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Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 18 Jul 2021, 11:40
by Okafor Prosper
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe" by John D. Gazzelli.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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The largest seaborne invasion in history that happened on the 6th of June, 1944, in Normandy is one that history will never forget. We will never forget the leaders who oversaw the execution of operation OVERLORD after years of planning and how significant it was in laying the foundations for the Allied victory. Nevertheless, we have forgotten the person who planned this operation of utmost importance: Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB. On that note, John D. Gazzelli has presented a detailed reminder of the facts surrounding the planning and execution of operation OVERLORD and Morgan's role in it in his book, Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB: The Planner Who Saved Europe.

The author has done an incredible job in the presentation of this documentary, giving us an in-depth look into Morgan's story while presenting valid references for every aspect of the book. This is the first aspect of the book I enjoyed, as the author brought me into several strategic conferences, from ARCADIA and EUREKA to SYMBOL, where the Allied leaders deliberated on the best courses of action to take in the war. The author perfectly recreates the tense atmosphere in those meetings, especially between the American and British leaders, while they couldn't agree on a lot of specifics. Would they prioritize a cross-channel attack, or would they first attack the German forces through the Mediterranean?

Amidst these deliberations, Morgan was assigned to the role of Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander (COSSAC) on the operation, and in the absence of a Supreme Allied Commander, with limited logistical support, and a lack of support from the British Chiefs of Staff, Morgan oversaw the planning of the operation from the forces and landing crafts required to the ground assault and beyond that. As I went through his incredible story and witnessed the numerous challenges he had to overcome, I kept wondering why his role in the operation was diminished. The author also sufficiently explores the reasons for this in his book, especially revolving around Morgan's perceived loyalty to the Americans and the appointments of General Eisenhower as the Supreme Allied Commander and General Montgomery as the commander of the British 21st Army Group at the closing stages of the planning.

Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB: The Planner Who Saved Europe is a professionally edited book. I found just five errors throughout, and they did not have any bearing on my enjoyment of the book. A lot of code names and abbreviations are employed throughout this piece, but the author makes things easy to follow by including a "List of Terms" section before the book commences. I cannot think of anything I dislike about this book.

Overall, I appreciate John D. Gazzelli's efforts in bringing this important aspect of one of the world's heroes' history to light. Therefore, this book deserves the maximum rating of four out of four stars. Its well-referenced nature, attention to detail, and excellent depiction of facts justify this rating. Historians and lovers of documentaries will thoroughly enjoy this book.

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Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe
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Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 21 Jul 2021, 12:52
by Reader Chavez
I love history books. This seems like an interesting story and a very well-written book. Will add this book to my list. Thanks for the great review!

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 23 Jul 2021, 00:33
by valiantecho
When a book is based on history how can I ignore it?It seems like a well written book.

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 23 Jul 2021, 11:27
by Harshi4
I have been looking for interesting history books and looks like I just found one. Thanks for the amazing review!

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 23 Jul 2021, 15:23
by Bigwig1973
This sounds like such an interesting book and I'm curious to know more about Mr. Morgan! Sometimes it seems like "pencil-pushers" don't get enough credit, sometimes it's the other way around! I'm curious to know why he didn't seem to get a lot of credit. The descriptions of the strategic conferences sound intriguing, and it seems that the author does a nice job conveying the sentiments of those involved at the time. I'll be adding this to my "want to read" list! Nice review!

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 23 Jul 2021, 15:55
by NANSUBUGA Stella
As a historian and documentary addict an aggrandized drastic meriolation has perhaps been observed and credit the work carried out for it gives an over view of how the Allied powers had inside disagreements interms of power but the "cunning"KCB made it great
Round of an applause for this reveiw,so articulate

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 24 Jul 2021, 12:30
by Jeremypakan
Never forget history, because the history that formed this new civilization, cool this book and worth collecting

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 25 Jul 2021, 02:27
by Mayur Arjune
The book of adventures through 90's time. Amazing. Review is good and has explained some of the interesting characters.

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 25 Jul 2021, 06:41
by Rohan More
The book is so fascinating and is about 90's also love history, can not miss reading this book.

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 25 Jul 2021, 14:41
by oluwalonimi29
Our history is our guide.May the labour of our heroes past never be in vain.Good review, Kudos!!!

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 26 Jul 2021, 10:45
by Faith - Benny Any
This is really a historical book that dates back to ages. I will definitely love to add this to my shelf.

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 26 Jul 2021, 11:12
by Sakibur Rhoman
This is really a historical book that dates back to ages. I will definitely love to add this to my shelf

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 27 Jul 2021, 00:39
by Ailakhu Yusau Aizhebiomon
It's a great idea to have events like this documented and written in a book form. A lot of youth and even-aged folks would benefit greatly from reading this book by understanding some of the antics and methods employed during the war. Great review I must say.

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 27 Jul 2021, 12:56
by Bernadette Avelar
The military is famous for jargon and it was smart of the author to include a key terms for the reader to allow for proper translation. Most civilians would not be able to understand a daily conversation at a military workplace due to the fluent military lingo that is used. Tactics and strategies that are used are often uncredited by great leaders but are still used today because they work. Most hard workers do their job to do just that, not for the recognition. I’m sure his family is very proud but he was most likely humble.

Re: Review of Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Morgan, KCB The Planner Who Saved Europe

Posted: 27 Jul 2021, 21:27
by IamJc_Bembo12
Time to make an adventure! I’ll definitely try this one. Thanks for this great and explicit review!