Hill 112: A Novel of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
Goldsworthy’s declared aim was, in the year of D-Day’s 80th anniversary, to reveal the attritional fighting that followed June 6th, in the fields of Normandy. He has amply fulfilled this aim in a fine novel of the British Army in World War 2. Lieutenant James Taylor commands a squadron of tanks, whilst Lieutenant Mark Crawford leads an infantry platoon. Private Bill Judd, perceptive and confident, applied for officer selection but was turned down due to doubt about his willingness to fight; however, his exploits in this book lay that doubt firmly to rest.
Each of these three protagonists, all in their late teens or early 20s, are surrounded by a supporting cast of other soldiers. This can cause some confusion as the characters tend to have naturalistic but unmemorable names such as Martin, Collins, and Smith, and few physical descriptions of them are provided. At times I wished this novel (closely based on fact) had an index, but the dialogue is believable and always correct for the period. Also, I appreciated the historical accuracy in such poignant facts as that none of these young men has ever had sex with a woman. Their feelings are reflected with great empathy. The ferocity of the fighting escalates as German tanks appear in woods and farms. The eponymous hill is a feature that changes hands between the two sides but cannot be held because soldiers on its summit are too exposed to enemy gunfire. Deaths are described in a matter-of-fact way. This coldness, and the confusion, add to the realism.
Amid the grittiness, I spotted one possible inaccuracy: having told us that James now has a tank with a diesel engine, the author later has his driver asking where the petrol is. However, this sprawling, filmic book is, in the main, immensely gripping.
