Citizen Soldiers: Summary and book reviews of Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose, plus links to an excerpt from Citizen Soldiers and a biography of Stephen Ambrose.
Citizen Soldiers The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany. June 7, 1944 to May 7, 1945
by Stephen Ambrose
Hardcover: Oct 1997,
512 pages.
Paperback: Aug 1999,
255 pages.
From the special advisor on Saving Private Ryan and the bestselling
author of Undaunted Courage and D-Day, the definitive book on the most
important day of World War II, comes the inspiring story of the ordinary men of the U.S.
Army in northwest Europe from the day after D-Day until the end of the bitterest days of
the war.
Citizen Soldiers opens at 0001 hours, June 7, 1944, on the Normandy beaches, and ends at
0245 hours, May 7, 1945. In between come the battles in the hedgerows of Normandy, the
breakout at St.-Lô, the Falaise Gap, Patton tearing through France, the liberation of
Paris, the attempt to leap the Rhine in Operation Market-Garden, the near-miraculous
German recovery, the battles around Metz and in the Hurtgen Forest, the Battle of the
Bulge -- the biggest battle in the history of the U.S. Army -- the capture of the bridge
at Remagen, and finally the overrunning of Germany.
From the high command (including Eisenhower, Bradley. and Patton) on down to the enlisted
men, Stephen E. Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews and oral histories from men on
both sides who were there. Ambrose once again recreates the experiences of the individuals
who fought the battles. The women who served as nurses, secretaries, clerks,
code-breakers, and flyers are part of the narrative, as are the Germans who fought against
us. Within the chronological story, there are chapters on medics, nurses, and doctors; on
the quartermasters; on replacements; on what it was like to spend a night on the front
lines; on sad sacks, cowards, and criminals; on Christmas 1944; on weapons of all kinds.
Ambrose reveals the learning process of a great army -- how to cross rivers, how to fight
in snow or hedgerows, how to fight in cities, how to coordinate air and ground campaigns,
how to fight in winter and on the defensive, how citizens become soldiers in the best army
in the world. Ambrose evokes the suffering of warfare, fighting in the cold and wet,
gruesome wounds, combat exhaustion, looting, shooting prisoners, random destruction and
more. Throughout, the perspective is that of the enlisted men and junior officers. Even
when writing about Ike, Monty, Patton, and Bradley, Ambrose does so from the point of view
of the men in the front lines and focuses on how the decisions of the brass affected them.
Citizen Soldiers is a biography of the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations,
June 7, 1944, to May 7, 1945. Allied citizen soldiers overcame their fear and
inexperience, the mistakes of the high command, and the enemy to win the war. Once again,
Stephen E. Ambrose shows that free men fight better than slaves, that the sons of
democracy proved to be better soldiers than the sons of Nazi Germany.
New York Times Book Review - Carlo D'Este
[A]n unforgettable testament to the World War II generation
New York Times Book Review - Carlo D'Este
[A]n unforgettable testament to the World War II generation
Time Magazine Citizen Soldiers [is] a high point in Ambrose's long fascination with the
nature of leaders and followers.
Time Magazine Citizen Soldiers [is] a high point in Ambrose's long fascination with the
nature of leaders and followers.
Publishers Weekly
It is good to be reminded of
brave men's brave deeds with the eloquence and insight that the author
brings to this splendid, generously illustrated and moving history.
Ken Burns
What a wonderful book, an emotionally powerful argument for our wonderful, flawed system
and its homegrown heroics. I imagine Ambrose's writing room as supreme HQ where he is
standing over a huge map of Europe, barking orders, dispatching terrified subordinates,
surveying and understanding a vast, tragic human canvas at a glance. Ambrose's arsenal is
imposing and effective; his pen is a machine gun detached, hot, and devastating.
Joseph Heller
Citizen Soldiers is just about the most gripping account of the Second World War that I
have ever read. It is written with the art of a novelist, the clarity and immediacy of a
journalist, and the meticulous intelligence of a sensible historian. I cannot imagine a
motion picture that would be more thrilling than the individual vivid accounts of combat
activity in Europe from the Normandy landings in June until the final surrender the
following May.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by whitepanter Citizen sodgiers Amazing!!!
Rated of 5
by J Zengler Citizen Soldiers One of the best books I have ever read. It really puts you there in the last year of WW2. I don't read many books, but I am so glad I read this one. This book makes you want to keep in remembrance the heroes of the war. I also liked how the book... Read More
Rated of 5
by Evelyn
Hello i am fifteen years old and i found citizen soldiers to be truly amazing at times. I recommend this book to any one who is interested in world war II, because it is accurate and enjoyable. I think Ambrose's true talent is focusing on one... Read More
Rated of 5
by Anonymous
I am 15 years old and I think Citizen Soldiers is an excellent book about World War II. Stephen E. Ambrose is one of my favorite authors and this book made me appreciate even more the sacrifices of the men who fought to preserve democracy. This... Read More
Rated of 5
by imad
Professor Ambrose at his best. Very gripping narrative with good attention to detail. I really don't care for the nationalistic histrionicsthough. Ambrose once wrote an introduction to Hans von Luck's "Panzer Commander" in which he stated... Read More
Rated of 5
by Samantha
This book is truly inspirational. I found it a good read and enjoyed it throughly. It was very accurate and gave me a good sense of pride knowing that some of the inspirational and heroic people fought for us. I recommend it to anyone... Read More
Reveals one of the most important stories of World War II. As Allied soldiers fought the Nazis, Franklin Roosevelt and, later, Harry Truman fought in private with Churchill and Stalin over how to ensure that Germany could never threaten the world again.
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