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Summary: Definitive account of action in the ETO
Review: I agree 100% with the earlier reviewer who praised Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers" in the same breath as Steven Edward Rustad's "The Triumph and the Glory". I have read each of them as well, and speaking as a veteran of WWII, I have seldom read accounts of the war that touched me as deeply. Ambrose bases his books on first-hand accounts of the men and women who were there in the foxholes and frontline hospitals and this reliance on the veterans is the greatest strength of his books. I highly recommend all of Ambrose's fine books, especially "Citizen Soldiers".
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Summary: Very good and one of the best documentaries I've read.
Review: This book that shows what the U.S. soldiers of WWII experienced and encountered on the campaign through Europe is so good and so interesting I had to stay up all night to read the entire book. i've read it twice and will continue to read it to learn more about what the men did to rid the world of tyranny.
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Summary: My first book on WWII and now I'm looking for more!
Review: After watching Saving Private Ryan, I wanted to learn more about what happened after D-day and was directed to this book. Easy to read and follow, without too much technical strategy/jargon, the book gives both a general perspective of the campaign and personal views from the soldiers in the foxholes. While it may sound cliche, after a while, you can almost hear the German 88's rumbling in the background.
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Summary: Ambrose's historical view is heavily biased
Review: This is a typical Ambrose collection of highly personable and entertaining stories that have unfortunatley been wrapped up into a misguided and subjective analysis of american armed forces during WWII. Ambrose consistently and erroneously concludes that the pluck and spirit of individual soldiers, along with "democratized" military culture and superior leadership, was the sole factor contributing to Nazi Germany's defeat in the ETO during WWII. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The average 1944 German army infantry company, with no tactical or strategic air support, little or no mechanization, inadequate supplies and being undermanned was still able to outfight its American couterpart on a consistent basis. The Americans had inferior armour and anit-tank weapons. The quality of their commanders, particularly at the regimental and divisional level demonstrated a lack of imagination and boldness in the attack, rarely deviating from plans or following up initial tactical successes. They also lacked the ability to operate large scale combined arms formations with skill and flexibility, allowing the germans to mount defensive actions and counter-attacks with a shocking degree of success. So how did the Germans lose? Simple. The stupidity of Hitler and the diminished capacity of the German general staff to resist him was foremost. Had Hitler allowed Rundstedt and Rommel to engage the panzer divisions from the 15th Army in the early hours of the invasion as his generals had begged him to, the American and all other allied beachheads would have been crushed, period! We would be talking today about the great defeat at Normandy. There are numerous others examples of Hitler's stupidity that lead to irreparable german military disasters in the ETO after the beahhead was secured, such as Falaise. Secondly, the massive allied tactical air superiority played a a huge role in defeating German forces, along with the degraded state of German army manpower (especially noncommisioned officer leadership) after four brutally long years of war with the Soviet Union. If the American armies in Normandy in 1944 had to face the German armies from the eastern front circa 1942 or 1943 when the Luftwaffe was still a force to be reckoned with, the Americans would have been slaughtered piece meal. We should thank the Russians every Memorial day for their sacrifice of 25-30 million casualties and the destruction of Germany's best units and most of their tactical airpower before we had to face them. Finally, the Americans employed the strategy of blunt force attrition to defeat the Germans. We had such an enormous quantity of materiale which could be expended without threat of scarcity that we simply overwhelmed superior German military skills by throwing massive amounts of equipment into battle without consideration for losses. All of this information is plainly documented in most of the more objectively researched and written historical accounts of the WWII ETO, so I'm not quite sure why Ambrose chooses to ignore these facts. Anyways, enjoy the individual soldier stories, and look to other books if you're intersted in accurate accounts of military history.
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Summary: Phenomenal book
Review: I read a brief review in the USA Today about this book and later spotted it at the bookstore. I thought I would just check out the prologue. THE PROLOGUE!! I couldn't put it down until I finished the d#@$ PROLOGUE! This book so vividly captures the moments of battle and survival of our soldiers in the ETO that it's almost as if I'm there or if these people are family! This book will be remembered as one of the most memorable books of our time.
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Summary: A great look at the soldiers experience
Review: This book is an excellent look at the human side of war. There is very little information about strategy and tactics, instead the book focuses on the personal experience of war. A truly amazing look at the side of human conflict we rarely hear about.
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Summary: One of the Best potrayles of combat from the men who fought
Review: This is by far the best book about the horrors of war. Its detailed look at the war in Europe keeps you into the action. From the SHAEFF staff, all the way down to the GI, this book tells you stories from the men who fought it. Stephen Ambrose truly knows how to tell a story. 5 stars all the way. A great book for everyone.
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Summary: Wonderful history
Review: As a veteran of the European campaign I am deeply grateful for books like this one. Only Rustad's great WWII novel THE TRIUMPH AND THE GLORY can rival the histories of Stephen Ambrose for revealing to the general public today what a harrowing struggle the Second World War was for those of us who were there through it all.
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Summary: An excellent historical account by those who made history
Review: I enjoyed this book tremendously. Ambrose does an excellent job of using the memoirs of GIs to tell the story of the pivotal months that led to the end of World War II.In the process, the reader develops an appreciation for the men and women -- in fact, an entire generation -- who sacrificed their youth -- if not their very lives -- for a noble cause. My sense of admiration for my parents' generation was further heightened by reading the accounts of soldiers, medics and nurses who mostly accepted what they were asked to do, did it, and then got on with their lives -- with little or no self-congratulatory chutzpah over their collective contribution to Western civilization. It makes it easier to understand why the actions of their Baby Boomer children seemed so self-indulgent and trivial in comparison.
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Summary: Awsome, but ...
Review: I think this is the best Ambrose WWII book. Don't read it first, you will be disappointed in his other, otherwise masterly, books on the subject.
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