Rating: 
Summary: Ambrose a serious historian? HAHA!!!
Review: ...This guy started out okay with "Band of Brothers" years back but tried to cash in on the 50th anniversary of WW2 (and the interest generated by same) a little too easily.Not well researched at all, this is an interesting collection of personal vignettes, but nothing more. That in itself would be tolerable (though better titled "Brief Personal Vignettes of Americans on D-Day"). But this 'author' spins so many fables it becomes embarrassing to carry a US passport!! What an ethnocentrist!! I'm no big fan of the UK or anything, and I do not consider operations of UK ground forces in the ETO to have been outstanding in many areas....but this guy might as well say that only Americans made a difference...he practically states that the Brits were dead weight around the allied war effort's neck (wonder how he feels about the Soviets??!!!??). As for the Germans. Okay they were the enemy and they lost the war....two strikes against them. And the German military machine had a lot more flaws than many writers choose to dwell upon. BUT this author's understanding of Wehrmacht training, doctrine, etc. is practically nil.....maybe that too would be forgiven if he titled his book "A History of the US Forces in Normandy, But not of the Germans"...or maybe "This Book Would Be Thicker But I Have Chosen To Blow Off The Wehrmacht". So who was up on those bluffs, anyway, Stephen? As others have pointed out, Ambrose misses the landing craft on a lot of small details, but also on some really big ones; this is good fluff stuff for the casual reader, especially post 9/11 when everyone wants to wave the (US) flag but to anyone who wants to understand what went down in Normandy I would not recommend this book unless your car breaks down in the middle of a desert on a weekend and your only other companion choice would be Dr. Laura. As for being the 'climactic battle' of WW2......where does that come from (other than a marketing strategy)?? An aside.....when traveling in France we met an English couple and had dinner with them; they related a story they swore to be true, having happened to them only days before: They were visiting Utah beach and met an American woman who turned out to be a teacher (Junior High I think)....she had NO IDEA that UK troops, or Canadians, had fought on D-Day.....I wonder if Ambrose had been her professor???????????????
Rating: 
Summary: Well Written But Biased
Review: Having now read three Stephen Ambrose books (Band of Brothers, Wild Blue & D Day), I can acknowledge that these are well written and accessible books. However, they are flawed by an unfortunate bias which makes them less credible. Every history book is likely to take the side of the country in which it is written; Ambrose is keen to promote the US case, but also seems to be very anti-British. Wild Blue explains that the Americans adopted precision bombing; whereas the British were guilty of "terror bombing". It conveniently ignores the Blitz on Britain by the Luftwaffe, or the American incendiary "Terror Bombing" of Japanese cities. D Day adopts a more Anti-British approach. The British were "too timid", suffering continual defeats until the arrival of the Americans. The British are accused of continually delaying the invasion of Europe. The shortages of landing craft and the need for an invasion victory at all costs are conveniently ignored as the main factors in delaying Overlord to 1944, but are then mentioned later without reference to the British. The Mulberry Harbours are only mentioned as a way to "keep the British on track", but provide ports on the European mainland, and free up landing craft from resupply to Op Dragoon. Numerous other slights are made throughout the book, with only grudging, and rare, compliments. I don't know what Ambroses' agenda actually is. Whilst you would expect an American to highlight their undoubted massive contribution to Victory in Europe, it seems strange to belittle the contribution of others. Is he too Pro-American, or simply Anti-British? A little bit more balance would make these books work so much better.
Rating:
Summary: Informative, To Informative
Review: I think that the title of this review says it all, it is informative. I have read other books by Stephen Ambrose like Band of Brothers, and The Wild Blue, and i must say that both of these while shorter, and focus on a smaller group, are overall a better book. Dont get me wrong, I would suggest this to anyone intrested in World War Two, But to the average reader, you may want to read some of his other books first. The first thing that Ambrose did was to add too many trivial things. I understand that small things make the big picture, but I dont need to know how many packs Eisenhower smoked a day. I think that he should get more in depth on the stories, whitch he dose, but later in the book. So in conclusion, if your a beginner of Ambrose books, looking for an intresting read on World War Two, I highly suggest Band of Brothers. But if your looking for an in depth view on the planning, of d-day then this book might be for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Quite a Ride
Review: First, this book is written from an American perspective. It is not written from a British, Canadian or German one. There will naturally be biases within. However, it is not less bias than an account written of the same day by a British, Canadian or German author. Everyone's got their point of view. With that said, I thought Ambrose did a nice job describing the events leading up to and taking place that day. It forces you to stop and think about that day not to long ago, to remember how close the world came to looking very different. Ambrose does emphasize the teamwork of the Allies. He does critize, but his criticisms are not focused only one branch nor on one nation. He second guess decisions made by the Americans and British. Actually, now that I think about it, he holds very little if any criticism at the Canadians. Instead of drawing up opinions along national lines, readers should avoid quibbling over minute details, and focus on the essence of the story: that one day only a couple of generations ago, many nations--despite their rivalries and differences--got together to stand against a very evil progression. Somehow these very different nations, managed to come together and, after a very devestating initial assault, managed to overcome and establish a beachhead that would spell the end of the Reich. Ambrose captures that, as fairly as one can. A must read, lest we should forget (the sad part is, it seems, that only after 50 years, the world seems poised to forget!)
Rating:
Summary: Thank you Veterans
Review: Where does one begin in reviewing this book? Do you look at this top-rate work by Stephen Ambrose as a historical work with a decidedly human overtone or is this a book about people who just happened to be involved in the war to free Europe. Already having read and loved Band of Brothers and Citizen Soldiers I had high expectations for D-Day. True to his style, Ambrose did not disappoint. With these books he has solidified himself as the premier writer of WWII literature, it is simply too good to be beaten. D-Day is the comprehensive account of the activities leading up to the invasion of France on June 6, 1944. Ambrose covers all of the invasion beaches, not just Utah and Omaha beaches that the Americans invaded. A whole wide range of emotions are felt while reading this book and at the same time an overwhelming feeling of patriotism and pride. If you have never read a Stephen Ambrose book, you have no idea what you are missing. I recommend reading this book first followed by Citizen Soldier, and then Band of Brothers for those who want a great historical view of World War II in the European Theater. These books are modern classics and should be read by everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Ambrose's Best
Review: In all of his other books, Ambrose's weak writing gets in the way of great stories. In this book, the story is so monumental that even he can't drag it down. It's his best book.
Rating:
Summary: What's so great about England?
Review: I've started the book but all I get is that the English army did this and the english army did that. Also the English prime minister Churchill spoke about this and that, the English won battles and lost battles. The same situation happens with the american army and the american soldiers.
The facts are that the English army does not exist any more since 1707 and there is no English prime minister. Since the union of parlaments, England, Scotland, Wales and Nothern Ireland have been called GREAT BRITAIN and this new country has a british army and a british prime minister. Infact it would be nice to notice that not only english men died in the war but also brave scotish, welsh and soldiers from Northern Ireland too!
And what about the americans? Well, maybe I shouldn't teach a Univerity professor of New Orleans about the difference between America and United States...
Anyway it is a nice book to read and the germans are really shown as the bad boys!
The same
Rating:
Summary: Proud to be a 'gutless' Brit
Review: This is probably the most ethnomaniacal historical text I have ever read. Can one man deemed an 'expert' in his field really be this ignorant and narrow-minded? I spent several years living in the US and found the Americans to be a witty and intelligent bunch... so, for the life of me, I can't figure out why they hail this book as such a masterpiece. Do American readers honestly believe the Brits 'couldn't fight for more than half an hour without stopping for a cup of tea' as Ambrose asserts? Do they believe the British were 'gutless' as Ambrose also seems intent to point out many times? I hope they don't fall for Ambrose's blather about the 'fury of an aroused democracy.' Even the most objective person has to concede that the United States did nothing to 'arouse' itself while Hitler ran rampant over Europe in 1939 and 1940 as Britain stood alone. In D-Day, Ambrose pays little tribute to the British Tommy. And what attention he does give is peppered with ignorant comments based on narrow-minded stereotypes. My grandfather and his brother both fought for Britain in World War II. Not once can they recall stopping in the midst of a fire fight to brew a cup of Earl Gray. Suppose a historical text was published which asserted 'The Americans couldn't fight for more than half an hour without stopping to eat a hamburger...' Would you not consider that a disgusting insult to all the American GIs who paid the ultimate price for their country? In the end it's a shame Ambrose fuels such ignorance about WWII history through his litarary flag-waving epics. Read Cornelius Ryan or John Keegan for a more objective and professional assessment of what happened on that magnificent day.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: The author, Stephen E. Ambrose is considered one of if not the leading American historian concerning our involvement in World War 2. He has recently received some bad press about "borrowing" information from other authors, but at this point I do not think that issue effects this book. This book takes the reader through the full story of the D-Day invasions, from the training, planning and preparation all the way to the landing on the beaches and securing the beachheads. The book is just wonderfully detailed and really paints a picture in the minds eye. If there is one book that can compare to "Saving Private Ryan" in the tension and drama of the landings, this is it. The thing that I loved the most about the book was the immense amount of detailed information he gave us. Ambrose is such a skilled writer that he can dictate lists in a compelling manner. The story has much more then endless list of facts, Ambrose does a wonderful job of describing what the American GI went through, and from the food he ate to first hand accounts of some of the worse battles in the war. I highly recommend this and his book Citizen Solders to get an accurate, detailed and very easy to read documentation of the American war effort in Europe the last year. There is not better book on the topic.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK!
Review: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE GREATEST INVASION IN HISTORY AND THEN SOME...
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