The VICTORS : EISENHOWER AND HIS BOYS: THE MEN OF WORLD WAR II

Rating:
Summary: Great history of courage and determination of WWII heroes
Review: This book is a compilation of several of Ambrose's earlier histories of Eisenhower and WWII. Having read "D-Day," I recommend his earlier books for a more thorough understanding of what went on. In reading about the drive to victory after D-Day, I, at times, felt that there were blanks to be filled in; that I was not getting the full picture. Nonetheless, this is still a fine book because it gives vivid descriptions of the hardships, privations and fears that the American and British soldiers had to overcome. After the landing at Normandy, there was still much horrific fighting that had to be done to ultimately win the war in Europe.

What I found particularly interesting was Ambrose's explanation as to why there were many duds among the shells launched by the Germans against the Allied positions. Shells made in American and British factories were of high quality and reliable. These shells were made by a free people in support of the war effort. On the other hand, German artillary shells were manufactured largely by slave labor. These slaves had no interest in furthering the German war effort. Therefore, whenever they could get away with it, the laborers pulled off little tricks such as mixing sand with the powder or whatever else they thought would get past the inspectors. I believe that this explantion of duds is a microcosm of what ultimately lead to the Allied victory. Ultimately, the free labor of the Allies did a better job of supplying its troops, and the citizen soldiers, in times of great hardship and privation, were better able to push on. However, make no mistake, many German soldiers were highly motivated and extremely driven to succeed as the hard fought final Nazi offensive at the Bulge proved. But, in the final drive to victory, including the battle of the Bulge, the Allied soldiers, that Ambrose lionizes, had that little extra.

The great contribution of this, and other Ambrose books, is to give a full appreciation of how ordinary American young men, rose to the occasion and accomplished valiant deeds that Hitler could never have anticipated. Again, this book leaves some gaps in the narrative that the original books to not but on the whole, Ambrose accomplishes his goal, to get us to empathize with and appreciate our courageous forefathers of the WWII era.

Rating:
Summary: Great history of courage and determination of WWII heroes
Review: This book is a compilation of several of Ambrose's earlier histories of Eisenhower and WWII. Having read "D-Day," I recommend his earlier books for a more thorough understanding of what went on. In reading about the drive to victory after D-Day, I, at times, felt that there were blanks to be filled in; that I was not getting the full picture. Nonetheless, this is still a fine book because it gives vivid descriptions of the hardships, privations and fears that the American and British soldiers had to overcome. After the landing at Normandy, there was still much horrific fighting that had to be done to ultimately win the war in Europe.

What I found particularly interesting was Ambrose's explanation as to why there were many duds among the shells launched by the Germans against the Allied positions. Shells made in American and British factories were of high quality and reliable. These shells were made by a free people in support of the war effort. On the other hand, German artillary shells were manufactured largely by slave labor. These slaves had no interest in furthering the German war effort. Therefore, whenever they could get away with it, the laborers pulled off little tricks such as mixing sand with the powder or whatever else they thought would get past the inspectors. I believe that this explantion of duds is a microcosm of what ultimately lead to the Allied victory. Ultimately, the free labor of the Allies did a better job of supplying its troops, and the citizen soldiers, in times of great hardship and privation, were better able to push on. However, make no mistake, many German soldiers were highly motivated and extremely driven to succeed as the hard fought final Nazi offensive at the Bulge proved. But, in the final drive to victory, including the battle of the Bulge, the Allied soldiers, that Ambrose lionizes, had that little extra.

The great contribution of this, and other Ambrose books, is to give a full appreciation of how ordinary American young men, rose to the occasion and accomplished valiant deeds that Hitler could never have anticipated. Again, this book leaves some gaps in the narrative that the original books to not but on the whole, Ambrose accomplishes his goal, to get us to empathize with and appreciate our courageous forefathers of the WWII era.

Rating:
Summary: Fighting in the cold
Review: This covers the European theater from D day to the end.
The futile battles of the Hurtgen forest are documented. A waste of men for nothing. We gave up our advantages of air power and tanks to fight in an impenatrable forest.
What struck me over and over, was what the men fighting endured.
The supply situation was what is was always in the military. Those in the rear get the gear. Those doing the fighting get the remains.
In the battle of the Hurtgen forest, during a visit by Ike, a company of Rangers complained to Ike about the lack of cold weather gear. He got the Rangers cold weather gear, but not the other thousands of men doing the fighting.
The same applied in the battle of the Bulge. The people in the rear out of the line of fire had waterproof, warm boots, and huge overcoats to keep warm. Those doing the fighting had summer uniforms, leather boots, and had to fight without benefit of fire to keep them warm, or get their food warm. The result was thousands of men with trench foot. The men went hungry a lot of the time due to impassible roads, so food supplies could not be brought up.
The men who endured this were heros.
Ike was the first to realize what Hitler was up to when the Battle of the Bulge started, and got Patton moving on a counterattack plan immediately, which succeeded.
Thanks to Steve Ambrose, the suffering of the men who did the fighting is documented.