Houghlin Mifflin, 1963, $?, ISBN? 432 pages, hardback

I picked this up in a used bookstore for $7, a bit perhaps on the steep side, but worth it. Blumenson, who wrote the U.S. Army's official version, culled his previous work for this overview of operations across France during July-August-September 1944.

He writes at division level and up with the occasional small-unit action, and provides a good account of progress or lack thereof. He starts in the hedgerows and Operation Cobra, continues on through generations in Brittany and the Falaise Gap and then zooms across the French countryside to the German border.

If there's a flow, it's the distinct lack of detailed maps. Of the half dozen or so, the scale is too large to be useful, which means his descriptions of offensives and defenses at little known towns fall flat. More maps would be extremely helpful, although this is 1963...

Nonetheless, Duel for France offers a decent taste for the summer attacks, especially at the operational level.