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| Citizen Soldiers: The U. S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany | 
 enlarge | Author: Stephen E. Ambrose
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy New: $2.25
You Save: $15.75 (88%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (273 reviews)
Sales Rank: 18227
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.4
ISBN: 0684848015
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.5421
EAN: 9780684848013
ASIN: 0684848015
Publication Date: September 24, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In this riveting account, historian Stephen Ambrose continues where he left off in his #1 bestseller D-Day. Ambrose again follows the individual characters of this noble, brutal, and tragic war, from the high command down to the ordinary soldier, drawing on hundreds of interviews to re-create the war experience with startling clarity and immediacy. From the hedgerows of Normandy to the overrunning of Germany, Ambrose tells the real story of World War II from the perspective of the men and women who fought it.
Amazon.com Review
Stephen E. Ambrose combines history and journalism to describe how American GIs battled their way to the Rhineland. He focuses on the combat experiences of ordinary soldiers, as opposed to the generals who led them, and offers a series of compelling vignettes that read like an enterprising reporter's dispatches from the front lines. The book presents just enough contextual material to help readers understand the big picture, and includes memorable accounts of the Battle of the Bulge and other events as seen through the weary eyes of the men who fought in the foxholes. Highly recommended for fans of Ambrose, as well as all readers interested in understanding the life of a 1940s army grunt. A sort of sequel to Ambrose's bestselling 1994 book D-Day, Citizen Soldiers is more than capable of standing on its own.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 268 more reviews...
 JUST READ IT!!! November 30, 2008
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ IN MY LIFE, BAR NONE!! IF WAR/HISTORY/PERSONAL ACCOUNTS ARE YOUR CUP OF TEA. Trust Me on this one!!
A MUST Book of WW2 November 29, 2008
I bought this book to understand my father better.
Having an 87-year old father (Ray Koenig) who experienced D-Day (he was in the glider Pathfinders of the 82nd Airborne), the fighting through the hedgerows of France, the terrible winter in The Ardennes, and the final push to Berlin, I wanted to understand exactly what he went through so that I could understand him better.
This book skillfully weaves a narrative of personal first-hand stories from the soldiers who fought the war with the progression of the war from pre-D-Day to victory in Berlin as a backdrop lesson of history.
Other reviewers have adequately heaped praise on this book and deservedly so. It is compelling and heart-rendering to read what our fathers had to do to defeat the Nazi Empire of Adoph Hitler. This may be the best first-hand account book of the war in Europe.
Having read "Citizen Soldiers" I now have a much deeper appreciation for the sacrifices and bravery of my father and the countless other men who fought a horrifically brutal war through France, Belgium, and Germany.
This was truly "The Greatest Generation", as Author Tom Brokaw has so aptly coined. The US military conscripted 7.2 million men to fight in WW2. These men came from all walks of life, were citizens who became soldiers, and went up against two of the best armies in the history of warfare (Germany and Japan). Their triumph, their victories, their fears, and their losses are chronicled in intimate fashion in "Citizen Soldiers". It should be required reading in every high school in America, for it shows the personal sacrifices made for the freedoms we enjoy today. Thought-provoking, heart-rendering, educational, and enlightening are some of the many adjectives that come to mind in reading this book. Read it yourself and come to a much deeper appreciation of the freedoms we so carelessly take for granted today.
Jim Koenig
 Biased love letter November 21, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Band of Brothers was very appropriate for Ambrose...a true story about the shared experience of a company of soldiers..great book, great mini series and very powerful.
Ambrose falls on his face when he writes about the War more generally and his naked pandering always shines through.
I think one could read every Ambrose book and never even realize that a German, or maybe two, was in fact killed by the Soviet Red Army.
Nearly 80% of German casualties during WWII was inflicted by the Red Army. Even the American industry portion of their contribution is usually grossly overstated. The lend lease program was not in force until 1943, after the vital Battles of Kursk and Stalingrad. After those two defeats, it was just a matter of time for the Third Reich.
I love every single American veteran...I think Ambrose does them an injustice by pandering to them.
good narrative October 10, 2008
I enjoyed this book. I felt it was repeating alittle,but that would be the nature of this type of book. It read well, and left me in awe several time. I enjoyed the immense amount of details.My grandfather landed at Normandy on D-Day + 2. I read that part and felt a deep connection, like I knew more now, and maybe understood my grandfather a little more.
Ambrose has his critics, but any historian would. The usually critism made is that they don't write their material, which maybe.
All I can say is I enjoyed the book.
Excellent Read September 10, 2008
Citizen Soldier is another excellent read into history from the author. The one thing that I enjoy about this book is the authors focus on the soldiers on the ground and not necessarily the major commanders that one reads a lot about. Very educational. This book is packed with well documented information that is presented in a format foreign to many history authors and that is the ability to tell a story, keeping the the information fresh and informative.
Great book!
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