Eagles and Bulldogs in Normandy, 1944: The American 29th Infantry Division from Omaha Beach to St Lo and the British 3rd Infantry Division from Sword

Mr. Reynolds set himself to compare the performance of the US 29th and British 3rd Infantry Division, as each set out in Normandy, 1944, to capture a city in France--the former, St. Lo, and the latter, Caen. In this he well achieved his purpose. His analyses of the commanders and decisions they made are well-reasoned, and he is able to support his contentions very ably; although he frequently sets out the facts, and urges the reader to come to his own conclusion. One thing to be aware of is that the author does not move much lower than the company level in describing the combat. You will find very little of the GI's or Tommy's view of the battles. To be fair, this does not appear to have been Mr. Reynold's intention in the first place. Rather, he examines the initiative and energy of the two nation's Corps, Division, and Battalion leadership, to assess each's relative success in accomplishing their objectives. An excellent feature to note are the many maps included in the back of the book. They are very detailed and carefully drawn, and may by themselves be worth the price of the book. Whereas many books include maps that are less than useful, and do not always include many of the places mentioned in the text, these maps are quite thorough and inclusive. Please note however that many of the unit movements are not included, and those that are are often broad and general. A fine set of appendices explains with clarity the various unit organizations and other matters of interest. Mr. Reynolds writes well and manages to hold the readers interest with his vivid narrative. He is very adept at describing in outline the various movements and battles of these two divisions with brevity. However, one annoying feature to be aware of are a few referrals to earlier works of his, where, he says, you can find the details of various encounters described only marginally in this volume. I am not sure if I would pay the full purchase price for this book, but if you can find it on the secondary market, it is a good value.