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Summary: The Drive on Germany Seen from a Cold, Miserable Foxhole
Review: Citizen Soldiers begins the day after D-Day in Normandy and continues through the surrender of Germany in May 1945. While there are many history books about this period, all of the ones I have read take the perspective of either the big picture as seen by the politicians and generals or the little picture as seen by individual units. Citizen Soldiers is unique in my experience in combining both perspectives in one book. Citizen Soldiers is the only book I have read about World War II that contains every single negative story about the GI experiences that I have heard from individual veterans over the years. As such, Citizen Soldiers is a cautionary tale about grim realities of war. If you are easily offended by inhumanity, you will not enjoy this book. Combat is full of such, and Citizen Soldiers honestly captures everything from mass murder to random cruelty. I learned a lot from this book. Did you know that soldiers were often as likely to become casualties because of trench foot as with a bullet wound? Despite this, the recruits and draftees were never taught how to avoid trench foot. Other training errors cost lots of lives and wounded, such as not preparing the soldiers for the raised hedgerows in Normandy. The Germans were well prepared, but the Americans were not. Although no one can know what combat is like without experiencing it, Citizen Soldiers does a fine job of giving a flavor. The remorseless statistics of how many casualties were taken gives a grim sense of the fatalism that many soldiers must have felt. If 200 percent of a unit became casualties, and no one was released without becoming a casualty, what do you think you would assess your chances at? Where in the big picture histories, the cities and regions are mostly names. Here, there is a strong sense of place. You will know the difference between one forest and another, and from one river crossing to another. Important criticisms are aimed here at both the American and German leaders. Atrocities done by both Americans and Germans are handled openly and honestly. I hope these lessons will not be forgotten. I was pleased to see that Professor Ambrose made an effort to interview German soldiers as well. The mutual perspective on the battles and on the overall war experience is much more powerful than it would be by just hearing how it was for the winners. I came away from this book with a greatly heightened respect for the ordinary infantry soldiers of both the American and German armies on the northwestern front. I think you will, too. More than The Greatest Generation, this book made me realize the incredible character involved in winning World War II in northwestern Europe. I was also fascinated by the stories of how important innovations occurred, such as the coordination artillery, aircraft, tanks and infantry using radios and developing methods for breaching hedgerows in Normandy. It was the ordinary soldiers who usually came up with the good ideas, not the heavy thinkers. After you finish this book, think about where else lack of training and preparation needlessly wastes lives. How about people who have trouble learning in school, and feel humiliated in the process? At the same time, examine what the lessons are here for dealing with the escalating terrorism aimed at Americans. Look squarely in the face of violence and evil intentions with honesty!
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Summary: Citizen Soldiers
Review: Great book. Very easy to lose yourself in. I found myself thinking as if I was actually involved in the conflicts.
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Summary: Puts You There with the GI's Marching towards Berlin
Review: I read this book on the heels of Ambrose's D-day and I became hooked and convinced that Ambrose's writing is remarkably engaging and that there is a reason every book he writes sells. I was lucky enough to live in an area of Germany for three years that the Battle of The Bulge was staged from. Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers" made the history that occurred in Europe from June of '44 to May of '45 come alive. Several of the pictures from the book could be pinpointed to exact locations as we traveled from Aachen to Bastogne to St Lo, retracing the hard fought track that the GI's gave their live for as retold in this book.
With it's broad scope, this book is not as focused as some of Ambrose's other works like the magnificent "D-day" or better yet "Pegasus Bridge", but it is fantastic for anyone interested in the personal aspect of World War II history. You will truly get a feel for the sacrifices that generation made to set things straight in the world again, if only for a little while. With the resurgent interest widespread in America today for all things World War II, this is an excellent read to recall the ghosts of that past and learn from those ghosts to help prevent any future wars. Read on my friends.
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Summary: Not a lot of Meat
Review: Although Ambrose does address a few touchy subjects, (like shooting prisoners) he's dancing around the topic and there's no analysis to speak of. Frankly put, Ambrose really hasn't written a good critical and fully balanced book in 15 years. Then again, he's rich, so he's got that going for him.
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Summary: This book started me reading everything Ambrose wrote...
Review: To a person born during the days of Vietnam, living through the end of the Cold War, with a father in the military, I still can't help but wonder how it was that the Citizen Soldiers of World War II did so much so effortlessly. The stories presented in Citizen Soldiers defy the imagination, and can really bring to life the situations that had to be confronted and defeated by the U.S. Army following D-Day in Europe. I have met many veterans of the war, and still I return to Ambrose's offering for more detail and explanation. Every issue of the vast spectacle of war is included, such as the all-important logistical problems faced and conquered by military planners to the desperation fo a Christmas at the front line. It is easy to understand from this book why talking about the war is hard for many; the only problem is that those who saw it are fading away too quickly. Reading this book may ive you an understanding, a very good comprehension of what was faced, but readers would still benefit from finding a veteran themselves, and starting with a grateful "Thank you" for doing what was described here. After this book, I have since gone on to read all of Stephen Amrose's works possible, and am still drawn back to this one at least once a year. This was a great, eye-opening read for a history teacher who thought he had a pretty good idea of what had happened. I gave myself too much credit- this book has given me much more of an idea, and is well worth the time taken to read it.
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Summary: Stirring and Awakening
Review: Im 17 and a great lover of history. What Steven wrote took me to what I didn't know about history. It is sad that in school we do not cover the most important part of the army, the individual. I learned about the individuals in this book. I sometimes had trouble sleeping with this book in my mind. It has also inspired me to join the armed service, to honor such men. Thanks Steven.
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Summary: THE SADNESS OF IT ALL....
Review: It's a sad controversy... BRave American soldiers giving their lives for freedom, for the ideals that America always pursued: freedom, initiative, democracy, iguality beyond all kind of races and colours, etc, etc. So, the U.S. Army helepd to save the world from Hitler. Ok. And after World War II? What America has turned into ? CIA helping to kill foreign leaders all around the world / Senator McCarthy leading the country into an absurd quest for "communists" / Kennedy killed and a official Comission that did nothing to solve the mistery / a country where guns are everywhere and kids kill their teachers / A Vietnam war for no purpose at all. I hope the ideals for what that soldiers fought are not dead and the flag they carried is still worth of their courage.
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Summary: Good but lack of attention to detail
Review: Lots of good anecdotal stories. However, as others have said, there's a lack of attention to detail - references to locations not on maps, acronyms that are never defined.
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Summary: Gripping Account of Soldiers' WWII Experiences
Review: This is the first Stephen Ambrose book I have read, and I throughly enjoyed it. The book describes WWII in Europe from a soldier's point of view. Ambrose does a wonderful job weaving the personal stories of soldiers who experienced combat in Europe during WWII, to tell the tale of how the Allies won the war. Unlike other books focus mainly on telling the overall story of WWII (the Operations, plans, tactics, and strategy from the General officer level), this book aims to give the reader a glimpse of what is was like to actually fight the war. My admiration and respect for the WWII generation continues to grow, the more I read about it. I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in WWII, especially if you are looking for details about how the soldiers lived, fought, and died in the major battles that followed D-Day. You will not be disappointed.
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Summary: Combat's own reality
Review: Ambrose once again masterfully illustrates in a way that only he can, the intense reality that is combat. Through the eye's of the men who fought that straining war, we see the snow falling, the knee deep mud, and the B-17's flying overhead to victory. As readers, we have the overall prespective that the individual combat soldier lacked. From the beaches to the hedgerows, from the bulge to the crossing of the Rhine, you will feel almost too closely the expierence of generation "we".
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