Stephen E. Ambrose’s D-Day is the definitive history of World War II’s most pivotal battle; a day that changed the course of history.D-Day is the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their lives; when the horrors; complexities; and triumphs of life are laid bare. Distinguished historian Stephen E. Ambrose portrays the faces of courage and heroism; fear and determination—what Eisenhower called “the fury of an aroused democracyâ€â€”that shaped the victory of the citizen soldiers whom Hitler had disparaged.Drawing on more than 1;400 interviews with American; British; Canadian; French; and German veterans; Ambrose reveals how the original plans for the invasion had to be abandoned; and how enlisted men and junior officers acted on their own initiative when they realized that nothing was as they were told it would be. The action begins at midnight; June 5/6; when the first British and American airborne troops jumped into France. It ends at midnight June 6/7. Focusing on those pivotal twenty-four hours; it moves from the level of Supreme Commander to that of a French child; from General Omar Bradley to an American paratrooper; from Field Marshal Montgomery to a German sergeant. Ambrose’s D-Day is the finest account of one of our history’s most important days.
#153215 in Books Vintage 1994-04-05 1994-04-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .62 x 5.20l; .71 #File Name: 067975525X304 pages
Review
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Relevant and gripping journalism; even decades after the factBy Kurt ConnerWhen I was a college student; I majored in Latin American Studies; and many of my classes explored the functions of the military in various Central American countries. In my junior year; I joined up with a bus full of strangers from Austin; and we headed to Georgia for an annual protest designed to force the closure of the School of the Americas (later renamed the Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation). We gathered early one morning with hundreds of like-minded activists; and we carried small wooden crosses with the names of individuals (all civilians; as far as I know) who had been killed by soldiers trained at this institution. My cross was for Maria Dolores Amaya Claros; Age 5; killed at El Mozote; but I didn't really know many more details about her or what happened at El Mozote. In the ten years or so since the protest; I have become more moderate in my political views; but every so often; I have thought about that little girl and wondered about the details of what happened to her. I finally decided to buy this book; and I am thankful that I did.Danner writes his account in a journalistic style; giving the reader not just a graphic and nauseating play-by-play of a small group of Salvadoran soldiers storming into a town full of civilians and murdering hundreds of them in gruesome ways; but also a historical context of why the atrocity took place. Danner delves into the ongoing war between the military and the Communist guerrillas; and he highlights the complicated impact of the rumors and facts of the event on the new Reagan Administration in their Cold War efforts. Perhaps the most striking benefit of the book; though; is that the story is quite short - maybe 170 pages; minus full-page photos along the way - but it comes packaged with copies of actual communications and editorials and other documents; including a multi-page list of the hundreds of named victims of this military operation. Although the massacre at El Mozote occurred about thirty years ago; and the book itself is nearly twenty years old; I still highly recommend this book for readers today who are interested in the way that U.S. foreign policy has responded to human rights violations during times of war.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I appreciate the attention Danner pays to how incredibly easy it was for officials in America to suppress the ...By TAThis is a required text for my Modern Latin America course. I find the writing concise and quite readable; which is refreshing in something being used as a history text. I will say that it is quite graphic in its descriptions (as to be expected) but also in its photographic inclusions; so if that is upsetting to you you may want to give it a pass. I appreciate the attention Danner pays to how incredibly easy it was for officials in America to suppress the news reports of the massacre; not as any kind of ill will or theatrical villainy but just out of a 'well someone else can worry about it' sense of self preservation.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Why Do We Fund Governments That Massacre Their People?By ZarathustraIn December 1981 the army of El Salvador rounded up over 750 men; women and children who happened to be Evangelical Christians; herded them into a church in the hamlet of El Mozote in remote Morazan Province and killed them all. Why? They were not members of the FMNL who were fighting against them or proponents of Catholic liberation theology. They were apparently killed for no reason except that the army which was trained by its American advisers was totally out of control. The US embassy tried to cover it up; but Mark Danner got the chilling story which was first published in The New Yorker Magazine in 1993; a year after the war ended.This was a massacre in a war that we paid for; but it was covered up by our government. The next time our government wants to start another war; what will your response be? Think about it. Why do we fight? Remember; war is a profitable enterprise for many large American corporations who also own many members of the US Congress.
