Goodwood: The British Offensive in Normandy, July 1944

*Comprehensive retelling of the controversial British operation near Caen

*Told from both the British and German perspectives

*Heavily illustrated with maps and photos, including detailed aerial reconnaissance photos taken during the battle

While American infantry slogged its way through the hedgerows of western Normandy in July 1944, the British were waging a largely armored campaign to the east near Caen. Planned to have been seized on D-Day, Caen still remained contested on July 18, when Bernard Montgomery launched Operation Goodwood, whose exact purpose is still debated--either to draw Germans away from the American sector or to break out to Falaise. In one of the largest armored battles in British history, the British lost almost one-third of its tank strength in Normandy in exchange for a gain of only seven miles.