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Citizen Soldiers - The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany: June 7, 1944-May 7, 1945 [ Audio Book ]

by: Stephen E. Ambrose, Stephen E. Ambrose, Cotter Smith
en

0743508130 

 


The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany: June 7, 1944-May 7, 1945
By Stephen E. Ambrose, Stephen E. Ambrose, Cotter Smith


 


Product Description:

Citizen Soldiers opens on June 7, 1944, on the Normandy beaches, and ends on May 7, 1945. From the high command on down to the enlisted men, Stephen E. Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews and oral histories from men on both sides who were there. He recreates the experiences of the individuals who fought the battles, the women who served, and the Germans who fought against us.

Ambrose reveals the learning process of a great army -- how to cross rivers, how to fight in snow or hedgerows, how to fight in cities, how to coordinate air and ground campaigns, how to fight in winter and on the defensive, how citizens become soldiers in the best army in the world.

A masterful biography of the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations, Citizen Soldiers provides a compelling account of the extraordinary stories of ordinary men in their fight for democracy.



Summary: A nice balance of the big picture and the nitty gritty
Rating: 5

This is a series of anecdotes about soldiers' lives. The author keeps his narrative moving and provides a nice mix of the big picture and vivid snippets. He generally lets the facts speak for themselves. It's a story of regular guys accomplishing something spectacular in a horrible situation. As a baby boomer, it is hard to imagine what WWII was like. This book helps me begin to appreciate the "greatest generation." The narration is excellent. The maps that come with the CDs are much too small. You will want to access to a good WWII atlas.



Summary: My Introduction to World War II
Rating: 5

I happened upon this book at work over seven years ago and started it for lack of reading material. This book started my education into the world of the World War II. Ambrose not only tells you what happened in a time line that is easy to follow, he tells you about life for the average infantryman in the war. It is a must read for anyone studying the war, or a soldiers life in any war, for a hobby or for education. I have given this book as a gift to friends and family members who show an interest in World War II, and I consider it the best World War II book I have read to date after now reading over a hundred other books on this war and soldier's lives in battle. This book and Band of Brothers are by far my favorite two books on the subject.



Summary: Ambrose phones in another one
Rating: 1

The scandal regarding Ambroses's plagiarism come home to roost in this mediocre effort. The "book" is actually a collection of thinly related anecdotes, many less than a paragraph in length, haphazardly pasted together between the bindings. In fact, Ambrose in places plagiarized himself, cutting and pasting passages from his other publications. Moreover, it is apparent from the uneven editing and shifting writing styles that several authors were at work here, at least two of whom lack basic english skills. Themeless, incoherent, cursory, and on occasion simply wrong historically, this publication hardly merits the effort to turn the pages. In essence, while many of the little stories are interesting, the book fails on all levels. It is too cursory to be regarded as a serious history, yet lacks the coherence necessary to stand as a survey of the last ten months of the war. The writing style is too sophomoric to qualify as a "young adult" work, much less as "adult." Both the writing style and the depth of analysis are appropriate for preteens, but many of the anecdotes are too graphic and much of the language too salty for its inadvertently intended audience. It must be regarded a shame that those who purportedly heaped praise upon the work couldn't be bothered to read it first. Apart from several alleged quotations, there is nothing here that a college freshman couldn't accumulate by spending a few days in any decent university library.



Summary: Brilliant Writing!
Rating: 5

As a budding World War II scholar, I found this book to be one of the best I've ever read. Stephen Ambrose captures the imagination with cold, hard facts. He makes you feel what it was really like in the cold trenches of the Bulge, the frustration of the Hedgerows in Normandy, and the exuberance of rolling past the Siegfried Line and into the heart of Germany. A must read and a true companion to 'D-Day'.



Summary: Very awesome book
Rating: 5

I have always loved war novels and movies, however, I failed to ever learn about the facts of what really happened. All I ever learned was fiction. When I started reading this book, I found myself shocked, proud, disturbed, but moved. It takes you from the foxholes of the Bulge to the doctors in the field hospitals. Filled with first person accounts and photographs, Citizen Soldiers portrays life for the average soldier. It is also filled with intersting tidbits. Although it is a history book, it doesn't read like a textbook as Ambrose is a brilliant writer and historian. Even if you do not like history or war, I think you will find yourself intrigued. Thank you for reading my review. :-)