Rating: 
Summary: Packed full of info!
Review: 'Six Armies' is a great discussion of the pre-invasion preparation before Normandy, through the beach and hedgerow fighting to the Liberation of Paris, telling the history and actions of six different armies who were involved. The amazing part to me was how he discussed the history of the US for example and smoothly flowed into their part in the war and then just as smoothly started his discussion of the history and part of the next army. In the end you have a very comprehensive discussion of the War in Europe from June through August of 1944. He discusses events such as Dieppe and the Polish Home Army siege and the previous exploits and disasters of the individual armies and tells about the unique qualities that each army had. Keegan writes in a very english/philosophical manner and therefore it is not as quick a read as some of the unit histories but is still packed full of info and action and is a very good book!
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Summary: 60th Anniversary of D-Day
Review: As the 60th anniversary of D-Day approaches, a revisit to Keegan's excellent book recalls those tumultuous days. The landings, and the subsequent battle for Normandy, have no parallel in history - or ever will. It needs a skilled historian to unravel the strategy, tactics - and the politics - that surround the momentous events.
And Keegan does it with skillful scholarship, embedding the details of conflict into the broader aspects of logistics that decided the fall of Hitler (despite his determined, experienced armies) and the victory of the Allies, with their superior air power.
Keegan covers all aspects of the combatants, including the roles of the Poles, Canadians and French whose valiant efforts in Normandy are, regrettably, often overlooked. Neither does he ignore the role of the individual in history: the pressures on Montgomery to deliver a victory without the horrendous casualties he had seen during the First World War; the demands on Eisenhower - which hw resisted - to fire Montgomery; and the intransigence of Hitler, who, imbued with a fanatical self-belief following his deliverance from an assassination attempt, stubbornly overrules his generals to hand a crushing victory to the Allies.
Keegan tells all this - and more- with a use of English rarely seen nowadays. He uses the full panoply of his art to tell the story of this immense, complex and unparalleled chapter of history. Many writers have told the story of the definitive moment in twentieth century history, but none better than Keegan.
Rating: 
Summary: Keegan shows his heritage
Review: Keegan is one of my favorite authors and his work normally amazes and astounds me and certainly portions of this book live up to that praise. Keegan details the build up and eventual landing that would be known as D-Day. Casualties and information is heavily stacked toward the British and Canadian beaches. Utah beach is covered in some detail as is the Airborne landing (especially the 101st). Omaha beach is given about a paragraph. I assume Keegan is trying to avoid duplication of the numerous other sources about bloody Omaha, but his apparent lack of interest deserves an explanation, which is not provided in the text. The details regarding the Polish 2nd Armored division are excellent and this is the first detailed account I've read regarding their valiant stands. The Canadian contribution is also detailed very well. The German officer corps is treated with respect as able opponents. Crimes committed by the 12th SS against the Canadians are highlighted. The French are treated pretty harshly and in my opinion fairly. LeClerc's run to Paris was a tactical error that was heavily influenced by politics not strategy that SHAEF intended to simply encircle. The French enjoyed a relatively unharmed capital due to their quick surrender and Hitler's decision to defend Normandy (and the subsequent collapse of the Western front). My big problem with this book (and the reason for 4 stars instead of 5) is Keegan's handling of Montgomery. Keegan clearly thinks highly of Montgomery and his tactics. This clearly disagrees with everything else I've read or studied. "Monty's" victory over the Afrika Corp which won him fame was predominately due to supply limitations on Rommel's part and failure of the Wehrmacht's encription. XXX Corps advance on a single tank front on an exposed roadway during Operation Market-Garden is another clear example of his poor understanding of the combat particular to WWII in my opinion. Montgomery is also given credit for pinning down the Panzer divisions near Caen in Normandy so the Americans could advance. IF anything, this was due to the Wehrmacht's underestimation of the American army and not an accomplishment of Montgomery's. All in all, a great book, but not one of Keegan's best.
Rating:
Summary: Keegan shows his heritage
Review: Keegan is one of my favorite authors and his work normally amazes and astounds me and certainly portions of this book live up to that praise. Keegan details the build up and eventual landing that would be known as D-Day. Casualties and information is heavily stacked toward the British and Canadian beaches. Utah beach is covered in some detail as is the Airborne landing (especially the 101st). Omaha beach is given about a paragraph. I assume Keegan is trying to avoid duplication of the numerous other sources about bloody Omaha, but his apparent lack of interest deserves an explanation, which is not provided in the text. The details regarding the Polish 2nd Armored division are excellent and this is the first detailed account I've read regarding their valiant stands. The Canadian contribution is also detailed very well. The German officer corps is treated with respect as able opponents. Crimes committed by the 12th SS against the Canadians are highlighted. The French are treated pretty harshly and in my opinion fairly. LeClerc's run to Paris was a tactical error that was heavily influenced by politics not strategy that SHAEF intended to simply encircle. The French enjoyed a relatively unharmed capital due to their quick surrender and Hitler's decision to defend Normandy (and the subsequent collapse of the Western front). My big problem with this book (and the reason for 4 stars instead of 5) is Keegan's handling of Montgomery. Keegan clearly thinks highly of Montgomery and his tactics. This clearly disagrees with everything else I've read or studied. "Monty's" victory over the Afrika Corp which won him fame was predominately due to supply limitations on Rommel's part and failure of the Wehrmacht's encription. XXX Corps advance on a single tank front on an exposed roadway during Operation Market-Garden is another clear example of his poor understanding of the combat particular to WWII in my opinion. Montgomery is also given credit for pinning down the Panzer divisions near Caen in Normandy so the Americans could advance. IF anything, this was due to the Wehrmacht's underestimation of the American army and not an accomplishment of Montgomery's. All in all, a great book, but not one of Keegan's best.
Rating:
Summary: simply magnificient
Review: Keegan is one of the foremost military historians of the present. Masterful writing and detailed analysis as in his _Six Armies at Normandy_ is one example of why he is so highly regarded in the field. Keegan examines the military build up prior to the invasion, but spends much of the book discussing the British and Canadian landings, with less attention to Utah (and much less attention to Omaha) beaches. Of particular interest was his discussion of the Polish brigades in the battle, which I had previously never heard of, and his excellent treatment of the Falaise Gap. The only criticism I have is that it is a military history - and as such, is written in a style that may be off-putting to some. Furthermore, it is much more detailed than many books on the Second World War, which is both a boon and a burden - for those who are interested in the minutiae of the Normandy landings and the immeadiate aftermath, I cannot recommend another book more highly. For some, however, it may be a bit much, in which case I recommend "A Short History of World War II"
Rating: 
Summary: text book
Review: Keegan's an overrated historian and this isn't one of his better efforts. He does detail certain figures well but, as with his WW II survey book, the book jumps around and there really isn't a comprehensive flow to it. In addition, he deliberately skips many central points of the invasion and it's aftermath in order to include information on other units smaller scale exploits. This book should only be read along with a much better account, such as the book by Carlo D'Este.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: Mr. Keegan's style is great in the descrpition of the battles and providing appropiate maps for reference. My only complaint is that certain parts of invasion was negelected for other ones. For example,Mr. Keegan description of the US 101st and 82nd parachute drop at southern end of invasion beach was great, but their britsh counterparts got just a few paragraphs. In descrpition of the beach landings the Canadian beach got described but the American and British ones got a superficial survey. This is of course with all respect to Mr. Keegan whose many books i have enjoyed.
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Summary: Passionate military history at its best
Review: This book is a must for anyone even slightly interested in WWII history, or anyone who has ever visited a WWII cemetery. Keegan's narrative techniques will bring these events -- and, more importantly, the people involved -- to life.
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Summary: Six Armies in Normandy
Review: This book is an easy and enjoyable read. Keegan details several leaders involved in the Normandy Campaign, which began with the preliminary parachute assaults by the US 101st Airborne Division and ended with the "Free French" liberation of Paris. Not necessarily a "comprehensive" account of the Normandy Campaign, it details some of the highlights of lesser known British, Canadian and Polish actions with eloquence. At 360-plus pages, the maps are excellent, although the photographs are sparse, and worth the sticker-price for a Keegan classic.
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Summary: Keegan gives a very broad and thorough look at Normandy
Review: This is an excellent book if you are in to thoroughly researched historical books. The details he brings out in each of the chapters are amazing. As an American reader, though, his British English was hard to read at times. I understood what he meant just fine, but the structure of the sentences is a little different and slows the reading somewhat. The book gave me a very broad understanding of the vastness of the Normandy invasion and the battles all the way up to the Liberation of Paris. He talks about armies (like the Polish and French Resistance) that you typically don't hear about, and does a wonderful job of bringing you into the battles and giving you an understanding of what happened and why it happened the way it did. He also shows you how the "fog" of war clouds the minds of decisions-makers at all levels in a war, and how the battles might have differed had any one army had full knowledge of what the others were doing. A definite must read for the Normandy invasion or WW II buff.
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