Rating: Summary: a true waste of a true opportunity Review: ambrose's prose is excellent, and his collection of stories and anecdotes is unsurpassed. truly riveting... but his attempts at analysis and historical revisionism are so shoddy, unsupported, and overtly juvenille that one wonders whether to call him a playground bully or an official army propogandist. the fact that the united states fought a gruesome battle is unquestioned; the fact that the german army lost that battle is unquestioned; but to draw from such broad and sweeping statements of history such generalized conclusions about the makeup, character, and courage of the "British soldier", the "american soldier", or the "German soldier" is insulting to all who bled and died on those beaches. there were cowards and heroes on both sides of the beach and both sides of the ocean. i would hope that, in the future, mr. ambrose will support his accusations and statements of ethnic judgement with more than just a few stories.
Rating: Summary: Better than 'Saving Private Ryan' Review: My father is a veteran of WWII. When I asked if he was going to see Saving Private Ryan he replied, "why do I need to see it when I lived it?" He did however recommend Mr. Ambrose' book. While Ryan was based on a true story (which is told in one paragraph of this book), it is only one story among thousands that were born that fateful day in 1944. Many times I found myself wiping tears from my cheek as I read of those who payed the ultimate price on the beaches, in the hedgerows and in the skies above Normandy. They will not be forgotten so long as people such as Mr. Ambrose are around to tell their stories. We owe it to ourselves and all those who gave their lives to forever remember their sacrifice.
Rating: Summary: Intense and powerful Review: While Ambrose tends to get wordy and verbose in his descriptions, his attention to detail can not be denied. While other reviewers have shown anger at Ambrose's focus on the American troops there is a reason - the British and the Canadians could NEVER have defeated the Nazi's without the American strength (in part supported by such powerful generals such as Eisenhower and Marshall) Also, Omaha beach where the American's landed was by far the most devestating battle - Juno, Gold and Sword in comparison were a walk in the park. Where Churchill cowered - Eisenhower ruled. These facts can not be denied. Terrific book but if you want more of the Canadian and British contributions read a book by a foreign author - I am sure that they focus on their patriots and leave the Americans out as well.
Rating: Summary: Enthralling Review: Ambrose writes the history of D-Day from the point of view of all the soldiers who were there. It works great. The prose is fluid, easy to read, and filled with facts. I particularly liked the treatment of Omaha Beach. I hope Citizen Soldiers is this good.
Rating: Summary: The Second World War on a Personal Scale. Review: D-DAY JUNE 6 is perhaps one of the most refreshing history books I have written merely for the extensive use of oral history and first person accounts. Instead of being treated to symbols marching across maps and the stories of divisions and brigades, the stories of fire teams and platoons are brought up close and personal. Put another way, Ambrose is more concerned with the taking of the house rather than the taking of the city. This is the persepective of his book and I am thankful for it. Too often, histories of past conflicts have been overly focused on sweeping events forgetting that it is the soldier, the dogface and the grunt that suffer the indignities of warfare. Their perspective is the one that most needs to be told.Ambrose draws some new conclusions, the most interesting one is that the German army was not the juggernaunt that it was cracked up to be (just don't ask the Russians!). Also, the American Army was not as bad as some make it out to be. Ambrose draws on several personal histories that prove out his statements. I do not want to argue these points, but I do wish to remind the reader that generalities cannot be formed with only a few particulars. In any war one can find examples of each side overcoming the other. The Second World War is no different. The only point I can make is that we won and that is what finally matters. One last point, the respect and praise regularly heaped upon veterans may seem lavish, but in no way is it undeserved. If any veterans are reading this: Thank You. I enjoyed this book and I hope Stephen Ambrose has plans to write on for the Pacific Theater for that was as much, if not more, a war of the squad and fire team.
Rating: Summary: Excellent read. Makes me want to read more about d-day. Review: Very thorough account of d-day and the planning and thought that went into the attack by Eisenhower, etc. Several great accounts by the men who were there and their individual perspectives. After reading this book I am still hungry for more books about d-day. This book has peaked my interest in military history. One suggestion--get yourself a very good, detailed map of Normandy--many place names (in French) are given and a map is helpful to follow the story.
Rating: Summary: Thought provoking Review: It makes you think back to a time when ordinary men were real heroes, and done what was asked without reservation or personal gain. Excellent!!
Rating: Summary: Well written, humanistic, and engrossing Review: This book told the stories of some of the worlds bravest men in the best way I have ever encountered. Mr. Ambrose gets across the feel of the disconnection the paratroopers felt, the terror of landing at Omaha (or anywhere, for that matter), and the pride the Canadians must have felt at exacting some sort of revenge at Juno. This book was so good that I could barely put it down for the few weeks it took to read it. I recomend this book to anybody with the slightest interest in history, freedom, or the bravery that mankind is capable of.
Rating: Summary: Facinating interviews and incompetent history Review: The form of Mr. Ambrose's book is history by anecdote. This in itself is not a bad thing. The stories are fascinating and by far the most powerful part of the book. The fact that these stories have been edited and twisted to the beliefs and misconceptions of a poor historian is saddening. I could not put the book down, at the same time I was fascinated and infuriated. Mr. Ambrose's poor editing leads to many repetitions and massive confusion when trying to understand the battle with reference to the maps. One can only wonder what interesting information he left out from the various oral histories! Reading the book one could easily be led to believe that the Normandy invasion was an all American affair with a few British and Canadians along for the ride. "Ride" being the operative word since they weren't very good troops. This is a farcical judgement arrived at by Mr. Ambrose on the basis of a few anecdotal statements. There is no evidence supporting this assertion and precious little information on the British and Canadian beaches at all. In short this book is a collection of fascinating anecdotes from almost exclusivley American troops surrounded by an insultingly juvenile attempt at analysis.
Rating: Summary: "D-Day" is a outstanding book. Definantly Ambrose's triumph. Review: This book is packed with very specific information. Within eight pages I learned more about WWII than I ever learned in my years in school. If you any history at all, you will enjoy D-Day is somethig you will love.
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