Stephen E. Ambrose's D-Day is the definitive history of World War II's most pivotal battle, a day that changed the course of history.
D-Day is the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their lives, when the horrors, complexities, and triumphs of life are laid bare. Distinguished historian Stephen E. Ambrose portrays the faces of courage and heroism, fear and determination?what Eisenhower called "the fury of an aroused democracy"?that shaped the victory of the citizen soldiers whom Hitler had disparaged.
Drawing on more than 1,400 interviews with American, British, Canadian, French, and German veterans, Ambrose reveals how the original plans for the invasion had to be abandoned, and how enlisted men and junior officers acted on their own initiative when they realized that nothing was as they were told it would be.
The action begins at midnight, June 5/6, when the first British and American airborne troops jumped into France. It ends at midnight June 6/7. Focusing on those pivotal twenty-four hours, it moves from the level of Supreme Commander to that of a French child, from General Omar Bradley to an American paratrooper, from Field Marshal Montgomery to a German sergeant. Ambrose's D-Day is the finest account of one of our history's most important days.
Autorentext
Stephen E. Ambrose was a renowned historian and acclaimed author of more than thirty books. Among his New York Times bestsellers are Nothing Like It in the World, Citizen Soldiers, Band of Brothers, D-Day - June 6, 1944, and Undaunted Courage. Dr. Ambrose was a retired Boyd Professor of History at the University of New Orleans and a contributing editor for the Quarterly Journal of Military History.
Inhalt
Contents
Prologue
1 The Defenders
2 The Attackers
3 The Commanders
4 Where And When?
5 Utilizing Assets
6 Planning and Preparing
7 Training
8 Marshaling and Briefing
9 Loading
10 Decision to Go
11 Cracking the Atlantic Wall
The Airborne into Normandy
12 "Let's Get Those Bastards"
The Airborne Night Attack
13 "The Greatest Show Ever Staged"
The Air Bombardment
14 A Long, Endless Column of Ships
The Naval Crossing and Bombardment
15 "We'll Start the War from Right Here"
The 4th Division at Utah Beach
16 "Nous Restons Ici"
The Airborne in the Cotentin
17 Visitors to Hell
The 116th Regiment at Omaha
18 Utter Chaos Reigned
The 16th Regiment at Omaha
19 Traffic Jam
Tanks, Artillery, and Engineers at Omaha
20 "I Am A Destroyer Man"
The Navy at Omaha Beach
21 "Will You Tell Me How We Did This?"
The 2nd Ranger Battalion on D-Day Morning
22 Up the Bluff at Vierville
The 116th Regiment and 5th Ranger Battalion
23 Catastrophe Contained
Easy Red Sector, Omaha Beach
24 Struggle for the High Ground
Vierville, St.-Laurent, and Colleville
25 "It Was Just Fantastic"
Afternoon on Omaha Beach
26 The World Holds Its Breath
D-Day on the Home Fronts
27 "Fairly Stuffed With Gadgets"
The British Opening Moves
28 "Everything Was Well Ordered"
The 50th Division at Gold Beach
29 Payback
The Canadians at Juno Beach
30 "An Unforgettable Sight"
The British at Sword Beach
31 "My God, We've Done It"
The British Airborne on D-Day
32 "When Can Their Glory Fade?"
The End of the Day
Glossary
Endnotes
Bibliography
Appendix A: Veterans who contributed oral histories or written memoirs to the Eisenhower Center
Index
Maps
The Final Overlord Invasion Plan
German Strength in Western Europe
Landing Diagram, Omaha Beach
Utah Beach Airborne Assault on D-Day
The Allied Assault Routes on D-Day
Utah Beach Infantry Assault on D-Day
Omaha Beach First Wave Landings on D-Day
Omaha Beach Eastern Sector
Omaha Beach Evening of D-Day