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Summary: A Detailed Account of D-Day
Review: I am an avid reader of military history. I mainly concentrate on the WWII Pacific Campaign. I am planning a trip to Normandy and thought that I would get schooled up by reading Ambrose's D-DAY. Overall, I thought that the book was excellent. There are a few tips that I have for readers. First off when you buy this book be aware that it is very detailed -which is good if you want a play by play of the initial D-day landing. But if you are just looking for an overall summery you may want to find a book that is less detailed. Another piece of advice that I have is to make a photocopy of all the maps to have on hand while you read the book. Ambrose gives some very informative and worthwhile maps in his book. By copying them you can have them beside you if you need to refer back to them -it will save you some time rather having to flip back through the book. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants a more detailed look at D-DAY rather than just an overview.
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Summary: Please don't bash us
Review: It's really great that so many outside of the usa choose to review this book to bash us Americans. Well, Steven Ambrose is an American and is writing for presumably an American audience. I think that I read this book just after or before I saw "Saving Private Ryan". Of course, it totally illuminates the first sequence on the Normandy invasion in that movie. The book really brings home the emotional toll that was inflicted on the healthy survivors of the battle. I am a fan of military history, and to me it is very interesting that very little is ever written about PTSS (post traumatic stress syndrome) in World War II american veterans. I guess the vets who came home alive felt that nobody wanted to hear about their combat experiences so they kept it all to themselves. It has just been recently with so many WW II vets passing away that many of them have started to discuss their experiences with curious family members. (What happened to you during the war, daddy?) I suspect that most of the experiences would be similar to ones described in this book rather than the experiences portrayed in movies like "Sands of Iwo Jima"
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Summary: Gripping stories, great writing
Review: Nobody better to relate the details of what may be the most extensive military undertaking of all times than the men who were there. Ambrose's strength lies precisely in his ability to translate the visceral experience of the soldiers into clear and compelling prose, effectively etching the sweat and toil of war onto paper and ink.Regrettably, this attention to individual stories is also the greates weakness of the book. In my view, the environment that surrounds these stories and the events that led to this day are not sufficiently developed. The problem lies mostly with the fact that this is a book about a single event which took place during one day. The limitations of scope of the work make it imperative to provide a better background, both in terms of events and strategic decisions. Nevertheless, one has to commend the diligence and depth of research evidenced in this book. Overall, I would have to say that this was a book that I greatly enjoyed reading, and would enthusistically recommend to anybody with even passing interest in this period of history.
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Summary: mr. ambrose writes as if he is a 5-star general
Review: mr. ambrose, as everyone who studies world war II knows, is the most knowledgable historian of this period of time. he describes everything from the higgins boats to equipment to battle techniques. he allows the veterans of d-day to tell their stories of horror and heroism. it is amazing that these men held it together while such carnage was taking place around them. their reply? "it was our duty". for anyone who has had even a passing interest in the war or knew someone who fought for our freedom, this book is a keeper. the first 100 pages may seem rather tedious compared to the descriptions of the battle but it is key in understanding the process of preparing for such a conflict.
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Summary: Stephen E Ambrose's D - Day
Review: Having read many books about D-Day and visited all the sites, I found this book set out how it was for the ordinary soldier amd gave an unbiased account of what happened. The background and historical content were excellent and have lead me to look for and buy more of this author's books.
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Summary: Excellent
Review: Ambrose brings a very human face to the most pivotal point in the last century. I have read many books on other periods, 13th Century Scotland and England, Napoleonic Europe, etc and have always become overwhelmed by the mass of data produced for more modern military periods. Ambrose writes in a style that still produces the data, yet does so in a format that is fluid and never entangles the thrust of the story. In a current era, where Europe is again banding together, and resentment builds towards America by the grandchildren of those saved by our "aroused democracy", this book should be required reading, to remind them of their ever present debt.
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Summary: D-Day USA
Review: Dr Ambrose - an academic rather than a soldier - provides us with a thorough account of the planning and build-up to Overlord, the bombardments and the airborne operations. He succeeds in adding something to the sum total of Human knowledge on the subject. In the book's most extensive section we are given a very detailed analysis of the events on Omaha Beach - hour by hour, sector by sector, and unit by unit. The horror and the heroism are driven home through the recounted experiences of numerous veterans. Three brief and superficial chapters on Gold, Juno and Sword are tacked on at the end almost as an afterthought. Perhaps it would have been fairer to omit these altogether rather than offer the few, often unrepresentative incidents and debatable generalisations which do little service to America's Allies. This part of the story should be told by someone who has the motivation to do it justice.
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Summary: Prejudiced and selective
Review: The worst book about D-day ever written. Never misses an opportunity to insult the British allies from the highest general to the lowest private soldier, and to downplay their role in the joint effort. Anecdotes are highly selective. Every other book on D-Day gives full credit to all involved. Just off now to brew some tea.
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Summary: Liar, Liar
Review: This book is a hoax, starting with the title. The climatic battles of WWII were obviously fought in the East - more than one million died in Stalingrad from gunfire, cold and famine (the battle raged for six months non-stop), and tens of thousands in Kursk a few months later (after which the germans could no longer attack). Ambrose knows it, but he chooses to lie so he can earn a few bucks from american "patriots". Jesus, it wasn't even the biggest american battle of WWII! This is the kind of situation Barbara Ehrenreich so aptly criticized in her book Rites of Blood.
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Summary: A Vivid, Emotional Account
Review: This is a truly incredible account of the D-Day invasion. This book covers everything from planning to execution to dealing with all the wounded and dead. Stephen Ambrose's passion for what he is writing about is quite evident in the way he makes the reader feel for everyone involved in the most important battle of our time. I felt the excitement in my stomach and clinched my fist when I read of Dwight D Eisenhower giving the "Let's Go" to proceed with the invasion. The decisions made for this invasion had thousands of lives at stake and Ambrose doesn't let the reader forget it.
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