Hi All, There have been many books written over the years on the Normandy Campaign during the summer of 1944. The vast majority have the military aspect of this critical phase of World War II as their subject matter, with very few dealing with the civilian side of the conflict. 'Normandy in the Time of Darkness' by Douglas Boyd is one of the few exceptions to this somewhat skewed outlook. The author is well placed to write this important attempt at correcting this, having lived in France for over thirty years. During this time he has done extensive research into life in occupied France, carrying out many interviews and gathering first hand accounts from French civilians. Not only had these people lived through four years of tyrannical subjugation by the Germans but they also suffered grievous loss from the Allied air campaign. While it is the Allied air raids which receives the greatest attention in the book, snippets of everyday life during the occupation are also described, from the fate of Resistance members who were caught to the treatment of collaborators following deliverance in 1944. This balance makes for a wonderfully complete picture of life in Normandy at that time. As to the air raids, the book deals mainly with the losses suffered by the populations of the main port cities and towns in the region. Some towns unlucky enough to be located at the heads of major railway junctions or marshalling yards are also covered. The accounts are horrific in the reading and will cause distress to some readers, yet this is how it should be. A book on this subject which does otherwise would fail in it's intent in my view. The thorny question as to the righteousness of bombing civilian centres of population is also brought to the surface a number of times in the book. In particular, the Allied policy of creating roadblocks of rubble by bombing towns which happened to be located at major road junctions is called into question. Doubt is cast over the military value of some such bombing raids and the reader is left in no doubt as to Boyd's feelings in this regard. The inaccuracy of many raids on railway targets with the inevitable loss of civilian life is also starkly pointed out. One particular account describes a horrendous scene where a group of people had taken shelter in a large cellar and had become trapped by the rubble and burning timbers of the building over their heads. Their fate was sealed when burst water mains began to flood the cellar. When they were eventually found it became apparent that all had been either burned to death or had been drown in the rising water. The 256 page work is well written with very good referencing and an index to match. Photographs are used in a central cluster which might have been better placed in the relevant parts of the book, but that's this reviewer just been picky! An excellent book, badly needed to balance the story of the Normandy Campaign. Regards, Pat
Hi All, Please feel free to add your own review or discuss any aspects relating to this book in this thread. Regards, Pat