I just found this on the Geological Society's website The Geology of the D-Day Landings in Normandy 1944 . Not a new book, but it looks fascinating. Not only does it cover the build up to the actual landings, but the subsequent actions too, so it would probably provide a great insight into why fortifications are found in a particular spot.
I found this one at the same place.

__________________
Regards,

Gordon
History Vault Bookshop
FortressScotland-http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/Historian/

wow, those look great, tell me about them after youve read!

__________________
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." -Winston Churchill

Let me know also Historian, interesting perspective on the layout.

__________________
Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it- Sun Tzu

Looks interesting! BTW Anybody seen any books covering the "bocage" country studies before the invasion and any tactics suggested by this? I mean it did create a huge problem but the commanders seem to have thought once the invasion was successful nothing could stop the troops ?!

__________________

hey since we are on the topic of the beaches, correct me if im wrong but didnt the Germans have a garrison of about 67,000 men on the wall at the time of the actual invasion???

I think I read that somewhere but I could never come across that article again.

__________________
The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

I suppose every port city at least did have a garrison but as much as 67,000 don´t know...at least during the invasion.

Here´s on Dunkirk:

http://www.geocities.com/nasenoviny/...EN1944_45.html

And Brest probably the most famous (??)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Brest

__________________

i am sure they had that many troops, but they had to be spread out over a certain area, i am sure they werent completely concentrated...

__________________
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." -Winston Churchill

Just did some research but need some confirmation. The actual Normandy defense line consisted of approxiametly 18 to 20 thousand troops of all attack infantry.

__________________
Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it- Sun Tzu

Well, I don´t know if that´s correct because in case you just count in the 15th Army at Calais there´s much more than 20,000.

---------

CORRECTION

Sorry just noticed you mentioned only the "Normandy" area. From the net:

Divisional Areas

716th Infantry Division (Static) defended the Eastern end of the landing zones, including most of the British and Canadian beaches.

352nd Infantry Division defended the area between approximately Bayeux and Carentan, including Omaha beach. Unlike the other divisions this one was well-trained and contained many combat veterans.

6th Parachute Regiment (Oberstleutnant Dr. Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte) defended Carentan.

91st Air Landing Division (Luftlande – air transported) (Generalmajor Wilhelm Falley), comprising the 1057th Infantry Regiment and 1058th Infantry Regiment. This was a regular infantry division, trained, and equipped to be transported by air (i.e. transportable artillery, few heavy support weapons) located in the interior of the Cotentin Peninsula, including the landing zone of the American airdrops.

709th Infantry Division (Static) (Generalleutnant Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben), comprising the 729th Infantry Regiment, 739th Infantry Regiment (both with four battalions, but the 729th 4th and the 739th 1st and 4th being Ost, these two regiments had no regimental support companies either), and 919th Infantry Regiment. This coastal defense division protected the eastern, and northern (including Cherbourg) coast of the Cotentin Peninsula, including the Utah beach landing zone.
[edit]

Adjacent Divisional Areas
Other divisions occupied the areas around the landing zones, including:

243rd Infantry Division (Static) (Generalleutnant Heinz Hellmich), comprising the 920th Infantry Regiment (two battalions), 921st Infantry Regiment, and 922nd Infantry Regiment. This coastal defense division protected the western coast of the Cotentin Peninsula.

711th Infantry Division (Static), comprising the 731th Infantry Regiment, and 744th Infantry Regiment. This division defended the western part of the Pays de Caux.

30th Mobile Brigade (Oberstleutnant Freiherr von und zu Aufsess), comprising three bicycle battalions.

Whether you count the reserves that went into battle within 24 hrs of the invasion:

21st Panzer division
12th Waffen-SS panzer division Hitlerjugend

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Normandy

[ 19. September 2006, 05:11 AM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]

__________________