D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II (Paperback)

by Stephen E. Ambrose (Author) "AT THE BEGINNING of 1944, Nazi Germany's fundamental problem was that she had conquered more territory than she could defend, but Hitler had a conqueror's..." (more)
Key Phrases: infantry assault teams, assault training center, gliderborne troops, World War, Atlantic Wall, Easy Red (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068480137X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684801377
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (313 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Picks up where "The Longest Day" left off, April 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: D-Day: June 6, 1944 -- The Climactic Battle of WWII (Hardcover)

Ambrose has truly contributed to the world's knowledge by his work. This book was my introduction to the works of Steven Ambrose, but I have since read almost all of his books still in print. Having read scores of histories of The Second World War, including Cornelius Ryan's classic account of D-Day, I can honestly say that Ambrose's "D-Day" told me quite a bit that I didn't know. And, Dr. Ambrose is a gripping writer; his books are impossible to put down. While all his works are highly readable, this book is perhaps his best to this point, though Citizen Soldiers and Band of Brothers are also outstanding.

The real significance of "D-Day" is that it tells us just how brutal the assault at Omaha really was for the men of that generation. No account prior to this has been willing to expose the slaughter of the first waves of assault troops on Omaha. D-Day also tell us the personal stories of some of the average citizen soldiers placed into the horrible crucible of combat. Many times histories focus on strategies, officers, and overall accomplishments. This book gives us a compelling view of the rank and file who did the work of winning the war. Those who survived, and those who didn't, confronted and ultimately conquered what should have been an insurmountable fixed defense; they did their duty in a way that should make us all proud and grateful. Most veterans interviewed by Dr. Ambrose were quite modest about their accomplishments, but their quiet heroics---doing that which human beings find so hard to do---literally saved the world from a terrible tyranny---make no mistake about that! This book offers a compelling account of the price that was paid by average men (our fathers, uncles, and grandfathers), for the freedom we now take for granted.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Grunt's Eye View of D-Day, November 19, 2004

By	Scott Carpenter (Newport Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ambrose used over 1400 interviews to piece together a compelling history of the D-Day invasion. The strength of this "oral history" approach is that the reader is brought into the heart of the battle through eye-witness testimony of the facts and poignant expressions of emotion from a wide range of participants in this epoch-making event. Once the battle starts, the excitement and fear of the grunts sweeps the reader up into their personal histories. The weakness of the "oral history" approach is that with so many individual data points to connect the historian is hard pressed to find synthesis for all the details. Ambrose has done history a great service by collecting these memories, and the soldier's stories make for great reading. But Ambrose often fails to describe larger unit actions in full detail or to convey a sense of larger meaning of individual actions. In fact, little is said of the English and Canadian beaches, presumably because the participants were not as available for interviews. Ambrose's treatment of historical controversies is often short on factual background, and there is little if any theoretical or analytical context for these oral histories. These are simply good stories of many individual experiences. Don't read this book for lessons on strategic decision making or to answer questions such as Rommel's degree of responibility for the German defeat or Montgomery's total failure to achieve his D-Day objectives until after the American breakout. Ambrose touches on these larger issues, but that is not his focus. This is a book about the American achievement in Normandy, and here is where Ambrose excels. The individual courage and independence of the American small unit leaders is big story of this book and one of the great stories of the ETO. In portraying these Citizen Soldiers in all of their valor and toughness, Ambrose is right on target.

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Little Biased?, July 17, 2002

By A Customer

I loved this book. I have rarely read such an informative and 'on the beach' account of the d-day landings. There are a huge number of personal accounts and experiences of people who were actually there. Its actually very interesting to note how many small details the film Saving private Ryan apparently took from this book (e.g. Cross of david on the back of a Rangers tunic, Brooklyn, NY.)

However after reading most of Stephen E. Ambrose's work an overiding theme occurs. Acording to Ambrose, the second world war was entirely won by the American nation. Despite several years of war before the US became involved, Ambrose consistantly portraits all non-American allied forces as bumbling fools. I really feel that Ambrose is an amazing historian who really needs to let go his bias and accept that no single nation was capable of winning the war.

All up one of the best accounts of D-Day I've ever read but please Stephen, relax, America was essential in winning the war, but they didn't do it alone, and the rest of the world survived several years before the US got involved. What can I say, Theres no US in team.