Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic account of the individual experiences of D-Day.
Review: I was mailed this book accidentally by Amazon.com, and have little interest in Military History. Yet after starting it, I found it nearly impossible to put down. I feel it paints a vivid picture of the experiences our troops went through on D-Day, and at the same time conveys the general series of events that lead to the US victory. A very interesting and enlightening book for any audience.
Rating: 
Summary: The book is wonderful
Review: I'm am doing a report on Omaha Beach which was one of the beaches on D Day. I picked this book up at my school and I was just blown away with it. The book is very well written and has a lot of information. I would tell anyone to but it.
Rating:
Summary: COMPELING
Review: Should be required reading for all students in their history classes.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, okay writing....
Review: As a writer of popular history, Mr. Ambrose may be no James McPherson (Battle Cry of Freedom), but he certainly has a contagious passion for his subject. I only wish his writing ability was a bit stronger. Starting paragraphs with "Anyway,.." and tiresome use of the passive tense makes this battle epic curiously static. The book only comes alive when the vets speak for themselves. Maybe a book that was completely an "oral history" would have been more effective.Another annoyance was Ambrose's intermittent injection of himself into the text. Biased dismissals of other historical perspectives as simply "wrong" without really making a concrete case for himself was bothersome. And, quite frankly, Mr. Ambrose's unwavering idol worship of Ike made me wonder what other distortions were incorporated into the text. Overall, however, this is a thorough account of a major event in our century, written by an undisputed expert on the subject.
Rating:
Summary: I'll never look at a WWII veteran the same way!!
Review: My initial interest in this book was prompted by my overall interest in WWII. I never knew the horror experienced and courage displayed by my parents and relatives who served during that terrible time. Mr. Ambrose puts together a compelling book full of horrifying events, incredible courage, and genuine humor. The reader has to wonder many times during the book "what would I have done?", "would I have made it through alive?" Thanks to others, my generation can only wonder in awe and thank God we don't have to answer those questions in the field of battle.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely informative, but...
Review: ...Ambrose gets a little too sappy at the end. Yes, these men were awfully brave, but I could figure that out for myself. Eisenhower's words at the end of the book say far more than the author's about the GIs' courage and will. All the same, Ambrose is a very readable historian, something we're seeing a lot more of today. His reliance on the oral histories of men on both sides makes for an informative, enjoyable read. With 'Private Ryan' fresh in a lot of peoples' minds, this offers a side the movie doesn't show: namely tales of the paratroopers and what happened once the GIs got to the top of the bluffs at Omaha Beach.
Rating:
Summary: Biased conclusions, but otherwise excellent!
Review: The methods of narraration used to describe the events that occured on this tremendous day were incredible. The use of the individual soldiers' memoirs and testimonies was some of the best implementation of "primary sources" and event description available today. Fortunately for the public, Ambrose was able to use these sources while they still existed to bring to light a small piece of the madness and sacrifice that took place on that day. As a result, a little bit of knowledge and understanding can be passed on to those who never saw nor partook in D-Day, and this is what makes this book excellent. Unfortunately, there is one drawback: Ambrose's mistake of making of obviously biased conclusions concerning overall events and decisions for D-Day. His most notable: his inability to justify the extreme criticism of the military quality and decision capability of the Wehrmacht. Often times, he falls just short of completely gathering the facts in order to justify his point, and, as a result, he contradicts himself. A case in point: his statement that all previous authors who drew the conclusion that the German Army was superior to the American Army were wrong. His "proof" is that all other historians are overly concerned with the fact that the Germans acheived a two-to-one kill ratio on the Western Front. Anyone who knows military tactics also knows that kind of kill ratio is excellent under any circumstances, not just because they were defending the entire time. His biggest support to this statement is "The Battle of the Bulge," which he considered to be the only time the Germans were on the offensive. His justification of German ineffectiveness was that the 101st Airborne held out in Bastogne and other units performed quite well after recovering from the initial shock. In reality the actions of the 101st were not only commendable but also the exception. The only thing halting the German advance was a lack of fuel combined with gradually clearing weather, which allowed Allied air superiority to become another factor in the German supply problems. This slowed the German advance enough to allow the Allies to funnel in men and equipment, thus allowing Allied "recovery" and Ambrose's most important counterargument to come true, that Allied overwhelming firepower was the primary reason for Allied victory. An interesting point of note is that this section of the book in which his "factual" conclusion is drawn is sorely lacking in endnotes, showing his unwillingness to find support for his arguments in a concrete form. One could continue, but to put it simply, Ambrose's analysis falls far short of the mark, is not at all convincing, and clearly shows that his opinion is biased with some form of the "America is #1" attitude. This is displayed not only by his lack of coverage of other nations' contributions on that day, but also by the fact that his conclusions are marred by blind worship of America and Eisenhower. As a final statement, one should not let these negative aspects diminish an excellent book. It is an excellent presentation of "living" history, and it is a great thing that someone took the time to narrarate the events of that day.
Rating:
Summary: The best account of WWII D-Day & beyond I have ever read.
Review: I have been on a personal journey to understand what my grandfather went through in landing on D-Day since I have never had the opportunity to meet him or understand the horrors that tragically altered his life and mind. This book is an insightful and terrifyingly real account to sacrifices made by "our boys" in this campaign. A must read that I found difficult to put down. The accounts aren't to graphic but are not for the weak of heart, but then neither is war. I strongly recommend this book, It fills many of the gaps that are seen in classroom history books and docu-dramas. I especially recommend this book for for the younger generation, "Lest we never forget..."
Rating:
Summary: Incredible, moving, and thoroughly absorbing
Review: Stephen Ambrose does a tremendous job of relating an extremely complex, hugely important, military operation in both historical and human terms. The book was obviously painstakingly researched, and the historical and military elements are very interesting. However, I was completely captivated by Ambrose's portaits of hundreds of individuals...I was awed at the courage, determination, pride, and unwavering commitment the Allied troops demonstrated, even as they faced terrifying odds. You will be forever changed by these young mens' stories.
Rating:
Summary: Great!!! Factual and covers all points of view
Review: I loved this book. It is able to cover all it's bases in that it gets the leaders and the soldiers points of view...from both sides. The book is hard to put down and it doesn't bore you at all. This is book is great if you love the subject.
| 
