D-Day Landing Craft - How 4,126 ‘Ugly and Unorthodox’ Allied Craft made the Normandy Landings Possible

The contribution of landing craft and their crews to the 1944 Normandy campaign was enormous but is often overlooked. Most of the more than 132,000 Allied troops who landed on the beaches on D-Day came ashore from landing craft. The book examines why so many different types of landing craft were used in the operation; how they were built in both the UK and North America, over several years and with many competing war production requirements and operational needs. Consequently, their availability and production was regularly of concern to the top Allied leaders. This account is essential to anyone who wants to fully understand the course of D-Day, and the nature of Allied preparations for the campaign.