D-Day: The Climate Battle of World War II Stephen Ambrose a historian of the Second World War and biographer of his idol, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ambrose also wrote the book D-Day: The Climate Battle of World War II. His book was published June 1, 1994, this was written in honor of the 50th anniversary of D-day. Most of his book was based on files of interviews he had previously done while at the Eisenhower Center at the University of New Orleans. (Stern) Ambrose’s book is well written and easily understandable. His book is also very well organized and he accurately builds off of each section/topic. Ambrose uses many sources, some written and some oral, and explains both the significance of the operation and the actual development. The significant aspect of this book is that Ambrose gives both sides of the war the day of D-Day, unlike many other books about D-Day. Another aspect is that “Ambrose devotes most of his text to the Americans assault on the German position at Omaha Beach” (Walker). Ambrose does a great job emphasizing and explaining the detail and minute planning that was involved and all without computer aid, soil samples, chemical warfare prep, false leads and tricks to throw the Nazis off. 175,000 men, 50,000 vehicles, 5,333 ships and almost 11,000 planes were all efforts made to plan a victory on D-Day. There needed to be plenty of men to execute all the plans and tricks. (Walker) A major theme of "D-Day" is the examination of expectations versus reality. He argues that the allies were under prepared, but in the end still able to finish what was started with a victory. His main point is that although the allied soldiers, sailors and airman all fought well it is understood they would rather be throwing baseballs an... ... middle of paper ... ... was actually there. Ambrose’s book is perhaps mostly known for being a tribute to the veterans who fought “the last good war” (Callahan). This seems to be the best narrative history of D-Day, shifting precisely from analysis of the strategies to the vivid scenes such as the Omaha Beach defenses or the great armada. This book provides the reader with a in-depth view of D-Day, and the procedures leading up to it .(Reynolds) I found it to be very well organized and easy to follow despite having a great deal of information to keep track of. The use of stories from survivors of the landings helped to make some of the more dull reading at the beginning easier to read. It also provided a more believable account of the events on the beaches. It was a pleasure to read and sometimes even humorous despite the seriousness of the subject. I would recommend this book to anybody.
The award-winning novel by Stephen Ambrose, Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, discusses one of the greatest examples of mission command in the form of 1st Lieutenant Richard Winters and his role in the Brecourt Manor Assault. This battle is a textbook example of how to fight against a superior enemy force that outnumbered the unit by four times as much. Facing overwhelming odds with just 16 paratroopers against over 60 German Soldiers, 1LT Winters nevertheless prevails and succeeds in achieving his objective while minimizing casualties to just three Soldiers lost. Looking back further into the American Revolution, the Battle of Bunker Hill on the American side is one of the earliest examples of Mission Command under the command of COL William Prescott.
Noonan, P. (1984, June 6). Remarks at a United States-France Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-Day, June 6, 1984 . Retrieved March 24, 2014, from The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library: http://www.reaganfoundation.org/tgcdetail.aspx?args_a=cms&args_b=1&argsb=N&h1=0&h2=0&lm=reagan&p=TG0923RRS&sw=&tx=1742
At daybreak, August 19th, 1942, the Allies began their raid on the French coastal city of Dieppe occupied by Germany. The raid has extreme Canadian significance, as it pertains to 5000 Canadians involved in the campaign, 3,350 of which became casualties and 916 died on the bloodstained beach at Dieppe. The Dieppe raid is widely considered a failure on every level and has left a dreadful mark in Canadian military history because of how poorly it panned out. Operation Jubilee remains one of the most hotly debated Allied aspects of the war. Tactically, it was a complete failure as little to no objectives were attained. This essay will explain that Dieppe failed because of the tactical errors on the part of the Allies, in conjunction with the fact the entire operation was very poorly planned out. It will do so by discussing 4 major points: poor allied planning, how Dieppe was a difficult place to attack, that the assault was launched for political rather than military reasons and finally, how it failed to upgrade morale.
Throughout the battle, you see numerous Army Values and Warrior Ethos being used. “I will never leave a fallen comrade”, was the etho used the most, to reach the separated platoon. The battle also shows that not all tactical orders are effective, but as a leader you must never second guess yourself.
Ambrose has shown his great admiration for his country, reflecting upon his views for America and writing what he has done to help benefit this country, such as his D-day Museum. He visibly shows his patriotism and his fascination for military history as he recounts stories of World War 2 and the War of 1812 and speaks highly of countries achievements of helping rebuild Europe after the war and gaining independence for colonies held by Japan during the war. He uses imagery, contrasting ideas, and quotes from other historians or Americans to back up his messages he tries to convey to his readers. His background also influenced him very heavily in his writing as well and was what encouraged him to keep on writing to the very end.
One of the most important days during World War II was D-day, it became a “day” so important it changed a continent. Don't be mistaken by the word D-day it did not all happens in just one day but many days. D-day was just a code name for the day that Operation Overload started. D-day is very well known for the beginning of the end of the war in Europe and Hitler's rule over most of the ruined continent of Europe. Many say that if it were not for D-day Europe would have definitely fell to Hitler.
... it was nice to not feel overwhelmed by the language used in the book. Overall, this book was insightful, entertaining and extremely helpful. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
Bard, Mitchell G. The Complete Idiot's Guide to world War II, Macmillan Publishing, New York, New York, 1999
Vat, Dan. D-Day-The Greastest Invasion- A peoples History. New York: Madison Press Books, 2003. Print.
Keegan chooses the three well documented campaigns of Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815, and Somme in 1916 to answer the question of his thesis: To find out how men who are faced with the threat of single-missile and multiple-missile weapons control their fears, fix their wounds, and face their death. In his words he is seeking “to catch a glimpse of the face of battle.”
This date in history has now been termed D-Day. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the campaign to take Western Europe back from German hands was as Winston Churchill stated “undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult’ ever undertaken.” After many hard fought years of fighting Hitler and his axis powers, the military leaders of the allied forces with the accommodation of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) planned an assault on the Western front of Europe through France to create a two front war, and gain a quick route into Germany. Operation Overlord was to be conducted in two phases: Operation Pointblank, an airborne assault to infiltrate German lines and meet up with the troops from Operation Neptune, the amphibious assault on the beaches of Normandy. Hitler knew of a possible invasion, but German intelligence had the assault coming from the Pas de Calais to the north. This mission had no backup plan; four years of fighting all came down to one day. 5,000 boats carrying 150,000 Americans, Brits and Canadians into the teeth of German occupied Normandy beach. There was no alternative, no looking back it was win or die.
On June 6th, 1944 the Battle of Normandy began. This day is also marked as D-Day. D-Day is when 156,000 American, British, and Canadian forces invaded on five beaches along a fifty-mile stretch. It took place on the Bay of the Siene, on the south side of the English Channel. Normandy Landings have also been called the “beginning of the end of the war.” Although they landed on June 6th, the invasion did not take place until later, due to bad weather. They called this invasion “Operation Overlord.” General Dwight Eisenhower was appointed commander of “Operation Overlord.” (History.com Staff D-Day) Eisenho...
This book was a good read for me, but I also read book reviews to help me keep track on what I am reading. These book reviews just made a better understanding of what I was reading.
An extensive plan was established for the American attack on Utah and Omaha Beaches. The plan was so in-depth, and complex, its descriptions detailed the exact arrivals of troops, armor, and other equipment needed for the invasion, and where exactly on the beach they were to land.
Among his best sellers are D-Day, Citizen Soldiers, Band of Brothers, Undaunted Courage and Nothing like it in the World. He was also a consultant for Steven Spielberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan. He is a retired Professor of History. Ambrose is now the director of the Eisenhower Center in New Orleans and is the founder of the National D-Day Museum. He is also a contributing editor of the Quarterly Journal of Military History.