D-Day: June 6, 1944 -- The Climactic Battle of WWII | Stephen E. Ambrose

D-Day: June 6, 1944 -- The Climactic Battle of WWII | Stephen E. Ambrose | A fine blend of history and stories

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D-Day: June 6, 194...

	D-Day: June 6, 1944 -- The Climactic Battle of WWII Stephen E. Ambrose Simon & Schuster, 1994 - 656 pages average customer review:based on 310 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

D-Day 360 Degrees

The only valid criticism I have ever heard of this book is it does go a little light on its coverage of the non-US Allied participation in D-Day, but I bet English and Canadian historians stress their nation's deeds on that day of days, so that's hollow detraction. This excellent, readable, extraordinary history of the remarkable coordinated achievement that lead up to the invasion on June 6, 1944 leaves nothing out. Not only does Ambrose continue his trademark technique of allowing those who were there to tell their individual stories to create a complete picture of the events, but he covers the years of preparation for the landing, the landing itself, and the effects of it. He takes us not only beach by beach, and unit by unit, but soldier by soldier, into the frigid surf and blood-soaked sands of Normandy, and as we go we meet literally hundreds of participants whose tales might otherwise have been unknown. These heroes who risked everything to safeguard democracy and liberate oppressed peoples from dictatorial oppression richly deserve this moment of renown. Upon completion of this standard-setting epic work on its subject, readers can come away confident that their education on the subject of D-Day is well-rounded and comprehensive. This book is an achievement of genius.

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A fine blend of history and stories

Few WWII historians can blend the flow of battle history with the memories of the soldiers who were there like Ambrose. He brings D-Day to life by telling us what happened and capturing the drama of the moment. A great read to learn about the Normandy Invasion.

Incredible Literary Work; True, Vivid Account of D-Day

Earlier this year I had to write a research paper. I was thrilled to learn that I could choose any topic I wanted. Having always loved WWII, I knew my paper would be within the confines of this epic war. With little deliberation, I chose D-Day. After choosing this, I went straight to the library and checked out every book I could find on the subject. Among the giant stack of books I left with was D-Day, by Stephen E. Ambrose. After glancing through a few of the other books, I sat down and opened D-Day. I was stunned. From page one, the book kept my attention and became increasingly difficult to put down. Almost half the book happens before D-Day. One would think that these parts would be boring, or, in the least, less captivating than the tales of combat in france. Not so. These parts are equally fascinating. The first hand accounts of both before and during the day are excellent. You begin to really see the big picture. We have all seen "Saving Private Ryan", or "The Longest Day", but those, however epic, focus only on parts of the landing. "D-Day" portrays every aspect of the Assault. Truly remarkable. I could have written my entire paper off of this book. I would have, but needed multiple sources. An amazing book for everyone.

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A cheer, a thank you, a gush of sentiment

Ambrose's book, "D-Day," is both powerful and too scant. The collection of first-hand accounts thrills and terrifies, pays appropriate homage to the boys that rushed the beach that day. But Ambrose's inability to paint the larger picture, to escape the intellectually narrow confines of his jingoistic viewpoint, to ply his craft of history with insight or originality handicaps the book, making the significant at times stoop to amateurism, the harrowing to the absurd.

The first-hand accounts are terrific. Better than terrific. The effect is of sitting in a room full of veterans telling their stories one-by-one. Ambrose does an excellent job of painting these men so that their voices are all too human. He does not shy away from cowardice or insanity or the bloodthirsty. He is fair. As a result we see a wide panoply of characters, of humanity, of men.

But Ambrose appears to use little or no historical research for this book. The controversy surrounding Montgomery's push to Caen is brushed off. The slow advance of the Brits is blamed on their habit of brewing tea in the afternoons. The Germans' failure to stop the Allies on the beach stems from their having lived under a totalitarian regime - and the Americans' success rested on democatic ideals. Eisenhower kicked butt; Rommel was an idiot. You spell success: i - n - f - a - n - t - r - y. And so on.

The overall organization and scholarship reminded me not of a historian but of a war correspondent, someone who was imbedded in the events and forever caught up in them. Ambrose is prejudiced against the British, just like the U.S. troops who viewed their allies as friendly rivals. He has nothing but disdain for the enemy and ascribes their actual battlefield superiority to fixed positions. Everything on D-Day is "the greatest of all time" - the greatest assembly of men in all time, the greatest firepower of all time, the greatest this and that. This book is more of a paen than a work of scholarly research.

But what Ambrose fails to acknowledge is that WWII wasn't won on the beaches of Normandy, but on the Eastern Front. The German army the Americans encountered was a shattered remnant of its former self, its best men and material already ground up on the Russian steppes. WWII was won, not by American farm boys, but by Soviet soldiers: men raised in a totalitarian regime.

(I don't mean to imply that the British and Americans played no part in WWII; they certainly hastened the war's end and enabled half of Europe to escape the brutal occupation by the Soviets, which eventually led to Communism's downfall, all vital and important events worth fighting for.)

But that's okay. "D-Day" is a cheer, a thank you, a gush of sentiment that protects the reader, the writer, and the participant from the stark, inhumane horror of war. D-Day needed to happen. And Ambrose helps us appreciate it, despite how it happened.

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Fantastic!

This was the climatic turning point of the war. It is amazing to think that in less than a year after the landings the Third Reich was crushed. Other's may think that Stalingrad was the turning point,and it was a crucial battle, but not as momentous as the D-Day landings. The overwhelming industrial and military might of the United States wreaked havoc on the Germans as no other nation could. This story by Mr. Ambrose is one that should be told in every history class to remind our young people of the sacrifices our men had to make to keep the world free from tyranny. Too bad there were not 20 more Stalingrad's to bleed the two Evil Monsters, Stalin and Hitler, to death.

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