Rating: 
Summary: Quite a Ride
Review: First, this book is written from an American perspective. It is not written from a British, Canadian or German one. There will naturally be biases within. However, it is not less bias than an account written of the same day by a British, Canadian or German author. Everyone's got their point of view.With that said, I thought Ambrose did a nice job describing the events leading up to and taking place that day. It forces you to stop and think about that day not to long ago, to remember how close the world came to looking very different. Ambrose does emphasize the teamwork of the Allies. He does critize, but his criticisms are not focused only one branch nor on one nation. He second guess decisions made by the Americans and British. Actually, now that I think about it, he holds very little if any criticism at the Canadians. Instead of drawing up opinions along national lines, readers should avoid quibbling over minute details, and focus on the essence of the story: that one day only a couple of generations ago, many nations--despite their rivalries and differences--got together to stand against a very evil progression. Somehow these very different nations, managed to come together and, after a very devestating initial assault, managed to overcome and establish a beachhead that would spell the end of the Reich. Ambrose captures that, as fairly as one can. A must read, lest we should forget (the sad part is, it seems, that only after 50 years, the world seems poised to forget!)
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Veterans
Review: Where does one begin in reviewing this book? Do you look at this top-rate work by Stephen Ambrose as a historical work with a decidedly human overtone or is this a book about people who just happened to be involved in the war to free Europe. Already having read and loved Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers I had high expectations for D-Day. True to his style, Ambrose did not disappoint. With these books he has solidified himself as the premier writer of WWII literature, it is simply too good to be beaten. D-Day is the comprehensive account of the activities leading up to the invasion of France on June 6, 1944. Ambrose covers all of the invasion beaches, not just Utah and Omaha beaches that the Americans invaded. A whole wide range of emotions are felt while reading this book and at the same time an overwhelming feeling of patriotism and pride. If you have never read a Stephen Ambrose book, you have no idea what you are missing. I recommend reading this book first followed by Citizen Soldier, and then Band of Brothers for those who want a great historical view of World War II in the European Theater. These books are modern classics and should be read by everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Ambrose's Best
Review: In all of his other books, Ambrose's weak writing gets in the way of great stories. In this book, the story is so monumental that even he can't drag it down. It's his best book.
Rating: 
Summary: What's so great about England?
Review: I've started the book but all I get is that the English army did this and the english army did that. Also the English prime minister Churchill spoke about this and that, the English won battles and lost battles. The same situation happens with the american army and the american soldiers.
The facts are that the English army does not exist any more since 1707 and there is no English prime minister. Since the union of parlaments, England, Scotland, Wales and Nothern Ireland have been called GREAT BRITAIN and this new country has a british army and a british prime minister. Infact it would be nice to notice that not only english men died in the war but also brave scotish, welsh and soldiers from Northern Ireland too!
And what about the americans? Well, maybe I shouldn't teach a Univerity professor of New Orleans about the difference between America and United States...
Anyway it is a nice book to read and the germans are really shown as the bad boys!
The same
Rating: 
Summary: Proud to be a 'gutless' Brit
Review: This is probably the most ethnomaniacal historical text I have ever read. Can one man deemed an 'expert' in his field really be this ignorant and narrow-minded? I spent several years living in the US and found the Americans to be a witty and intelligent bunch... so, for the life of me, I can't figure out why they hail this book as such a masterpiece. Do American readers honestly believe the Brits 'couldn't fight for more than half an hour without stopping for a cup of tea' as Ambrose asserts? Do they believe the British were 'gutless' as Ambrose also seems intent to point out many times? I hope they don't fall for Ambrose's blather about the 'fury of an aroused democracy.' Even the most objective person has to concede that the United States did nothing to 'arouse' itself while Hitler ran rampant over Europe in 1939 and 1940 as Britain stood alone. In D-Day, Ambrose pays little tribute to the British Tommy. And what attention he does give is peppered with ignorant comments based on narrow-minded stereotypes. My grandfather and his brother both fought for Britain in World War II. Not once can they recall stopping in the midst of a fire fight to brew a cup of Earl Gray. Suppose a historical text was published which asserted 'The Americans couldn't fight for more than half an hour without stopping to eat a hamburger...' Would you not consider that a disgusting insult to all the American GIs who paid the ultimate price for their country? In the end it's a shame Ambrose fuels such ignorance about WWII history through his litarary flag-waving epics. Read Cornelius Ryan or John Keegan for a more objective and professional assessment of what happened on that magnificent day.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: The author, Stephen E. Ambrose is considered one of if not the leading American historian concerning our involvement in World War 2. He has recently received some bad press about "borrowing" information from other authors, but at this point I do not think that issue effects this book. This book takes the reader through the full story of the D-Day invasions, from the training, planning and preparation all the way to the landing on the beaches and securing the beachheads. The book is just wonderfully detailed and really paints a picture in the minds eye. If there is one book that can compare to "Saving Private Ryan" in the tension and drama of the landings, this is it. The thing that I loved the most about the book was the immense amount of detailed information he gave us. Ambrose is such a skilled writer that he can dictate lists in a compelling manner. The story has much more then endless list of facts, Ambrose does a wonderful job of describing what the American GI went through, and from the food he ate to first hand accounts of some of the worse battles in the war. I highly recommend this and his book Citizen Solders to get an accurate, detailed and very easy to read documentation of the American war effort in Europe the last year. There is not better book on the topic.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!
Review: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GREATEST INVASION IN HISTORY AND THEN SOME...
Rating:
Summary: More ethnocentric flag waving from Ambrose
Review: This work is typical of all of Ambrose's efforts. It's another literary venture into how the United States single-handedly won the Second World War. The British, Ambrose tells us, were 'gutless' and 'couldn't fight for more than half an hour without stopping for a cup of tea.' That's quite a claim to make when one considers Britain fought on for two years by itself against overwhelming odds. All fighting nations and their warring troops are rendered useless by Ambrose's pen -- all except for the United States and its dog-faced GIs. It's no different from the flag-waving bravada we find in Ambrose's other books. Considering Ambrose is supposedly our nation's foremost 'expert' on World War II, he exercises extreme biases in his portrayal of history that only serves to propagate ignorance among his readers. While America's contribution to the fight against Hitler was great, the conditons and horror faced by American boys in combat were no different than that of their British counterparts... or any other nation. Before reading this work, read Cornelius Ryan's spectacular 'The Longest Day,' or John Keegan's 'Six Armies in Normandy.' Both these works present an objective point of view... unlike Ambrose's tripe.
Rating: 
Summary: No more Ambrose
Review: The use of memories of veterans to describe the fighting on D-Day is in essence a sound concept. However, in the case of this book you quickly lose track of the main story, it becomes a blur and, most of all, it gets repetitive and boring.
If used effectively, memories of veterans would give you some insight on how it must have been and would place the fighting in a more personal perspective. Ambrose failed in this respect.
I don't think I will read another book by this author. There are other, far better books, on D-day and World War II. I would recommend Max Hastings 'Overlord', a superb book on the subject.
Rating: 
Summary: A good read
Review: A good collection of what happened before and the days following D-Day. It held my interest.
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