Product Description

Stephen E. Ambrose draws from more than 1,400 interviews with American, British, Canadian, French, and German veterans to create the preeminent chronicle of the most important day in the twentieth century. Ambrose reveals how the original plans for the invasion were abandoned, and how ordinary soldiers and officers acted on their own initiative.

D-Day is above all the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their existence, when the horrors, complexities, and triumphs of life are laid bare. Ambrose portrays the faces of courage and heroism, fear and determination -- what Eisenhower called "the fury of an aroused democracy" -- that shaped the victory of the citizen soldiers whom Hitler had disparaged.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #217982 in Books
• Published on: 1995-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 656 pages

Amazon.com Review
Published to mark the 50th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, Stephen E. Ambrose's D-Day: June 6, 1944 relies on over 1,400 interviews with veterans, as well as prodigious research in military archives on both sides of the Atlantic. He provides a comprehensive history of the invasion which also eloquently testifies as to how common soldiers performed extraordinary feats. A major theme of the book, upon which Ambrose would later expand in Citizen Soldiers, is how the soldiers from the democratic Allied nations rose to the occasion and outperformed German troops thought to be invincible. The many small stories that Ambrose collected from paratroopers, sailors, infantrymen, and civilians make the excitement, confusion, and sheer terror of D-day come alive on the page. --Robert McNamara

From Publishers Weekly
Using eyewitness accounts from both sides of the battlefield, Ambrose reconstructs the invasion that turned the tables of WWII in favor of the allies.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
World War II buffs have always liked books about the Normandy invasions, but most popular accounts are now several years old. Ambrose has updated the familiar story of the massive amphibious landings with new information, deft historical perspective, and a gripping narrative. Several opening chapters about the strategic situation and the laborious preparations for the invasion keep this book from becoming just another battlefield drama. His portraits of the various military commanders are superb. Numerous interviews with Allied veterans provide fresh material for the vital human element of the story, and accounts from German survivors show the enemy's viewpoint. The result is the best popular history since Max Hastings's vigorous Overload: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy (LJ 6/1/84), detailed enough for the historian yet with plenty of action for the lay reader. Recommended for public and military collections.
--Raymond L. Puffer, U.S. Air Force History Prog., Edwards AFB
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Excellent History
No detail is omitted from this engrossing account of all the preparation for, and execution of this great battle of World War II.

A detail account of the largest amphibious assault in history
There is little doubt that the success of the D-Day invasion was critical to the Allied efforts to defeat Hitler's Germany. However, the unprecedented scale of this assault is difficult to comprehend. Ambrose does a great job of breaking down the many components of this Herculean effort into a narrative that helps us understand the risks and accomplishments of that day. He describes the decision making, the planning and the training before moving on to his descriptions of the assault itself. He describes each element of the invasion, moving from beach to beach, highlighting the struggles and triumphs of the men who fought and died that day. The narrative is heavily sprinkled with quotes from the men who were there, and show the gruesome horror of combat as well as the surreal and occasionally humorous events of the day. This book is a comprehensive overview of D-Day, and provides an entirely accessible account for anyone who is interested in understanding the events of that momentous day.

Excellent Read!
I packed this book for a long project assignment overseas. It did not disappoint. If you are looking for an excellent historical narrative, you've found it. It is too bad Stephen Ambrose is dead. All of his stuff earns a five-star review.

This is history by the people who made it. It is also a good training document for anyone teaching young officers and soldiers.

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