Since 1983, the Eisenhower Center at the University of New Orleans has been engaged in a project to collect on audiotape and videotape the recollections of as many people as possible - soldiers as well as civilians - who were involved in one of the most historic events of the century - the June 6, 1944, Allied invasion of Normandy and Hitler's Fortress Europe.

More than 1,400 oral histories have been collected, and excerpts from some 150 have been selected for inclusion in this remarkable, emotion-filled volume.

Skillfully edited by Ronald J. Drez, Voices of D-Day tells the story of that momentous operation almost entirely through the words of individuals who were there. Voices of D-Day follows these men from the time of enlistment, to the gathering and preparation of forces in the United Kingdom, to the day of the great invasion itself. Other voices, those of German soldiers guarding the cliffs and farmlands of Normandy against invasion and of French civilians enduring war and occupation, are also included.

The result is a highly engaging book full of human drama, action, and valuable new information.

Here are gripping descriptions of tension-filled crossings to Normandy by plane and by sea; harrowing accounts of the horrors of battle - of planes shot down, ships destroyed, and soldiers killed one after another as they attempted to navigate Normandy Beach. And here, too, are stories of remarkable courage and heroism - of soldiers giving help to the wounded and of others persevering in the face of death and prevailing against the longest of odds.

As we observe the fiftieth anniversary of D-Day, it is important to have recorded for posterity these firsthand recollections of battle. Voices of D-Day, told by the people who were there, makes us all feel we were there.