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 | Excellent History

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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 307 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The author of Eisenhower chronicles the events, politics, and personalities of this pivotal day in World War II, shedding light on the strategies of commanders on both sides and the ramifications of the battle. 100,000 first printing. BOMC & History Main. Reader's Digest Cond Bks.

excellent service and product

this is the best book on D-Day ever written and also the most detailed, I loved it.

Excellent History

No detail is omitted from this engrossing account of all the preparation for, and execution of this great battle of World War II.

Excellent Read!

I packed this book for a long project assignment overseas. It did not disappoint. If you are looking for an excellent historical narrative, you've found it. It is too bad Stephen Ambrose is dead. All of his stuff earns a five-star review.

This is history by the people who made it. It is also a good training document for anyone teaching young officers and soldiers.

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Excellent reading although highly US-centric

I read WWII books as a hobby and have read many books on the subject of D-Day. I had read Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day and was unsure how Ambrose's book would stand up to that. However, I found Ambrose's book highly readable and quite good. He has a very magic way of telling stories and interjecting the veteran's oral history in with his own story telling. For that reason, I found the book to be quite good, entertaining and informative.

However, there were two items which detracted from the overall objectivity of this book. The first was Ambrose's constant belittement of the Axis (German) forces. In many pages, he states how great we were; how bad they were; how prepared we were; how unprepared the Germans were; and on and on. If that's the case, why are there 9300+ cemetary markers in the American Cemetary in France?

Secondly, Ambrose devotes only 5 chapters to the British and Canadian forces. And, these chapters were not nearly as long as the space devoted to the Americans. If the title of the book is subtitled as The Climatic Battle of WWII, then he should have devoted MORE space to the British and Canadian efforts than what he did. Or he should have subtitled the book as The Climatic US Battle of WWII.

I think these issues take away from the overall quality and objectivity of the book.

In saying that, the book would be an excellent primer for those not well versed in this battle as he does write well. For others, be aware of Ambrose's US-centric point of view.

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A detail account of the largest amphibious assault in history

There is little doubt that the success of the D-Day invasion was critical to the Allied efforts to defeat Hitler's Germany. However, the unprecedented scale of this assault is difficult to comprehend. Ambrose does a great job of breaking down the many components of this Herculean effort into a narrative that helps us understand the risks and accomplishments of that day. He describes the decision making, the planning and the training before moving on to his descriptions of the assault itself. He describes each element of the invasion, moving from beach to beach, highlighting the struggles and triumphs of the men who fought and died that day. The narrative is heavily sprinkled with quotes from the men who were there, and show the gruesome horror of combat as well as the surreal and occasionally humorous events of the day. This book is a comprehensive overview of D-Day, and provides an entirely accessible account for anyone who is interested in understanding the events of that momentous day.

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