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dtab62's review against another edition
5.0
Alex Kershaw is one of the great historical writers of his generation, and this book confirms that. It's been sitting on my shelf for nearly a year, as I've been saving it as one would save a fine bottle of bourbon. I figured with the anniversary of D-Day approaching, now was the time to crack it open.
It would be tempting to think that everything that can be written about Operation Overlord has already been written. And indeed, some of these men will be familiar to readers with even a cursory knowledge of D-Day. But Kershaw has found a fresh approach, focusing on the men who were in the first wave, beginning with the paratroopers, British and American, who made the jump into Normandy in the early minutes of June 6, 1944.
After that, Kershaw takes us ashore with the first wave of amphibious troops from each of the beaches. Like all his books, this book is fast-paced and takes the reader into the thick of combat. It's not pretty, the graphic descriptions of being pinned down by sniper and mortar fire, and the resulting death and destruction are provocative.
Thankfully, the book does not end after the initial invasion, but follows the participants through the ground war in Europe and beyond. Like his previous books, The First Wave is a fitting tribute to the men who fought WWII. I highly recommend it.
It would be tempting to think that everything that can be written about Operation Overlord has already been written. And indeed, some of these men will be familiar to readers with even a cursory knowledge of D-Day. But Kershaw has found a fresh approach, focusing on the men who were in the first wave, beginning with the paratroopers, British and American, who made the jump into Normandy in the early minutes of June 6, 1944.
After that, Kershaw takes us ashore with the first wave of amphibious troops from each of the beaches. Like all his books, this book is fast-paced and takes the reader into the thick of combat. It's not pretty, the graphic descriptions of being pinned down by sniper and mortar fire, and the resulting death and destruction are provocative.
Thankfully, the book does not end after the initial invasion, but follows the participants through the ground war in Europe and beyond. Like his previous books, The First Wave is a fitting tribute to the men who fought WWII. I highly recommend it.
grotevad's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
4.0
hayleyhasik's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
bookhawk's review against another edition
4.0
There are a tremendous number of D-Day books that vary from purely military history to more human stories that follow many groups through the war and can range from a bit dry to utterly fascinating must reads. Kershaw does a nice job keeping the scope contained and writing a compelling piece. It was hard to put down and neither too detailed or overly broad. As my third Kershaw book, I have to appreciate his writing and picking a good path of details in such massive stories. This isn’t my favorite of all the D-Day books I have read but certainly an enjoyable read about a truly amazing event. Solid 4 stars.
scgirl730's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.5
azilliox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
cassies_books_reviews's review against another edition
5.0
In remembrance of the 75th anniversary of D-Day I read this well written account of D-Day. I added this to my shelf, because I want to learn more about World War 2 and the lives that were lost and the families who lost their family members. The first thing that jumped out to me about this book is how it’s mostly told in first person viewpoints, so you feel like your right there with them feeling their fear, terror and confusion and their shock of the violence around them. The warriors/hero’s that are featured in this book are rangers who climb the cliff at Point du Hoc, the Canadians on Juno Beach, General Theodore Roosevelt Jr at Utah Beach, Glider Troops and Lord Lovats commandos at Pegasus Beach, The Pathfinders and 101st Airborne parachuting into the pitch black night. Everyone in this book is a hero playing their part to win this bloody war some who didn’t make it home. I didn’t feel like this was a straight history book but a wonderful account of these brave men who sacrificed a piece of themselves or even their life for our freedom. I could tell immediately that the author did his research it showed so much in his writing. I cannot imagine arriving at the beach of Normandy and immediately being hit by the enemies fire. Every man that was there who made it out alive or didn’t is a hero to me the courage they showed is unbelievable. So I give this five stars!
jaxboiler's review against another edition
5.0
I am a huge fan of books about WWII so this one was right in my sweet spot. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This one was a lot of fun to read. It provided a lot of different perspectives from the allied perspective on the D-Day invasion. It definitely kept me entertained through out the entire book.
This one was a lot of fun to read. It provided a lot of different perspectives from the allied perspective on the D-Day invasion. It definitely kept me entertained through out the entire book.
audreyknutson's review against another edition
5.0
This book had that classic Cornelius Ryan "Longest Day" feel to it--it jumped around between various British and American soldiers, airmen, and paratroopers on DDay but it focus on only those in the first wave (which I guess the Longest Day arguably also did). It featured a lot of close combat and really captured both the military and personal aspects of the most famous day in the 20th century. A lot of these are stories that have been told before in other WWII/DDay books--the 101st airborne, Omaha Beach, Pegasus Bridge--but what really sets this book apart is the lip service it does to the 1st Infantry Division (most books focus on the 29th) on Omaha.
The book assumes the reader has at least a bit of working knowledge of DDay and WWII so I wouldn't recommend it to a novice, but it also doesn't require a lot of high level understanding so you don't have to be Stephen Ambrose to read it. Great book.
The book assumes the reader has at least a bit of working knowledge of DDay and WWII so I wouldn't recommend it to a novice, but it also doesn't require a lot of high level understanding so you don't have to be Stephen Ambrose to read it. Great book.
netsfrompdx's review against another edition
5.0
Book #100 for me in 2019 and what a book it was. Incredible account of D-Day, telling the stories of many soldiers who were entrusted to be the first boots on the ground. Tales of bravery and loss. Can't imagine the feeling of charging through unimaginable horror to restore democracy to Europe. The greatest generation indeed. Highly recommend reading this book.