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A review by ncrabb
Citizen Soldiers: The U S Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany by Stephen E. Ambrose
5.0
There are what feels like countless books that focus on D-Day and the subsequent events that ended the war in Europe. This book is one of the best on the subject. Through a series of letters, primary source material, and interviews with men and women on all sides of the conflict, Ambrose builds a kind of verbal multi-dimensional sculpture--a kind of tribute to those who fought.
The book begins with descriptions of the events of June 6, 1944 and even prior to that. Ambrose then zooms in on the experience of fighting among the hedgerows that were integral to the early months of the battle. In his compelling way, he takes you inside the conflict as much as you can possibly go nearly 75 years after that historical 11-month period which is the book's focus. You'll read with interest and much emotion about how these young Americans and their enemies spent the Christmas season of 1944--a Christmas that many erroneously believed would be celebrated safely at home.
Read this to learn about the harsh winter of 1945 and the toll it took on infantrymen and others. There are vivid accounts of these young Americans urinating on their equipment in an attempt to thaw it enough to be used. The scheme rarely worked well, and the men literally risked frostbite to their penises after only seconds of exposure to the bitter temperatures.
There's a chapter devoted exclusively to the replacements who came into the war late, were not well trained, and had to scramble to get on-the-job experience before that experience killed them. In fact, the only area where I was bogged down by this book was a rather lengthy table in chapter 11 that shows the percentage of replacements each division experienced between D-Day and the end of the war. Since I read an audio edition of the book, I skipped that table, reading enough to be sobered by the statistics.
There is a chapter devoted to the air war as well. Ambrose gives an even-handed look at the controversial bombing of Dresden. While he is respectful of the figure initially released regarding deaths in the city, he postulates that instead of the quarter of a million people who were supposed to have died, the real number could be as low as 35,000. He looks at why the city was chosen as an air target, and he points out the lessons learned by the Allies as a result of the bombing.
He brilliantly juxtaposes chapters that focus on the more-than-extra-mile heroic efforts of doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. Compare their excellence with the sleazy profiteering of American goods that found their way into a thriving black market--goods and supplies that were desperately needed by suffering soldiers. He also focused in this chapter on what he called the "chicken-shit factor," circumstances in which officers unnecessarily threw their weight around. The same chapter focused on the blatant racism in the armed forces of the day. Ambrose commended black military personnel for fighting as brilliantly and well as they did, knowing all the while that white German prisoners of war were being treated better back home than the black fighting man would be upon his release.
The book ultimately guides you through the spring of 1945 and the eventual allied victory. There's a section on concentration camps and prisoner of war camps. The book is a well-written look at one of the turning points in world history. The vivid word pictures created here will remain with you long after you've finished it.
The book begins with descriptions of the events of June 6, 1944 and even prior to that. Ambrose then zooms in on the experience of fighting among the hedgerows that were integral to the early months of the battle. In his compelling way, he takes you inside the conflict as much as you can possibly go nearly 75 years after that historical 11-month period which is the book's focus. You'll read with interest and much emotion about how these young Americans and their enemies spent the Christmas season of 1944--a Christmas that many erroneously believed would be celebrated safely at home.
Read this to learn about the harsh winter of 1945 and the toll it took on infantrymen and others. There are vivid accounts of these young Americans urinating on their equipment in an attempt to thaw it enough to be used. The scheme rarely worked well, and the men literally risked frostbite to their penises after only seconds of exposure to the bitter temperatures.
There's a chapter devoted exclusively to the replacements who came into the war late, were not well trained, and had to scramble to get on-the-job experience before that experience killed them. In fact, the only area where I was bogged down by this book was a rather lengthy table in chapter 11 that shows the percentage of replacements each division experienced between D-Day and the end of the war. Since I read an audio edition of the book, I skipped that table, reading enough to be sobered by the statistics.
There is a chapter devoted to the air war as well. Ambrose gives an even-handed look at the controversial bombing of Dresden. While he is respectful of the figure initially released regarding deaths in the city, he postulates that instead of the quarter of a million people who were supposed to have died, the real number could be as low as 35,000. He looks at why the city was chosen as an air target, and he points out the lessons learned by the Allies as a result of the bombing.
He brilliantly juxtaposes chapters that focus on the more-than-extra-mile heroic efforts of doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. Compare their excellence with the sleazy profiteering of American goods that found their way into a thriving black market--goods and supplies that were desperately needed by suffering soldiers. He also focused in this chapter on what he called the "chicken-shit factor," circumstances in which officers unnecessarily threw their weight around. The same chapter focused on the blatant racism in the armed forces of the day. Ambrose commended black military personnel for fighting as brilliantly and well as they did, knowing all the while that white German prisoners of war were being treated better back home than the black fighting man would be upon his release.
The book ultimately guides you through the spring of 1945 and the eventual allied victory. There's a section on concentration camps and prisoner of war camps. The book is a well-written look at one of the turning points in world history. The vivid word pictures created here will remain with you long after you've finished it.