Rating: 
Summary: I'm Not Sure Why Ambrose Bothered with this Book
Review: Being familiar with Ambrose's body of work, it is easy to understand why this book is taking up space on bargain racks from sea to shining sea, as well as space on Amazon's bargain shelves. There is simply little new here to recommend for anyone who has read Ambrose's biography of Ike, or his "Citizen Soldiers" book about the soldiers who fought and won the war. And if you haven't read those books, go read them -they're better than this work, which is mostly a rehash of earlier material.Ambrose doesn't hide his enthusuiasm for the marines who tumbled out of those landing craft on Omaha Beach and endured murderous fire from the well-entrenched German defenses. This was like Fredericksburg and Pickett's Charge rolled into one, except the suicidal attacking army attained their objectives in 1944. Ambrose also is unabashed in his admiration for Eisenhower, and at times one has to wonder why. Clearly Ike had a take charge personality and valiantly offered to take all of the blame if bad weather, low tides, or any other factor defeated his grand mission at Normandy. But was Eisenhower a brilliant tactition? Even Ambrose admits his first combat experience as a general, in North Africa, was a disaster. I think more than anything, Ambrose senses and admires Ike's dislike of war, his strength of character, and his genuine regard for the infantry that he was ordering to slaughter on those Normandy beaches. I must say that while accounts of battles often fascinate me, the painstaking detail of much of this book left me a little overwhelmed with minutae. I know that every one of these soldiers represent actual men who risked (and in many cases gave)their lives for their country, but I question the wisdom of telling us names, companies, nicknames, etc. of soldiers who jumped off the boats and were immediately killed. I think the author's aim was to personalize the conflict with information about the soldiers, to make them more than statistics. Even so, the information at times just becomes difficult to truly comprehend and absorb. Ambrose's heart is in the right place, but I think this one misses the mark.
Rating:
Summary: Self plagerism
Review: If you've read Ambrose's other books (Citizen Soldier, Band of Brothers, Pegasus Bridge for instance) you won't find a single new idea here. If you havn't read the others, shelve this one and get one of them. Why eat snacks when real food is avialable. If you're in the mood for snacks, go ahead and read it, its not actually bad, just tired.
Rating: 
Summary: Misses The Mark
Review: I read this book looking forward to the same level of scholarship, detail, and analysis that I had found in his earlier book on the British coup de main on the Orne River Bridges. Sadly, it wasn't there. Ambrose is at this best with anecdotal history. His personal accounts of what individual troops said and did are truly at the level of Eric Hammel and other historians of that genre. However, when he gets to the analysis level of warfare, he is out ofhis depth. It is only a matter of opinion, of course, but his overly reverent attitude towards Eisenhower shadows commanders of more worth, and who actually kept Eisenhower out of trouble. He doesn't like Patton, who was the only American general the Germans were scared of (and who remarked that every time Eisenhower and Bradley got together they turned timid). He isn't rel keen on Montgomery either. Eisenhower was in a war he couldn't lose. The main contention was how well he would win it. Never having been in combat was a major hindrance, and he missed opportunities that he saw as potential failures, that were worth taking the risk to win big and early. Refusing to take Berlin and ordering Patton out of Prague were two mistakes that led, in my opinion, to the prolonged mess of the Cold War. Never an audaucious combat leader, he was more concerned with not losing than winning. He was surprised and nearly defeated in the Bulge, and gave no credit at all for Patton saving both his reputation and the battle. This the author misses, which hurts him greatly as a military historian. Blind hero worship we don't need, but good analysis. This keeps this, and his other recent works, in the third tier of reliable military history.
Rating: 
Summary: A good narrative history
Review: Stephen Ambrose's "The Victors" is mainly a showcase for the reminiscences of those involved in D-Day and the campaigns which followed, ending finally with the taking of Berlin. As a historian, Ambrose's voice and expertise are most apparent in detailing the early stages of the assault's planning, as he provides insights into the personalities (and distinct styles) of Eisenhower, Patton, Montgomery, et al. The telling is most poignant when it reveals -- in tired, frightened messages composed in the fields of battle -- the plain truths of war for the loved ones back home. My single complaint about this book is its lack of maps; only two are provided, with the second one being an impossible hodge-podge of all the Allied movements between D-Day and VE Day.
Rating:
Summary: A rehash of previous Ambrose books
Review: If you own or have read Citizen Soldiers and D-Day by StephenAmbrose you do not need to read this book. It contains pages andentire chapters lifted right out of those two books ... I felt duped and unsatisfied.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not Ambrose's best
Review: I adore Stephen Ambrose, his writing, and his subjects. Having said that, I would recommend that you run out (or click here in Amazon.com) and buy "D-Day June 6, 1944" and "Citizen Soldiers." "Victors" is in no way an inferior book when judged on its own, but it is a supplement to the other two. I get the sense, and Ambrose pretty much says in his introduction to "Victors," that this book was assembled from material that was not used in the other two. "D-Day" and "Citizen Soldiers" are tighter, more complete, and more of a single purpose than "Victors." (I especially liked "Citizen Soldiers," which included a lot of material that I had never come across in 35 years of reading military histories.) "Victors" introduces more first-person Ambrose material than his earlier works on this area. He frequently mentions his discussions with veterans and relates his own opinions much more explicitly. The core of the book is first-person stories of the soldiers (and sailors) involved in the conflict, with some analysis and a large dose of Ambrose's opinions. It is more of a personal journal than an impartial history. Having said that, reading "Victors" is like hearing a story from an old friend. A story that you have heard most of, perhaps, but still pleasurable because it is well told, and includes some new material. If you are an Ambrose fan, buy this book now. If this will be your first Ambrose book, click on "Citizens Soldiers" first, then "D-Day." When you are done with those, read and enjoy "Victors." Even Ambrose's second-best effort is still better than most authors' best.
Rating:
Summary: A good book, but he's said it all before.
Review: As has been noted in other reviews, this book covers the Eastern theater of WWII from D-day to Germany's surrender. It is a very good narrative, mainly taken from personal narritives of those who were actually there. If you've never read Ambrose's other books on this period, this is a very good overview. However, that said, I have read most of Ambrose's other books (D-Day, Citizen Soldier, etc) and found that this narrative was lifted almost verbatim from many of those books. The book does serve a purpose in that it ties this period all together into one volume, however if you've already read the other books you'll find nothing new here.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping story of how Ike became the Supreme Commander!
Review: I have read several of Ambrose's books on the story of the European theater, and I found that this book brought them togethor by telling the story of the overlay of the underlying drama and intrigue that shaped the command structure in Europe. The tale of the rise of Eisenhower from obscurity as an aide to Marshall, his interplay with his troops and those closest to him, to the learning process in North Africa, through to the command of the invasion of Europe and the final prosecution of Hitler was a joy to read and informative. Some of the story is repeated in other works by Ambrose, but none more clearly brings the story togethor with the how and why than this work. Great Read!
Rating: 
Summary: A Summary of the other Ambrose books
Review: WARNING: If you have read any of the other Ambrose books, you will be disappointed. Ambrose uses a lot of the stories from his other books, such as Band of Brothers, and Citizen Soldiers. I felt like I was reading all of his material all over again. But, this is still a good book. It is an excellent book to start on, because Ambrose gives you a glimpse of what you will read later in his other books. But, overall, it is an excellent book, and it kept will keep you interested.
Rating: 
Summary: A tribute to Ike!
Review: A truly awesome book on Ike and his men! From the very beginning of World War II to the overrunning of Germany, Mr Ambrose describes the very essense of Ike. The accompanying photos add even more to the life of this work. Well done Mr. Ambrose!
| 
