Collection(s) : Histoire
Paru le 17/05/2011 | Broché 159 pages
Tout public
6 June 1944 The Normandy Landings
How did the landing operations prepared by Churchill and Roosevelt from 1940 onwards, requested by Stalin in 1941, manage to catch Hitler by surprise even though he had known they were inevitable from as early as 1942?
What were the crucial moments during the historic day which saw the opening of a second front?
How, after two months in Normandy when little headway was made, did the Avranches breakthrough at Avranches make the « Overlord invasion » the strategic decisive victory of World War II?
With the mature emotion of someone who has lived through such historic events, the author recounts the story of the preparation and execution of the operation that was to put an end to the totalitarian holocausts, liberate Europe and reestablish the world balance of power. Although fragile at times, the latter has nonetheless lasted for over fifty years.
Winner of the Prix « Maréchal Foch » from the Académie française.
History
A reference collection to learn about History, from our origins to the present-day, with a summarised text by a historian and a rich iconography (150 to 200 documents) completed by a specific cartography.
General Jean Compagnon
Born on 26 October 1916, died on 4 November 2010, General Jean Compagnon went on to serve as a captain at the headquarters of General Leclerc, commander of the 2nd armoured division. He took part in the division's landing operation and participated in the Battle of Normandy.
He subsequently commanded a squadron of the 12th armoured cavalry whose tanks were the first to roll into Strasbourg on November 23rd 1944.
He previously fought in France in 1939-1940 and Tunisia in 1942-1943. After the war was over, he saw active service in Indochina and Algeria.
In 1974 he was promoted to the rank of Army Corps General. General Jean Compagnon was historian and a member of the Académie des Sciences d'outre-mer. He was awarded the Grand-croix of the Légion d'honneur and was an Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States).
