on the battlecruiser Hood, sunk by the Bismarck in 1941.

Jon Pertwee, pictured as Doctor Who with Nicholas Courtney who played Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, made the revelations in a long-lost interview

He recalled: ‘I was on HMS Hood and I got called to the  captain’s cabin. I was told I had passed the captain’s test and I was now a fully fledged officer cadet. I had 20 minutes to pack before being transferred back to Pompey barracks for training.
‘It saved my life. Of the 1,418 crew, only three survived.’
Pertwee’s many obituaries all referred to his wartime service in the Navy, but made no mention of his top-secret role.
He gave the interview in 1994 to two young reporters, Matt Adams and David Southwell. They are lifelong Doctor Who fans – and decided this year’s 50th anniversary of the show was the ideal time to publish his revelations in Doctor Who Magazine.
Mr Southwell, now an author, said: ‘Eighteen years ago the opportunity arose to exploit our positions with a local paper to wangle an interview at the home of one of our childhood heroes.
‘We have gone on to quiz Oscar-winners and meet Prime Ministers, but no interview was ever more demanding than coming face-to-face with our Doctor.’

Book Review A History of the Second World War B. H. Liddell Hart

First published in the year after his death in 1970, Liddell Hart's History of the Second World War is a classic military tome from one of the best military strategists of his generation. With his distinctive voice, he covers the most famous of all wars with seering insight and authorative knowledge of tactics and strategy. Few have attempted to condense those six bloody years into one volumne, and Liddell's Hart's achievement is a true classic now republished in the Pan Military Strategy Series.

'It is a work of great length and great learning, illuminated by flashes of insight ... full of brilliant strategic analysis' A.J.P. Taylor

'A work of art ... Liddell Hart is not simply a prophet and a critic but a historian of great rank' Economist

James Doohan, Actor

James Doohan starred as the chief engineer Scotty, in the televison science fiction series Star Trek

James Doohan had worked his way up to the rank of lieutenant and was sent over to England with the 14th Field Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. ... The Canadian Army, and Doohan's division along with it, was tasked with taking the area known as Juno Beach

World War 2 Fact

Operation Magnet was the Allied programme to start the build-up of US ground forces in Northern Ireland as part of the development toward subsequent operations on the European mainland (January/May 1942).

World War 2 Fact The swastika

 

 The Swastika Symbol

 

The swastika is a sacred religious symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and dates back to before the 2nd Century BC.

In Sanskrit it is called a swastika, meaning "good." It
comes from the word swasti “welfare,” in turn from su
“well” and asti "it is." In popular use in India, it is thought
to be a sign of good luck.

The clockwise Swastika is a Solar Symbol representing
the cycles of the Sun, while the counterclockwise is
called "Sauvastika" and it represents the night and its
Lunar cycles.
This archetypal pattern refers to eternal processes of
cycles and polarities which exists at all scales of nature,
just like the:- 

Ouroboros,
Hexagram,
Yin-Yang,
Torus,
Fibonacci Sequence, etc...
It is the "Cosmic Spiral" which forms the Universe and
Life itself. Aparently.....

 

World War 2 Fact

The first German serviceman killed in the war was killed by the Japanese.

Introduction

  

  War huh... good god
   what is it good for
   absolutely nothing, listen to me

   Was released and sung by Edwin Starr, in
1970, Frankie goes to Hollywood, reached No1 spot
in the charts for a number of weeks. and Bruce
Springstein released his cover of"War"in 1986.
Many a poem was penned of the first world war,
not celebrating the victory and glory, but the
misery and death.

   As this website is more to do with war rather
than the art of music and pose. The art of war is an
ancient treatise by Sun Tzu, it has thirteen chapter
devoted to the aspect of warfare and how it applies to
military stragety and of course tactics. This ancient
book is dated from the 5th century B.C. At this time
in the west the Roman Empire was beginning to rule Europe,
the middle east, and parts of Africa including Egypt.

   It has been recorded in ancient Summerian records,
carved in brittle clay tablets, the conflict between the
Summerian and the neighbouring Elimites. Antiquity has
many recorded Empires and battles, the greatness of Egypt,
with the splender of the pyramids and Temples. Are all
recorded of on hieroglyphic markings, giving tribute to
the Egyptian strength and achievements in battle.

   Empires reach a zenieth, they come and go, the Assyrian
Empire was known as the first military state, setting up
vassal rulers of every conquered nation. Babylon, Persia,
Rome, followed and became known in the annals of history.
These empires did not become great without the strength of
their clenching iron fist of the armies they commanded,
taking the spoils of war as they went.

   So as once stated as historical thinking that, "History is
written by the Victors" Does the winning side shape the
narratives of history and scribe the text book to learn the
generations that follow?

  This website is mainly of the second world war, some
believe that the first and second world wars were just
one world war with a short interlude in between. It has
also been thought that this war ended in a stalemate.
But a huge cost to Germany, giving up land and compensation
to France and Belgium.

   Around the world during the close of the first war
world, a continuous sweeping tide of a new kind of ideology
and politics, Socialism:- Communism.  Whether this can be
traced back to Thomas Paine, his book "The Rights of Man,"
Vladimir Lenin, lead the October Revolution which the Tzar
and his family were murdered.  France was beginning to dance
with the ideology of socialism, and the noise was heard in
Germany.

   Socialism and trade unions seemed to be making pathways
towards communism. Russia under Joseph Stalin was gearing up
to have its first great purge. Italy was having its struggle
with socialism, and a small communist party members.  Also
in Italy was another form of socialism, Fascism, in which
their front man was Benito Mussolini.

   In Germany the NSP (National Socialist Party) was the
answer to counter communism. This party evolved into the
National Socialist German workers party (NSDWP). Their
strength was the Brown shirts, SA — Sturmabteilung
a violent paramilitary group attached to the Nazi Party in
pre World War Two Germany. The SA was instrumental in
the Nazi's rise to power and played a diminished role
during the Second World War. Soon the rise and popular
charismatic Leader therise of Adolf Hitler

Tiimelime

Musee Dunkerque 1940 - Operation Dynamo

http://www.dynamo-dunkerque.com/

Dunkirk:  Good place for a day to visit if you are a war buff like me.  My friends and I visited in Sep 2017 and we thought the recently opened war museum was very good.  Some great artifacts on display.

Normandy:  What a place.  Some friends and I visited the D Day landings first of all in 2012 and thought it was that good we decided to go back a few years later.  So much can be said about Normandy and what took place there in June 1944.  The Atlantic wall consisting of the German gun Emplacements was a wow moment for me.  So thick and fortified found all along the French coast was amazing.  The beaches when you stand and think of what happened there all them years ago is very moving and fill you with dread and wonder at the same time.  Outstanding place to visit with so many Museums.  Just some to mention, Pegasus Bridge museum, Dead mans corner, St Mere Eglise museum to name but a few.  Fantastic.

Berg hog and Eagles nest:  One of the most beautiful parts of the world I have been to but with such a dark recent past.  With the scenery you can see why Adolf Hitler fell in love with the Obersalzburg.  Many of his decisions were made at the Berghof, which apart from a retaining wall only visible today, is still an eiery place to visit.  The Eagles nest is a must see for any war enthusiast.  It is aptly named where it is situated and when I and some friends went our tour guide told us we must have got the best day of the year when we went.  10 out of 10.  A must see.  D.Hill

Book Review:- D-Day Antony Beevor

In the early hours of 6 June 1944, the allies launched the greatest amphibious assault of the second world war. Assisted by bombers and airborne troops, Operation Neptune, the first phase of Overlord, was the precursor to a campaign intended to drive the Germans out of France and the Low Countries. The attack took place during a brief break in unseasonally bad weather. Antony Beevor begins his account of this now almost mythic narrative five days earlier, by describing the head of the allied weather forecasting team, James Stagg, receiving a broadside from General Harold Bull, assistant chief of staff to the supreme commander, Dwight D Eisenhower. Stagg's meteorologists could not agree whether the weather for the invasion, originally planned for 5 June and various dates in May, would be suitable:

"For heaven's sake, Stagg," Bull exploded. "Get it sorted out by tomorrow morning before you come to the supreme commander's conference. General Eisenhower is a very worried man."

One of the many strengths of Beevor's book is his presentation of the nervous but philosophic personality of Eisenhower in the face of the "appalling responsibility" of deciding at what point he should trust the views of these meteorologists and give the order to go (in the event, a "very great risk" was taken with the weather, as Churchill said later in parliament). But although many other characters are equally well portrayed, from Churchill himself to US generals Bradley - with his specs and "hayseed expression" - and Patton, famous for his profanity, to Montgomery with his terseness and conceit, and De Gaulle with his arrogance and his long arms, it is the personal narratives of ordinary servicemen that drive this book.

This is the same approach Beevor took in his justly acclaimed Stalingrad, Berlin: The Downfall and other books. Once again a gripping narrative is the result. But with D-Day he was faced with a great problem, in that many more writers have tackled the subject previously. What has he found new that Chester Wilmot, John Keegan (under whom Beevor studied), Max Hastings and Carlo D'Este didn't?

Though it is hard to match Hastings's Overlord in particular, the fact is that Beevor has indeed added to the account. Accruing greater detail, he has made use of overlooked and new material from more than 30 archives in half a dozen countries. His skill with German archives (a former Hussars officer, he served in the British Army of the Rhine) is especially evident. He addresses controversies in military history - were the British in Normandy tired out from fighting elsewhere? How badly were the Canadians led? Was Montgomery a hero or a hindrance? - and other questions with balance and judgment. The main reasons for allied success are pinpointed as the speed of advance by US motorised divisions and Hitler's refusal to allow a flexible defence.

The pleasure of this book lies in the vividness of an episodic narrative, backed up by judicious use of quotation. Moving from the weather drama to surveillance of the assault beaches, to individual accounts of each beach, to the breakout for Paris, the action never lets up. Beevor follows personalities from one location to another. One moment we are with Captain Scott-Bowden swimming ashore from a midget submarine to Omaha Beach to take a soil sample, armed only with a commando knife, a Colt .45 and an auger, the next we are seeing him make his report to an intimidating room full of generals back in Whitehall: "Sir, I hope you don't mind me saying but this beach is a very formidable proposition indeed and there are bound to be tremendous casualties." So it would prove, with the ramps of landing craft dropping and German machine guns opening fire so that "men were tumbling just like corn cobs off a conveyor belt".

Many of the assault troops knew this was to be their fate, not least because their officers kept telling them so. Beevor is very good on how heavily the burden of premonition weighed on men. A large number took their minds off what lay ahead with frenetic betting, first with dubious-looking invasion money (une fausse monnaie as De Gaulle sneeringly called it), then with saved dollars and pound notes. Other eve of battle rituals included shaving heads, with some Americans deciding "to leave a strip of hair down the middle in Mohican style". This contributed to the German idea that US troops were recruited from Sing-Sing.

The Germans themselves are fairly treated throughout, with a proper view of the difference between those who retained a moral sense and those in whom it had long disappeared. There is a wonderful vignette of an old, one-legged, one-eyed Prussian general called Erich Marcks refusing whipped cream at dinner: "I do not wish to see this again as long as our country is starving." Equally, there are many depictions of the brutality of retreating SS troops.

A former novelist (it is now often forgotten that before concentrating on his historical work in the 1990s, this author published four works of fiction), Beevor is very good on what might in a novel or film be called the kitbag scene, in which equipment is assembled, in this case in preparation for jumping from the C-47 aircraft that would deliver paratroopers to the assault zone: "Dog tags were taped together to prevent them making a noise. Cigarettes and lighters, together with other essentials, such as a washing and shaving kit, water-purifying tablets, 24 sheets of toilet paper and a French phrase book, went into the musette bag slung around the neck, along with an escape kit consisting of a map printed on silk, hacksaw blade, compass and money."

This was only a tiny part of the burden that airborne troops carried. Once weapons and other equipment were taken into account, they often needed help to get up the steps of the planes, "almost like knights in armour trying to mount their horses".

Such a telling phrase is typical, whether it relates to grand strategy (on the eve of invasion "Churchill sent a signal to Stalin with the feeling that the blood debt which the western allies owed the Soviet people was being paid at last") or to domestic feeling on the home front once the assault was under way: "People in their nightclothes went out into their gardens to stare up at the seemingly endless air armada silhouetted against the scudding clouds. 'This is it' was their instinctive thought."

Landing in thickly hedged country known as bocage, often separated from their units, paratroopers resorted in vain to artificial duck calls or cheap children's "clickers" (familiar from the film The Longest Day). Many planes were flying too low, and those paratroopers who had landed successfully witnessed the sickening sound of bodies hitting the ground around them, which they compared to "watermelons falling off the back of a truck".

As well as the grotesque, there were moments of comedy, such as when an allied soldier asked a French farmer "Ou es Alamon?" "He shrugged and pointed north, then south, east and west." Against these humorous moments must be set strange ones, such as watching heavy shells fired from offshore battleships create a vacuum in their wake, causing the water to "rise up and follow the shells in and then drop back into the sea". And, of course, there are many pictures of horror, including a description of cleaning human remains from the inside of a tank with a mess tin and spoon.

The last third of the book is concerned mainly with the rush to Paris, which was not in the original plan for the campaign. It is almost impossible for a reader not to get caught up in the excitement. The historian must always make a choice between the work of depiction and the work of analysis. Even though Beevor is well capable of the latter, we should be glad he has chosen the former. By doing so he has overleaped the barrier of hindsight, getting us as near as possible to experiencing what it was like to be there, that fateful summer, 65 years ago.