Spearheading the army of books soon to be released for the 60th anniversary of D-Day in 2004 is Dan van der Vat’s D-Day: The Greatest Invasion, A People’s History ($60 cloth 1-55192-586-9, 176 pp., Raincoast Books). At times so basic that even the most basic student of the battle will groan – “The advantage always lies with the defenders when an invasion begins” – the book still contains a few pleasant surprises. Most importantly, there is a proper proportion of Canadian content (far too often the Canadian landing at Juno Beach is lumped in with the British effort). However, van der Vat holds the traditional view that “man for man, German first-line troops were superior [to the Allies’],” and that the front around Caen (which included the Canadians) was a failed effort that degenerated into a wasteful war of attrition. These positions are slowly being eroded by historians, and some concession to the evolving historiography should have been included.

Nonetheless, the book is sound and informative – a good introduction for those readers young and old who are just becoming interested in D-Day. With its many photographs, maps, and sidebars, the information is a pleasure to browse. The claim to being a people’s history is supported by sidebars that detail individuals and their D-Day experiences, and many never-before-seen photographs are included, albeit some reproduced frustratingly small.