D-Day - Stephen E. Ambrose

D-Day

By Stephen E. Ambrose

  • Release Date: 2013-04-23
  • Genre: History
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 227 Ratings

Description

Stephen E. Ambrose’s D-Day is the definitive history of World War II’s most pivotal battle, a day that changed the course of history.

D-Day is the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their lives, when the horrors, complexities, and triumphs of life are laid bare. Distinguished historian Stephen E. Ambrose portrays the faces of courage and heroism, fear and determination—what Eisenhower called “the fury of an aroused democracy”—that shaped the victory of the citizen soldiers whom Hitler had disparaged.

Drawing on more than 1,400 interviews with American, British, Canadian, French, and German veterans, Ambrose reveals how the original plans for the invasion had to be abandoned, and how enlisted men and junior officers acted on their own initiative when they realized that nothing was as they were told it would be.

The action begins at midnight, June 5/6, when the first British and American airborne troops jumped into France. It ends at midnight June 6/7. Focusing on those pivotal twenty-four hours, it moves from the level of Supreme Commander to that of a French child, from General Omar Bradley to an American paratrooper, from Field Marshal Montgomery to a German sergeant. Ambrose’s D-Day is the finest account of one of our history’s most important days.

Reviews

  • Comprehensive and cohesive

    5
    By Hiker at heart
    A great look at a singularity in human history. Nothing compares to the single-minded focus the allies utilized when planning D-Day. The author’s research and access to the stories of those who were there make this book readable and authentic.
  • Best story of D Day

    5
    By sandclar
    I've read a lot of books on the subject, and this is by far the best. If you want to know the whole story of that day, this is it. Excellent!
  • Fantastic Read

    5
    By FrankSB
    D-Day should be required reading in every public school in the USA. This sacrifice for freedom must never be forgotten.
  • Awesome

    5
    By Bonesha81
    This is a book that should be read by every high school age student . It tells a story of why we are a free country today and the men who are responsible for it !! This book is awesome!!
  • Great Book

    5
    By Christian72-1-3
    I read many D-Day books, incl. Cornelius Ryan's 'The longest day,' and in order to get a comprehensive picture I think both of these need to be read. If you speak German, both of these books will make you smirk with their occasional use of German words, which are almost always spelled incorrectly. There was certainly no German going over the final version before publishing both books, therefore also some of the details of the accounts from the Wehrmacht side might need to be taken with a grain of salt. But I think especially this book goes to great lengths to give an as accurate as possible description of the bigger picture, as well as the individual fate of the men who fought on this day of days. If one liked 'Band of Brothers' I guess you'll like this book as well. I do.

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