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on September 10, 2017
Excellent review of WWII history
on September 4, 2017
Came early, and in great condition. Get to reread one my favorite books. Great job, guys!
on August 29, 2017
Written from over a 1000 first hand interviews, no other book about D-Day so completely covers the human element involved in this amazing endeavor. Startling to see the level of personal sacrifice and heroics the world considered normal in the 40s. Difficult to believe America today could rise to this level even if truly threatened. It really was America's greatest generation.
on August 7, 2017
I first read this book when I was in middle school after seeing the movie. When a book about the war can keep a 14 year I'd girl interested, it's a pretty darn good book.
on July 29, 2017
Deeply researched, written decades ago but feels like it could've been written recently.. Reads like a novel.
on June 26, 2017
Still a clasic. No better account of the Longest Day.
on June 7, 2017
TITLE: The Longest Day
AUTHOR: Cornelius Ryan
GENRE: World War II History
PAGES: 352
In 1977, my father and a friend of his took me to see the movie A Bridge Too Far, a three hour epic (intermission included) that heightened my love for history. As I watched the movie I saw the words “Based on the book by Cornelius Ryan”. Okay, there is a book. My mission the next day was to take my butt to the library, go to the Dewey Decimal Card Index and look up Cornelius Ryan. Unfortunately, the library did not have a copy of A Bridge Too Far, but they did have The Longest Day. I took the book out, pedaled my butt home and hunkered down.
Sure, I was 12 years old at the time, but this book showed me that wars were fought by real people, who had real families, loves, hopes, fears. I was mesmerized immediately by the writing style and found a new crop of heroes to admire…the men who willingly went to war to defend the world from a bully, and if necessary lay down their lives to stop the said bully.
The Longest Day takes you from before the invasion to afterwards. It is not a book about military leaders, but about the soldier who fought, who stormed the beach, parachuted in and got stuck on a steeple top, the ones who lived, and died, not only of the Allied side, but of the Axis (Nazi) side as well. There are some humorous anecdotes along with the tragedy. All in all it is a fantastic read.
AUTHOR: Cornelius Ryan
GENRE: World War II History
PAGES: 352
In 1977, my father and a friend of his took me to see the movie A Bridge Too Far, a three hour epic (intermission included) that heightened my love for history. As I watched the movie I saw the words “Based on the book by Cornelius Ryan”. Okay, there is a book. My mission the next day was to take my butt to the library, go to the Dewey Decimal Card Index and look up Cornelius Ryan. Unfortunately, the library did not have a copy of A Bridge Too Far, but they did have The Longest Day. I took the book out, pedaled my butt home and hunkered down.
Sure, I was 12 years old at the time, but this book showed me that wars were fought by real people, who had real families, loves, hopes, fears. I was mesmerized immediately by the writing style and found a new crop of heroes to admire…the men who willingly went to war to defend the world from a bully, and if necessary lay down their lives to stop the said bully.
The Longest Day takes you from before the invasion to afterwards. It is not a book about military leaders, but about the soldier who fought, who stormed the beach, parachuted in and got stuck on a steeple top, the ones who lived, and died, not only of the Allied side, but of the Axis (Nazi) side as well. There are some humorous anecdotes along with the tragedy. All in all it is a fantastic read.
on May 17, 2017
The Longest Day
Cornelius Ryan was born and educated in Dublin, Ireland. He was trained in London’s Fleet Street with Reuter’s and the London ‘Daily Telegraph’. As a was correspondent he flew with the Eighth and Ninth US air forces, covered the D-Day landings and General Patton’s Third Army in its race across France and Germany. When he moved to the US he joined Time, Inc. This is his sixth book. This 1959 book has 350 pages for its ‘Foreword’, three Parts, ‘Acknowledgments’, ‘Bibliography’, and ‘Index’. “D-Day” began on June 6, 1944 when pathfinders, paratroopers, and glider-borne infantry began the invasion. This is the story of the men of the Allied forces, their enemy, and the civilians, it is not a military history.
‘Part One’ tells about Field Marshall Erwin Rommel’s headquarters at La Roche-Guyon, south of Paris. The great armies of the Wehrmacht were being pushed back. Rommel was going home for a vacation. The Germans expected the invasion at the Pas de Calais the closest location to England; they were deceived by the Allies. Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall” was to prevent any invasion, but it had faults in men and materials. The Allied fleet of 5,000 ships sailed to Normandy. General Eisenhower called this operation “a great crusade” to rid the world of Nazi barbarism (they robbed people then killed them). The supplies included railroad rolling stock that would operate on the French railroads. Portable harbors named “Mulberries” would allow provisioning. There was a very narrow time frame for the right weather conditions. Many of the senior German officers went on vacation at this time (p.81). Seasickness affected thousands.
‘Part Two’ tells about the beginning in the night. Paratroopers landed after midnight; so to glider troops who captured the bridges to prevent German reinforcements. The flooded lands were deathtraps for paratroopers. Equipment was lost in the jump (radios, bazookas, mortars, and ammunition). The Germans were still confused about the status of events. Dawn revealed thousands of ships offshore. ‘Part Three’ describes the events of June 6. There was a fierce bombardment from ships offshore. There were heavy casualties when landing craft foundered and sank (pp.204-230). Some were more successful or luckier than others. The experiences of the German defenders are given. The Gestapo shot their male prisoners in Caen. The news of the invasion reached the US in the middle of the night. Casualties were heavy on Omaha beach. “I wonder what ‘bitte’ means?”. German tanks were knocked out by British gunners and pulled back. The war in Europe would end within a year.
There are various estimates of Allied casualties for the first day, running from ten to twelve thousand. There is a list of D-Day Veterans and their current occupations. The ‘Acknowledgments’ thank those who helped. ‘The Reader’s Digest’ paid nearly all the costs and made this book possible. This book only covers the first day. Historian Stephen E. Ambrose’s book on D-Day provides more facts as it not limited to the first day.
Cornelius Ryan was born and educated in Dublin, Ireland. He was trained in London’s Fleet Street with Reuter’s and the London ‘Daily Telegraph’. As a was correspondent he flew with the Eighth and Ninth US air forces, covered the D-Day landings and General Patton’s Third Army in its race across France and Germany. When he moved to the US he joined Time, Inc. This is his sixth book. This 1959 book has 350 pages for its ‘Foreword’, three Parts, ‘Acknowledgments’, ‘Bibliography’, and ‘Index’. “D-Day” began on June 6, 1944 when pathfinders, paratroopers, and glider-borne infantry began the invasion. This is the story of the men of the Allied forces, their enemy, and the civilians, it is not a military history.
‘Part One’ tells about Field Marshall Erwin Rommel’s headquarters at La Roche-Guyon, south of Paris. The great armies of the Wehrmacht were being pushed back. Rommel was going home for a vacation. The Germans expected the invasion at the Pas de Calais the closest location to England; they were deceived by the Allies. Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall” was to prevent any invasion, but it had faults in men and materials. The Allied fleet of 5,000 ships sailed to Normandy. General Eisenhower called this operation “a great crusade” to rid the world of Nazi barbarism (they robbed people then killed them). The supplies included railroad rolling stock that would operate on the French railroads. Portable harbors named “Mulberries” would allow provisioning. There was a very narrow time frame for the right weather conditions. Many of the senior German officers went on vacation at this time (p.81). Seasickness affected thousands.
‘Part Two’ tells about the beginning in the night. Paratroopers landed after midnight; so to glider troops who captured the bridges to prevent German reinforcements. The flooded lands were deathtraps for paratroopers. Equipment was lost in the jump (radios, bazookas, mortars, and ammunition). The Germans were still confused about the status of events. Dawn revealed thousands of ships offshore. ‘Part Three’ describes the events of June 6. There was a fierce bombardment from ships offshore. There were heavy casualties when landing craft foundered and sank (pp.204-230). Some were more successful or luckier than others. The experiences of the German defenders are given. The Gestapo shot their male prisoners in Caen. The news of the invasion reached the US in the middle of the night. Casualties were heavy on Omaha beach. “I wonder what ‘bitte’ means?”. German tanks were knocked out by British gunners and pulled back. The war in Europe would end within a year.
There are various estimates of Allied casualties for the first day, running from ten to twelve thousand. There is a list of D-Day Veterans and their current occupations. The ‘Acknowledgments’ thank those who helped. ‘The Reader’s Digest’ paid nearly all the costs and made this book possible. This book only covers the first day. Historian Stephen E. Ambrose’s book on D-Day provides more facts as it not limited to the first day.
on May 15, 2017
Expert writing, very good, devoured it in less than a week.........
