Books

The U.S. invasion of Southern France in August of 1944 has always been overshadowed by the Normandy invasion and even the slow advance up the Italian penisula.
Jeff Danby remedies that lack of attention, somewhat, in his book, “The Day of the Panzer.”
Danby, whose grandfather commanded a tank crew in the campaign, writes about the invasion from the beaches on Day One, but spotlights a later, nasty firefight at the French village of Allan.
Danby has a good overall grasp of the campaign, from its relatively easy beach landings to the lightning advance as rapidly retreating German units, many of lesser quality, desperately tried to escape encirclement.
Many made it out of southern France to fight again in the north, in part because of the determined German delaying action at Allan.
Danby personalizes his story,taking you into the personal lives of many of the American GIs. He also interviews French civilians in the area and points out some of the contributions of the local Free French forces.
Noticeably absent is the German perspective, both strategic and personal. That weakens the book’s impact.
“The Day of the Panzer” is a solid read about an often ignored “side theater” of the war.