D-Day : June 6, 1944 -- The Climactic Battle of WWII

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: This is by far the best history book i have ever read. To those that say that Ambrose focuses too much on Omaha beach and too little on Utah and the British beaches consider this: Rommel knew that the invasion forces would have to go through Omaha, and therefore he situated most of his men there, and there were more casualties on Omaha than the other beaches, and thats why Omaha should cover most of the book, because that was the focal point of Rommel's men and the Allies losses.

Rating:
Summary: HELL IN COLD WATER
Review: AS AN AVID STUDENT OF HISTORY I HAVE READ MANY HISTORICAL STUDIES BY A MYRIAD OF AUTHORS, BUT THIS BOOK IS ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE READ, SECOND ONL TO "SARATOGA" BY RICHARD M. KETCHUM. THE DESCRIPTIONS NOT ONLY INFORM BUT ALLOW THE READER A MENTAL PICTURE OF THE ACTION AND PLACE YOU THERE AS EASILY AS IF VIEWED IN A PHOTO ESSAY. ANY STUDENT OF WWII SHOULD READ THIS BOOK IF ONLY TO ACQUAINT THOSE LESS SCHOOLED WITH THE HORRIFIC FACTS OF THE MOST DECISIVE DAY IN THIS CENTURY, KEEPING THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO MADE THE SUPREME SACRIFICE TO KEEP THE WORLD FREE ALIVE.

Rating:
Summary: great story and a great bibliography but flawed in conclusio
Review: Stephen as always gives a great look at the battle which is neither climatic nor as difinative as it was. It fails to look at the german side especially the kriegsmarine alert not to mention the poet paul Verlain...blessent mon coer d'une langueur monotone.

Rating:
Summary: Must-Read personal accounts from numerous perspectives
Review: I am new to Stephen Ambrose, and I am upset it took me this long to discover him (Thank you, History Channel). This was the best book I have read since We Were Soldiers Once and Young. I deeply enjoyed the numerous personal accounts. Since reading this, I have read three other Ambrose novels and enjoyed them as much.

Rating:
Summary: Thoughts From a 16 Year-Old History Buff
Review: Certainly a very exhaustive work, D-Day is an excellent book for someone interested in the 'feel' of the most important day of the century. This stems mostly from the myriad of personal accounts from soldiers on each side and at every point each of the 5 beaches as well anyone in any way involved. This is a great way of experiencing what it must've been like on a small scale, but it is hard to get an overall feel for the troop movements throughout the day. Ambrose does not try to deduce any great tactical or strategic lessons; he is merely writing a very straightforward account of the battle(s). And it is the perfect example of that: an easy to read, beautifully detailed narrative of a great moment in history.

Rating:
Summary: A bit biased toward American effort and Eishenhower
Review: I was left with a disappointed feeling after reading the book. There was not much structure in the book, as far as I can see. Eishenhower and Rommel comparison and the details of there personal life are useless. It would have better if some information could be shed on Monty and Bradley roles in this particular battle. There is hardly any mention of the British and Canadian role, even there landing maps, and progress maps are missing. There are hardly any details from the German side. Could have given a chapter on how the battle progressed. The personal histories are too fragmented to be of any use. Overall I feel that the author has tried to deliver a book which captures both the personal side of the battle, and the historical side; and has failed to do either.

Rating:
Summary: Wealth of information presented in a confusing way.
Review: I did like the book. The stories and the personal observations made by men who were there is fascinating and enjoyable. The detail is significant. I felt the writing could have been smoother and tighter with linking themes and content. Too many themes pulled together in one paragraph for example...

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, pulls you in and grabs your guts!
Review: Stephen Ambrose is the formost expert on WW11. You feel as though you are there, catching snipits of convesation. I really couldn't put it down, that goes for his other WW11 books as well, I loved everyone of them! Both of my grandfathers served in WW11, and I am an avid buff, josie

Rating:
Summary: A decent book
Review: This was a decent book, however I dont think it deserves the 5 stars which so many of you have given it. The reason I say this is because the book can get very dull and feel very repetitive at times. Mostly because of all the personal accounts he gives. Mr. Ambrose definitely did a lot of research but nearly every personal account given seems the same. Therefore it can get very boring having to read them over and over considering this book was around 600 pages long. Another problem I had with this book was that it didnt concentrate much on the German side. I would have enjoyed it more had Ambrose showed the views of both the Allies and the Germans equally. Finally one of the most apparrent faults of this book was that Ambrose writes very biased. He acts as if America did everything. He doesnt give nearly the credit that his allies deserve and that the German military deserved. I mean the Author spends more pages of the book talking about just Omaha Beach than he uses for Gold, Juno, and Sword combined. There is very little about the beaches that werent taking by the Americans while Ambrose devotes practically the whole book to the many chapters on Omaha! Now, aside from these annoyances, it was a decent book. Ambrose obviously did a lot of research and it shows with all the personal accounts given. They definitely give you a feel of what it was like to be there. Overall this is a good book if are interested in the American side of the battle, but if you are interested in a more detailed description of what the Canadians, British and Germans did, I would look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: Most of all I enjoyed the oral histories from the men who were there June 1944. One of my favorite quotes is "I have often told both my sons that I have no fear of hell because I have already been there." And the man in the tank who cannot run over another one of his buddies --- Thank you Mr. Ambrose for the truth. "Saving Private Ryan" was only the beginning --- this book is the complete history behind the invasion. As Mr. Ambrose has said, we can never honor the men of D-Day enough.