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Summary: History and war lovers dream
Review: I would like to recommend this book to anyone who wants to find out what it's like to be an everyday grunt in WWII. From the real heroics of a sniper from the american south.Descriptions of bullets to the head from football fields away to pure acts of courage from ordinary soldiers. Men in their foxholes facing their feers along with final triumph and victory. You can't put this book down and in my opinion, it ranks as one of Steven Ambroses most entertaining books along with "Undaunted Courage". I was able to get a great appreciation of the sacrifices that many young men gave to preserve our freedom.
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Summary: Lightweight read by a lightweight historian
Review: Yet another "how America won the war" book. Ambroses amatuerish approach to this very serious subject defies understanding in parts. Disjointed and full of contradictions.What initially appears to be good research with "in-depth" interviews with the soldiers that were there is badly let down by inept handling of the subject matter. Ambrose makes no secret of his dislike for the other "Allies" and in many places tells the reader how skilled and brave the American groundforces were only to contradict what he just wrote a passage later. A poor book overall with only the descriptions of the soldiers hell worthy of praise.
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Summary: A very well written book by a very mediocre historian.
Review: Whether you loved the film "Saving Private Ryan" or hated it, there is no doubt that it had a major cultural impact in reviving public interest in WWII. As a huge military history buff, I have not seen such a wonderful cornucopia of new and re-released books on a single subject, WWII, since the big Civil War craze that followed the success of Ken Burns' documentary.Like that Civil War craze, the current popular interest in WWII has seen the release of some truly great books, some mediocre ones, and just plain wasted pulp. "Citizen Soldiers" fits somewhere in between great and mediocre. It is well-written, has some terrific stories, and provides a nice introduction to people who are new to the field of military history. The problem with the book is Ambrose. Ambrose has become the unofficial "WWII expert" in American popular culture. His name will be seen on the forwards of new WWII books. His face and pleasant voice used for documentaries or interviews. He has, in fact, become the WWII equivilent to the Civil War craze's Shelby Foote. Ambrose is a good writer; but an average historian. "Citizen Soldiers" is nothing more than a collection of secondary source material and the recollections of old veterans. Interesting reading to be sure; but lazily researched history. Also Ambrose's jingoism and hero worship(especially of Eisenhower which is seen in virtually all of his WWII books) can get a little tiresome, especially knowing that he is a professional historian and not a novelist turned amateur historian like Foote. If a reader really wants to know what it was like to be a combat soldier in the ETO check out "Company Commander" by Charles MacDonald or "The Clay Pigeons of St. Lo" by Glover Johns. Both of these books were written by combat veterans less than five years after the war. Also both were used heavily as source material for "Citizen Soldiers." Johns' book is, unfortunatly, out of print, but available through many libraries. MacDonald's book, though, was just recently reprinted- thank you, Steven Speilberg.
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Summary: Citizen Soldiers - War from a GI's point of view
Review: One of the missing ingredients in many histories is the view of the common person. This book attempts to fill that void by telling the story of the invasion of France by the Western Allies by telling the story of the Americans, British and Germans who fought it -- with emphasis on the Americans and Germans. This is a welcome development. Too often, history is written from the point of view of the Kings instead of the peasants. War, is a dirty affair that is mainly fought by teenagers. This book gets across the horrible conditions and the breathtaking courage that these teenagers live and fought under from June 1944 to April-May 1945. Unfortunately, there is far too much American flag waving that substitutes for analysis here. Ambrose believes that the United States with the help of Britain mainly beat Nazi Germany Unfortunately the statistics of the war heavily contradict this view. A vast majority of German manpower and equipment was destroyed on the Eastern front long before America, Britain, Canada and France invaded France at Normandy. We have too long been caught up in the Cold War to appreciate the contribution of the Soviet Union to the destruction of Nazi Germany. Readers seeking a different perspective might consider John Keegan's long list of WWII books ("Six Armies in Normandy" for example) or David Glantz's books on the Eastern Front.
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Summary: An extraordinary book.
Review: William Tecumseh Sherman was quite right- war is hell. The soldiers who went to Europe in World War II to defeat Nazi Germany lived it- climbing the beaches of Normandy, across the fields of France, through the bitter snows of the Ardennes, all the way into the heart of Germany. Stephen Ambrose "Citizen Soldiers" is the story of those soldiers who won the war and freed Western Europe from Nazi tyranny. Beginning on the day after D-Day, June 7th, 1944, and continuing until the German surrender on May 7th, 1945, Ambrose gives the story of the war across Europe from the perspective of the foot soldier, not the great collection of generals immortalized after the war. This is a brilliant book this reader could not put down. The war to end all wars was anything but a triumphant march across western Europe. It was a bloody conflict in which American soldiers, many boys fresh off the farm or out of the city who had seen a shot fired in anger before, had to learn how to fight for the first time. Mistakes were many. Friendly fire was a common occurrence. Frostbite caused as many casualties as German rifle fire. American officers, eager to engage their German opponents and leading their men from remote headquarters miles away from the action, often launched foolish or unusually aggressive attacks that resulted in tremendous casualties. This mindset often clashed with that of British officers, whose care and concern for the well-being of their men was born out of the terrible cost suffered by the British Army in the fields of France during World War I. One of the more particularly stunning parts of "Citizen Soldiers" is a chart on pages 280-283 which break down the casualties each U.S. Infantry and Armored Division suffered as a percentage of their original total when the Division entered combat. The three U.S. Divisions that entered the war on D-Day- the 1st, 4th and 29th Infantry Divisions -suffered 206%, 252%, and 204% casualties through the course of the European campaign. Think about that for a moment. In all three the original members of the division were killed, wounded or captured, then their replacements were all killed, wounded or captured, which necessitated a second group of replacements to fill out the division. Though casualties were not as dramatic for most of the other U.S. Divisions involved in Europe, many lost over 100% of their original members. If you were a rifleman in one of the divisions that landed in Normandy on June 6th, 1944 or began the war shortly thereafter, the chances that you made it out of the war unscathed were virtually nil. Rarely do simple numbers convey such startling conclusions. Ambrose has done an excellent job collecting interesting stories that were representative of the millions of soldiers who went to Europe to fight and sometimes die so that the world may be free. Anyone who reads Citizen Soldiers will be impressed not only by the terrible sacrifices made by American GIs, but by their courage and their heroism in the face of such a terrible ordeal. This is an outstanding book.
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Summary: A cheap John Wayne film in a book.
Review: A hastily compiled and biased jumble of anecdotes. Annoying and not infrequent errors of historical fact and technical detail demonstrate the author's lack of both research and depth of understanding. One long ego boost for the US Army. Easy reading for the masses but neither original nor of any historical value.
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Summary: Similarities between today's Army and yesterdays
Review: Ambrose's book really gave me a sense of appreciation for the sacrifices of our veterans. It also helped me realize that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The parallels of the Army's soldiers and the Junior Military officers of World War II and today's Army are amazing. Perspectives really haven't changed. For example, veterans always feel that the new recruits lack training and necessary discipline that only experience can give. In addition, Ambrose teaches readers that the soldier is the person who loses the most in times of war, and it is the senior leadership who gain the most from it. In sum, a great book about the greatest generation.
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Summary: Best Book I have Ever Read.
Review: Stephen Ambrose has written his finest work in Citizen Soliders. I have read over 100 Books on the Second World War and about the Men who fought in this conflict. This book remains atop my list. Ambrose, through the life experiences of U.S. and German troops who served in Europe during WWII, has vividly brought the war and the horrific battle experience into full view. For example the importance of american artillery and the 155mm Gun in breaking the German will to fight, is just one of the many interesting anecodotes. Anyone who wants to know what their grandfather's did to stop the Nazis should read this book. It's one of if not the best one on bookshelves today.
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Summary: A key to individual history
Review: My late father was one of the Citizen Soldiers of whom Steven Ambrose wrote. For me, Citizen Soldiers was, without a doubt, the most significant insight into that part of his life about which Dad spoke only in general terms and which ultimately took him from us. For the first time, I understood the reason why my father was drafted when he was and why he was sent to the front lines despite relatively poor health ( and despite my grandmother's pleas to his draft board). I got a sense of how hard that winter living in the open must have been for an underweight kid with a bad heart. I cried when I read about the warm clothing that didn't reach the soldiers --that was my dad who need a warmer coat. And that was my dad who spent a mere few days in a field hospital tent with pneumonia only to sent back to his unit to further damage his heart. That cold, miserable winter, the doctors told us, shortened his life by many years, though he lived more than thirty years after it. Whenever he spoke about his time "in the service", he did it with a quiet pride that he had done his part to defeat Hitler. He didn't speak of the horrors and the deprivations he endured. They were just the price paid for freedom. Steven Ambrose, in writing about my father and his comrades, conveyed a small portion of what it was like to have served in Europe that winter. I am grateful for the understanding he gave me about that time. And I am grateful most of all for the sactrifices of my father--Citizen Soldier and true hero.
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Summary: Writes it as if he's talking with you ...
Review: I read this book well over a year ago, and it still ranks as one of my favorites on World War II. Mr. Ambrose isn't THE BEST writer I've read, but I've found his body of work to be one of the easiest to digest. Many military books tend to be dry, but while reading this book, I sometimes felt as if I was involved in a discussion with the author rather than reading a book. I thought he did an excellent job conveying what WW II soldiers went through from a personal perspective, pretty damn good since this war ended over 50 years ago and many of its survivors have passed on. I also recommend D-Day (before this book) as well as his book on Lewis & Clark (starts out slow but really picks up).
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