Sarthe, August 1944 -
History of a Liberation Written by Fabrice AVOIE. [email protected] (Big Book in French made of 452 pages in the size (format) A4 - 850 pictures - 65 maps - 2.2 Kg). (Copyright may 2009, ©)
This work
richly illustrated approaches the Liberation of the Sarthe department ( Le Mans
area (South of Normandy)) day after day and unit by unit. It begins from the
entrance of the Americans in Sarthe on August 7th, 1944 since the Mayenne
department and ends on August 12th when the last troop of liberators leave the
department by the North toward Falaise.
Result of fifteen years of researches led by the author on the ground, this book contains a large number of new photos on the allied divisions, (5th US Armored Division, 2nd Free French Armored Division, 79th US Infantry Division, 80th US Infantry Division, 90th US Infantry Division, 106th Cavalry Group) but also on the German units as for example 9.Panzer-Division, the SS-Pz.Jg.Abt.17, but also on Pz-Lehr-Div., 352.Inf. Div., 708.Inf.Div, Sich.Rgt 1, Sturm.Btl.AOK.7, … Thanks to a multitude of American, French and German archives, to numerous testimonies of American, French, German and Austrian veterans, to the statements of the civil witnesses and to the numerous local reports, Fabrice Avoie delivers us a long and precise research work, a reference book on the Liberation of the Sarthe department. A long very well illustrated paragraph also approaches seven American airfields which were built in some days after the Liberation. The young generations will find in this work a guide for the study of this period, passionate persons of military units will discover a big quantity of informations and new photos and the Seniors will live again the uncertain days of a Liberation so waited. A third edition was made by the publisher in March 2019.
ITF publisher address for order: http://shop.itf-imprimeurs.fr/index.php?id_product=8&controller=product To contact the author, please use the adresse : [email protected] |
Lot of new pictures and documents included in this book. It concerns : 5th US Armored Division : around new 140 pictures (Sherman tanks M4, Tank Destroyer M10, Halftraks, Howitzer M7 105mm, Howitzer M8 75mm, Jeep, Armored car M8 and M20, Tank Recovery Vehicle M32, and several veterans ' testimonies obtained directly by the author thanks to the contacts established with them. There also lot of after action reports found by the author at the Nationales Archives at Washington DC). 2nd Free French Armored Division : around new 180 pictures and reports form archives (Sherman tanks M4, Halftracks, Jeep, Howitzer M7 105mm, Armored car M8. Several veterans ' testimonies obtained directly by the author thanks to the contacts established with them. 79th US Infantry Division (749th Tank Battalion & 813th Tank Destroyer Battalion): around new 70 pictures and documents. 80th US Infantry Division : around new 13 pictures and documents. 90th US Infantry Division : around new 26 pictures and documents and testimonies. 106th Cavalry Group : around new 30 pictures and documents (light tanks M5, armored cars M8, Howitzer M8 75mm, Jeeps, reports). American airfields near Le Mans : 52 pictures took by French witnesses (many of P-38, P-47 and C-47, several vehicles from Engineer Aviation Battalion, one Waco, one T-6, one P-38 crashed, airstrips, guns for defence against planes, Jeeps, one B-17). 9.Panzer-Division : around 130 new pictures, maps, drawings of this german division spread in the book. Those pictures were took by French witnesses after the fights (many of Panzer IV, Puma, Hummel, Hummel-Munitionsträger, RSO Steyr, FH18 howitzer 105mm, SPW 251, SPW 251/7, SPW 251/8, SPW251/9, SPW251 Stuka zu Fuss, Flak-Möbelwagen,Trucks, Cars, Gliederung). It was the principal german unit in this area and this is the reason why there are 42 pages specially dedicated to this unit at the beginning of the book with several veterans' testimonies obtained directly by the author thanks to the contacts established with them during his numerous trips in Germany and in Austria between 1998 and 2008. There are also many interrogation reports on the prisonners of 9.Pz.Div. SS-Pz.Jg.Abt.17 : around 30 new pictures of Jadgpanzer IV/L48 and Flakpanzer 38t took by French witnesses. Pz-Lehr-Division : six pictures of Panzer IV, german maps from this time. 708.Infanterie-Division : six pictures, german maps from this time. 352.Infanterie-Division : five pictures of Stug III and german maps of this time. 91.Infanterie-Division : around 15 pictures of Howitzer FH18/40 of Kampfgruppe Kiewitt. Three gliederung. Sicherung-Regiment 1 : around 10 pictures of armored car Panhard AMD178 (p204(f)) and two gliederung. Many other german units (77.Inf.Div., Sturm Btl AOK7, SR 194, 195, 196, Flak units, sturmgeschützbrigade 341 &902, differents March-Bataillon, 3 & 6 Fallschirmjäger-Division, differents kampfgruppe, ...) |
Below: Some pages taken randomly among 452 pages of the book. These show several pictures of destroyed armored cars belonging to 5th US Armored Division, 2nd Free French Armored Division.... (Copyright may 2009). ©
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