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 enlarge | Author: Stephen E. Ambrose
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $18.00
Buy Used: $0.45
You Save: $17.55 (98%)
New (39) Used (174) Collectible (10) from $0.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  268 reviews
Sales Rank: 21178
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
Condition: Shows some general wear around the edges. Slight yellowing - no markings. Try me. I am fair. I ship fast.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Front Row Seat! December 9, 2007
Steven Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers" is a front-row seat and a bird's eye of the last year of WWII, from D-Day to VE-Day, June 6, 1944 to May 7, 1945. The story seemed to be in real-time as it reflected thousands of interviews with injured soldiers just off the battle fields, and eventually stored at the Eisenhower Center in New Orleans, and through some interviews Ambrose did later himself with the participants, including the Germans. The feel of the book was immediate and often visceral; you felt like you were there seeing things for the first time.
It was a great unvarnished history lesson, warts and all, of life on the front lines as well as back in the command headquarters. Most of these guys had no idea what they were getting into, but did their duty as best they could. As the War ground on, the untested replacements were high school grads or college students with no experience at all. They were sent to the front cold-turkey, with no prior orientation from vets who had been there, often not even knowing anybody they were fighting with. Ambrose pounces on this fact and calls it almost criminal. Meanwhile, the generals were very much behind the lines and calling bold shots, which is another gripe that Ambrose made. The guys in the foxholes were cold, isolated, shot at, with no idea of what would happen next; the outpost foxholes were often within 100 meters or so of the enemy. There wasn't an evening-to-dawn break as in the American Civil War, when Johnny Reb and Billy Yank actually met, talked, and exchanged items. In WWII, the enemy would try to shoot you if he could at night, which, of course, added sleep deprivation to the list of miseries.
It was the total air superiority, outstanding radio ground-to-ground and ground -to-air communication, and the impressive technology and mass-production of the US that eventually won the war. Also, the Allied leadership and the average GI's were so much more flexible, learn-on-the-fly and "entrepreneurial". Hitler, of course, was a terrible military leader who ignored his own intelligence reports, while Ike was sound at every step, even if maybe a little cautious. Patton was clearly the best commander of WWII, energetic, imaginative, always innovating. Monty was portrayed as too cautious and defensive, not very effective, and retaining his rank only because of Allied political pressures; while, Patton said he would resign if they ever asked him to fight a defensive battle. It was interesting that Ike may have been the only one initially pleased by news of the Battle of the Bulge counteroffensive; he saw it as the Germans exposing themselves - - finally. (It's easy to understand that today when you think of the shadowy Al Qaeda forces; it would be great if we knew where they were). Also, Ike took great care to cut the German supply lines, while protecting his own. The Allied supply lines were longer but stronger and steadier, and they even had an under seas pipeline of fuel from England, called PLUTO. It was just a matter of time before the full power of the Allies gathered against the crumbling Germans. Ike also had the great foresight to call in the media near the end, as soon as he himself saw the horrific results of the atrocities at the concentration camps; he wanted to make sure the world didn't think it was just made-up.
The impetuous for driving the tired, cold Allied front-line GI's were the V1's and V2's raining down on London, and the fear of new German secret weapons being developed. A lot of the Bulge was attrition type of warfare, including the Operation Market Garden, presented as such in "A Bridge Too Far" movie. It was a meat-grinder for sure.
There was a lot about life on the front lines and the attendant emotions. They were real heroes on both sides; nothing could have prepared them for what they went through, and many suffered from battle fatigue for which they usually got a 24-hour break. There were good guys and bad guys on either side of the conflict. I was glad that Ambrose was so even-handed. I've seen too many movies (mostly of the Pacific War) where the Americans were glorified and the enemies were demonized. "Unit cohesion", more than anything else, kept the men going; they were willing to die for the other guy. You had to admire their guts. There were also a fair share of "jerks and sad sacks" that tried to rob or work the system to their advantage, or find a way out of doing their duty.
There was not a lot of Allied sympathy for the burning German towns because of the havoc brought by Germany on the rest of Europe in WWI and WWII, and WWI ended before German towns were attacked. But the truth of the matter is that the townspeople had nothing to do with the conflicts. They were victims too.
It was a complex and fascinating story, well-worth the read.
 Excellent Oral History of the GI in Europe October 16, 2007
Ambrose's book takes up where his prequel left off - the battle of Normandy. He continues their saga as they battle their way into the heartland of Germany. Especially riveting are the conditions under which the GIs fought during the battle of the Bulge. Also, what makes this a riveting read is that he uses oral histories of the GIs, both American and German. Secondly, Ambrose does not belittle the German effort as he did in his June 6, 1944 book. In Citizen Soldiers, he gives the Germans their rightly due as fighting soldiers and indicates they had it just as rough in the field as the Americans.
It was also interesting to read how the Germans believed they should have been fighting with the Americans instead of against them - and that they should have focused together on the Russians. Ambrose made clear, which I had never really thought about, was that the Germans should have been placing all their men on the Eastern front and should have reduced their efforts in the West.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed this book as much as his other books. I believe you can read this one and his June 6 book in any order. A must for any library.
My Dad's War August 21, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This was my dad's war. He was drafted. I was too young for Vietnam. The stopped drafting the year before I was eligible.
My dad doesn't talk about it much. I have a 7 year old, my dad was 80 when he was born. When a war movie comes on, I tell my son, "your granddad was a brave soldier". Once when we were at his house, my son said to my dad, "granddad, you were a brave soldier". My dad turned to me and said, "I was scared to death the whole time I was over there". I replied, "yeah, dad, but you did it. You were in those battles and fought as scared as you may have been".
This is their story. They weren't the enlisted men like today. These kids were drafted. I can't imagine to be so young and to see so much death.
This is a very good book that tells the story of the scared, but brave men who put their lives on the line because they had to. They did it and they won.
God bless all our soldiers!
I had no idea... June 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
...that the winter of 1944-1945 was so horrific for the average G.I. on the front. A truly excellent read. The fact that Ambrose really admired and respected the "Greatest Generation" is clear from this book - and highlights why we must respect and admire them as well.
I especially appreciated his defense of the 1950's "Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" towards the end of the book. The so-called conformity of the 1950's wasn't a weakness or fault. It was a societal strength. I have always suspected this, but didn't know why. Ambrose explains it.
God Bless the World War II vets - among whom was my own father.
An entertaining and highly informative read May 13, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This illuminating book covers the WWII European Theatre from the top down, from FDR, Churchill, Stalin & Hitler to Ike, Monty, Patton & the German High Command to the grunts in the foxholes on both sides of the line. Very interesting & well written with both facts and anecdodtal stories.
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