It was only after five years in the army, when I was having to do a very boring job in a very boring place, that I thought: 'Why not try writing a no…

- Antony Beevor

If you smash a city when you're trying to capture it, you actually end up providing the perfect terrain for the defenders while blocking the access f…

- Antony Beevor

I think one of the great disasters (in military history) is the way that the Second World War has become the defining reference point for every crisi…

- Antony Beevor

The blurring of fact and fiction has great commercial potential, which is bound to be corrupting in historical terms.

- Antony Beevor

To begin impatiently is the worst mistake a writer can make

- Antony Beevor

The British bombing of Caen beginning on D-Day in particular was stupid, counter-productive and above all very close to a war crime.

- Antony Beevor

I joined the Army in 1965 and served with the 11th Hussars, which I loved. The regiment was so relaxed - a salute was more like a friendly wave.

- Antony Beevor

I just write the sort of book that I would enjoy reading myself, a book that is both scholarly and recreates the experience of people at that time.

- Antony Beevor

I believe passionately in preemptive pessimism, especially before a book comes out. I expect the worst both from reviewers and sales, and then, with …

- Antony Beevor