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Summary: hmm d-day
Review: i heard that Mr Stephen E. Ambrose is one of the most regarded US historian so i picked some of his books like Eisenhower , citizen solider , D-day..... Now i know the reason why the American love him , honestly his style is fascinating , but Ambrose's books are just some cheap progandas , kind of novels than facts ,and deeply bias. D-Day is no exception .
and since this is one of the most bias book , i wonder can we believe the information it gave ?
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Summary: d day by the hour
Review: very well placed acoount of d day
it really doesnt get any better than this
individual accounts make this invaluable and the photographs are excellent
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Summary: simply the best...
Review: Don't have much to say except that if you are into WW2 you cannot miss this book.
Stephen Ambrose is maybe one of the 5 best US historians and his collection of real stories told by real people make his books much more like novels than history books.
Just buy it, you will not regret it
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Summary: Freedom's Cost
Review: Stephen E. Ambrose's credentials as historian, researcher, and impeccable writer make him the right choice when it comes time to read a history of arguably the most momentous battle of all time. His rendering of D-Day, the June 6, 1944 Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France at the beaches of Normandy, is simply excellent.The book first provides some basic understanding of each side's situation in 1944. Preoccupied with the eastern front in Russia, Hitler knew that any invasion from the west had to be crushed at all cost, because Germany could not sustain a two-front war. He therefore devoted massive resources to the construction of the Atlantic Wall, a series of defenses along the French coast of the English Channel: razor wire, obstacles, mines, pillboxes, machine gun nests, tanks, mortars, and infantry. The Allies chose Eisenhower to lead their invasion of Europe. He believed this was an all-or-nothing proposition, and committed everything to it. He and his planners organized an amphibious assault of the beaches to deposit 175,000 men and materiel in France in one day. They knew going in that the operation had to succeed or an unprecedented disaster would result--including losing the war. With no way for the infantry to retreat off the beaches and return to the ships, or for the paratroopers and personnel-carrying gliders to climb back into the air, this was similar to Cortez burning his own ships and Grant flanking Vicksburg with no way for resupply. Survival depended solely on defeating the enemy. Thus the table was set for the largest do-or-die conflict in history. Next, Ambrose reveals the planning and preparations required to pull off an attack the enemy knew was coming. He explains in detail the vehicles, weaponry, and troop assignments. He also clearly explains the successful attempts to maintain the element of surprise. Hitler knew they were coming, but expected them at Calais, not Normandy--and he didn't know when they would come. The action begins with frustrating and nerve-wracking weather delays. Finally, taking advantage of a brief break in the weather, Ike gives the go-ahead. Thousands of ships cross the Channel. In the dark of night, paratroopers jump into France behind the lines. Gliders transport more troops to take key bridges. The Air Force strafes and bombs coastal installations in perhaps the largest air assault ever launched. Once within range, the Navy's big guns open up, trying to soften the German defenses. Then the small troop transports are launched toward various code-named and now-famous beaches, Utah, Sword, Omaha, Juno, and Gold. From here Ambrose focuses almost exclusively on action at Omaha Beach, where not a single plane-delivered bomb has hit a target. This is where the Allies have the toughest going. Using the words of survivors themselves, he poignantly moves the reader through the hellish hours as the first waves of young men are mowed down by the merciless fire from the bluffs above them. The book is fact-filled, yet easy to read. As the action intensifies, the non-fiction prose grows absolutely gripping. This is an unforgettable account that captures the terror, the carnage, the bravery, and--best of all--the sacrifice these young men made. Hurray. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of BIG ICE
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Summary: Exciting, detailed, but...
Review: Now don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic account of the D-Day landings. Most books on this subject either lose sight of the big picture, or are so technical it's like reading a math book. But, as others have said, there are places were American bias leak out and snap you out of the sweeping saga of the greatest invasion in history. Fortuneately, they don't ruin the book outright, and Ambrose does give credit where it's due (especially once the invasion begins). I think it's safe to say that most people who know anything about WWII know that the British weren't poor, weak twits who just wanted to go home (Hello? Battle of Britian? Battle of the Atlantic? North Africa anyone?). Nor were the armies of German hugely inferior to the American ones (This critizism is especially puzzling due to the unrivaled sucess of the German armed forces). Such obvious digs are annoying, but give it a read anyway. It's remarkably fast paced, the describtions of battle and are both awe inspiring and terrifying; and the stories of individual bravery highlight the daring exploits of the Allied Expeditionary Force (yes you read correctly not just *gasp* American soldiers). We will always rememember you, loyal, brave, soldiers! 3 1/2 stars.
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Summary: An important book about an important day
Review: There are few days in a century that wind up being pivotal. D-Day is one of them. The book of the same name by Ambrose is an important book about that day. The focus of D-Day is certainly from the allied perspective and Ambrose's writing makes that clear. This is also forgivable because unlike many historians he has made good use of oral histories, which are primarily from American veterans (though there is certainly material from English and Germans also). The book is a good balance of what it took to accomplish the Normandy invasion on D-Day as well as the events of the day. It is a daunting book, the density of information for a singular day is amazing. You should let any worried pass you and pick up this book.
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Summary: A Must Read!
Review: Should be enough said. You'll hate to put it down. Ambrose has really done his homework.
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Summary: Stephen Ambrose Wrote it..... what else needs to be said?
Review: Stephen Ambrose is among the few WWII historians and authors that I will read with great anticipation and am never disappointed. This book was no exception. Rest in peace, Mr. Ambrose
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Summary: deeply biased and misleading: avoid!
Review: Any account that perpetuates the untruth (shared by some of the book's reviewers, apparently)that d-day was mainly a US affair, and US led, with the US troops doing the lion share is insulting to all that took part, GIs included. And stupid. Yet that is what Ambrose does. Some facts: D day and the battle of Normandy were fought by about 50-50 US and UK/Canadian forces(incl some other nationalities); the attack and campaign was planned and led by Montgomery (a British general). It succeeded. UK/Canadian forces held down the bulk of the German forces. Then the US made the break out in the west. The best army was probably the German one. Clear? clear. Read Robin Neillands 'Battle of Normandy' for the best account, not Ambrose's feeble bit of nationalism.
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Summary: thick, shallow, biased, wrong title, junk book
Review: Thick book, shallow knowledge on WWII, highly pro-american biased. A most wrong title: D-Day was not THE climatic battle ( Stalingrad: the most long, bloody, a decisive turning point). Junk book, definitely. I still don't understand how I was fooled into buying it, I should ask Mr. Ambrose for a refund.
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