My son is very interested in WWII and loves Stephen Ambrose books. He loves it!

Though I consider myself to be a "fan" (if that is the right term) of World War II literature, I often find myself shying away from those sorts of books as I tend to get a bit lost in trying to comprehend the entire war at one time. What with events such as Pearl Harbor, D-Day, the European Front, the Russian Front, and the Pacific Front (all of which could fill volumes), it is easy to get lost in such things as trivial details, battalion numbers, and battle strategies.

The beauty of Stephen Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers", however, is that by focusing on one aspect of the War (U.S. Army, Europe, June 7, 1944 through May 7, 1945, as is listed on the front cover), Ambrose is able to aptly tell the tale of that wartime campaign in the kind of detail it requires. All the major events (D-Day, Market Garden, The Bulge, etc.) are covered in enough detail to give you a picture of what was happening, combined with enough personality to make you understand (if at all possible) what it was like to be there.

Though most of the book follows the events of World War II in chronological order, I actually found my favorite section to be where Ambrose takes a bit of an "aside" to explain such things as:

-Being on the front lines (especially during the long, freezing campaign in the Ardennes Forest)
-How the replacement/reinforcement system worked (and, consequently, didn't work)
-The U.S. Army's considerable air superiority to the German Luftwaffe and what is was like to go to battle in the air.
-The horrors seen and the noble deeds accomplished by the doctors, medics, and nurses who helped keep soldiers both physically healthy and psychologically stable.
-Being a prisoner of war (on both sides).

I found Ambrose to do a marvelous job of attempting to describe the life of a U.S. Army soldier in WWII Europe. Whether it was the major battles and campaigns, or just "a day in the life of a soldier", Ambrose succeeds at capturing the essence of exactly what was transpiring both on the battlefield, in the "down time", and in the mind of each soldier.

Also, I think that the strength of Ambrose as a historian shines the brightest in, of all places, the Afterword section of the book, where he essentially wishes that he could have done more. He recounts a few of the letters written to him from soldiers on that European front, and opines that he could have included all of them. Just knowing that his task's focus couldn't be too big (to risk dilution of the material) or too small (to risk over-specialization on one topic) is, in my mind, enough to cement him as a top historian of all-time. He truly wished that ALL the stories could be told.

So, I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about both the European World War 2 theater, and just what it was like to be a soldier at that time and place in the U.S. Army. It will be even more of an emotional experience if a family member or friend served in army that Ambrose writes about. My grandfather, Ray Koenig, was part of the European campaign, and I came away from this book understanding just a bit more about what he went through for his country.

I enjoyed reading Citizen Soldiers, but "Closing With The Enemy" delivers a much better account of GI innovation in the ETO. The writing is more focused and detailed.

Some of my favorite parts of Citizen Soldiers, however, are the accounts of face-to-face interactions between German and American soldiers.

Another great book by Stephen Ambrose. The death, destruction love and hate experieneced by these young boys and men is told well. The generals on both sides are quilty of war crimes against thier own troops. The US and Germans lost thousands of troops each day. Great accounts from the men on the front lines.

The book is based on countless interviews with ex GIs (and also with ex German soldiers!), who fought the war in Europe. It is therefore not a history of WWII (European war), and also not a history of the tactical military moves.
Rather, it tells what the soldiers who were on the front lines experienced and thought. This is done in much detail - and unbiased: Not all GIs are heroes, not all Germans are villains.
It also spells out clearly, where e.g. Eisenhower made mistakes which cost the lives of 100,000s of GIs.

In my opinion the book puts too much emphasis on the glory of war and on heroism; the unspeakable atrocities of any war are not pointed out enough.

All in all I can recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject the books talks about: What was going on on the front lines of this war.

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!!

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

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.

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.

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!

As a wounded veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, I found this book spell binding. I found a few facts that I never knew even when I was there as rifleman in the 90th Division. The ineptitude of a great number of our generals and colonels was plainly laid out for all to see.
His telling of the desolvment of the ASTP program in which I was enrolled
was very graphic and to the point. All in all, if you can read about violent and deadly warfare and call it interesting, then that describes my reaction to the book.

Just like a book from Barnes & Noble. Perfect Quality. No issues. No complaints. Delivered before it was supposed to be and arrived early. Great!

Ambrose has a great writing style of interweaving the basics of battlefield strategy and tactics in enough detail to explain the historical significance of events, while keeping the focus on the men who fought the battles.

This book, like Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest (see my review here), consists primarily of anecdotes from first-hand accounts of front-line soldiers on both sides of the front, and this is where it gets its impact. Truly, it need not be said, that here was America's greatest generation, a phrase which has gotten its upper-case appelation from another author's book, and is richly deserved.

Call me a late bloomer but I never had much of an interest in history or World War II until fairly recently. The light went on for me after I read Playing with the Enemy by Gary Moore. Shortly after finishing that book I asked a good friend of mine, who happens to be a history buff, what he recommends for me to read next. I was looking for a great overview of the war but something that felt engaging and doesn't read like a text book. He suggested Stephen Ambrose's Citizen Soldiers and I'm glad he did.

The thing that makes Citizen Soldiers so special is that Ambrose spent so much time and effort interviewing so many WWII vets. You truly get a feel for the horror they went through and the challenges they faced. What an incredible generation indeed. The interviews and excerpts that are liberally spread throughout the entire book give you the feeling that you're right there chatting with these heroes. Now that I've finished reading it I need to check back in with my buddy to see what he recommends next, although it's hard to imagine any other book that could stack up to this one.

Maggie Joyce, an idealized young American living in post World War II London, is an avid fan of Jane Austen and specifically Pride and Prejudice. Taking advantage of her stay in England, she attempts to learn the true identities on which Jane Austen's characters in P&P were based. There is a story within a story when Maggie falls for another American working in London. Rob McAllister flew B-17 bombers during the war and is carrying some of the scars from that war which affect their relationship.

If you are a devotee of Miss Austen's P&P, then this book is a must read. There is also a lot of research on Regency Era and England immediately after the end of WWII.

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.

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; meanwhile, 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 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. 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.

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.

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!

...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.

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.

Once again, Ambrose captures our attention on the subject of World War II. For this particular book, Ambrose doesn't focus on one unit, like Band Of Brothers, instead he focuses on all members of the United States Armed Forces that participated in the European Theater of Operations. Aptly titled, Citizen Soldiers. This book gives a very full insight to the behavior and feelings of the various people in various units as the the Allied forces pushed their way from Normandy to Germany. Vivid details of random battles, and a lot of information about the regular every day soldier who carries out orders, not the generals that give them. Nice change of pace. I recommend this book to anybody seeking more information on World War II, or any military history buff. Because of language, I would only recommend this to a mature 13-16 year old.

Once again, Ambrose captures our attention on the subject of World War II. For this particular book, Ambrose doesn't focus on one unit, like Band Of Brothers, instead he focuses on all members of the United States Armed Forces that participated in the European Theater of Operations. Aptly titled, Citizen Soldiers. This book gives a very full insight to the behavior and feelings of the various people in various units as the the Allied forces pushed their way from Normandy to Germany. Vivid details of random battles, and a lot of information about the regular every day soldier who carries out orders, not the generals that give them. Nice change of pace. I recommend this book to anybody seeking more information on World War II, or any military history buff. Because of language, I would only recommend this to a mature 13-16 year old.

This was a great transaction. There is a picture of my grandfather in this book!! Awesome product!

This book is required reading for my history class (I'm a high school sophmore-to-be). I'll admit that I had extremely low expectations for this book as required reading (especially for history) is generally very dull and tedious to read. However, this book surprised me. It escaped the dry, dull, and droning (gotta love alliteration) style of a textbook and is actually an interesting read. Although it is hard to follow at times as I don't know much about WWII. Luckily these somewhat frequent parts of the book are short-lived. Ambrose also adds a bit about human nature into the book, which I find interesting. And he also adds some subtle humor into his writing. So overall, I can look past the fact that is a required book (with various typos and grammatical errors) and honestly say it wasn't that bad. I highly reccommend reading this book to you if you are a history buff and/or love WWII (and of course if it's required reading).

The point of this book is that the United States, after watching the first few years of the war, became, itself, a massive war-power of nearly unparalleled strength.

The book describes how these "citizen soliders" came to be soldiers, and what they did once they were.

It is full of valuable historical information. (For instance, the number of American men classified as 4F, or unfit for military service, is astoundingly large. Primarily this is attributed to poor nutrition due to the depression.)

Like most WWII Ambrose books, there's some overlap with his other titles.

However, this is a great, encyclopedic volume that details the war in europe and how Americans were critical to that victory.

The point of this book is that the United States, after watching the first few years of the war, became, itself, a massive war-power of nearly unparalleled strength.

The book describes how these "citizen soliders" came to be soldiers, and what they did once they were.

It is full of valuable historical information. (For instance, the number of American men classified as 4F, or unfit for military service, is astoundingly large. Primarily this is attributed to poor nutrition due to the depression.)

Like most WWII Ambrose books, there's some overlap with his other titles.

However, this is a great, encyclopedic volume that details the war in europe and how Americans were critical to that victory.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ambrose collection of stories from GIs who learned soldiering the hard way and returned to civilian life. Ambrose levels a severe criticism, well-deserved, on the US high command: their use of replacements. In this book you will see summary tables of how many men served in each division. This table reflects the quality, or lack of quality, of division commanders and the difficulty of the missions they accomplished. But, most of all, it shows how lack of experience increased casualties. Time and again veterans recount how, as raw replacements, they were sent to divisions in the line --- to watch other replacements quickly become casualties. Not only did the soldiers have to learn their craft --- the officers also learned some hard lessons. I remember a story of a battlelion commander in Normandy warning the green colonel replacing his to have his battlelion dig in before bivoacing. The officer ignored the advice, the Germans figured out where he was and his command became casualties. In this book, Ambrose recounts the experiences, in gory and sometimes humorous detail, of these GIs who fought on the western front.

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I thoroughly enjoyed Ambrose collection of stories from GIs who learned soldiering the hard way and returned to civilian life. Ambrose levels a severe criticism, well-deserved, on the US high command: their use of replacements. In this book you will see summary tables of how many men served in each division. This table reflects the quality, or lack of quality, of division commanders and the difficulty of the missions they accomplished. But, most of all, it shows how lack of experience increased casualties. Time and again veterans recount how, as raw replacements, they were sent to divisions in the line --- to watch other replacements quickly become casualties. Not only did the soldiers have to learn their craft --- the officers also learned some hard lessons. I remember a story of a battlelion commander in Normandy warning the green colonel replacing his to have his battlelion dig in before bivoacing. The officer ignored the advice, the Germans figured out where he was and his command became casualties. In this book, Ambrose recounts the experiences, in glory and sometimes humorous detail, of these GIs who fought on the western front.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ambrose collection of stories from GIs who learned soldiering the hard way and returned to civilian life. Ambrose levels a severe criticism, well-deserved, on the US high command: their use of replacements. In this book you will see summary tables of how many men served in each division. This table reflects the quality, or lack of quality, of division commanders and the difficulty of the missions they accomplished. But, most of all, it shows how lack of experience increased casualties. Time and again veterans recount how, as raw replacements, they were sent to divisions in the line --- to watch other replacements quickly become casualties. Not only did the soldiers have to learn their craft --- the officers also learned some hard lessons. I remember a story of a battlion commander in Normandy warning his green replacement to dig in before bivoacing. The officer ignored the advice, the Germans figured out where he was and his command became casualties. In this book, Ambrose recounts the experiences, in glory and sometimes humorous detail, of these GIs who fought on the western front.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ambrose collection of stories from GIs who learned soldiery the hard way and returned to civilian life. Ambrose levels a severe criticism, well-deserved, on the US high command: their use of replacements. In this book you will see summary tables of how many men served in each division. This table reflects the quality, or lack of quality, of division commanders and the difficulty of the missions they accomplished. But, most of all, it shows how lack of experience increased casualties. Time and again veterans recount how, as raw replacements, they were sent to divisions in the line --- to watch other replacements quickly become casualties. In this book, Ambrose recounts the experiences, in glory and sometimes humorous detail, of these GIs who fought on the western front.

Also recommended "For Love of Pete" and "Sweet Lorraine" by Penelope Dyan for some historical WWII based fiction well worth a read!

As the title advertised, this book follows the battles right after the allies left the beaches of Normandy, all the way through France into German territory.

I was inclined to buy the book after the many positive reviews on this site but I had some reservations. Based on other experiences, when a book that contains a big volume of pages it sometimes equals a tedious amount of extra information that could be left out, kind of like a movie that went on too long; but to my amazement Ambrose struck a perfect balance in this book, giving the reader only the necessary information of the generals in charge and troops movements to have a overall understanding of the campaign. He always went back and focused on the details of the soldiers' lives and fights on the front lines, keeping a griping intensity throughout the book.

And just to put some icing on the cake, in the "afterword", he exposes some excerpts of battle memoir letters that should have been on the book but were written to him by veterans after reading this book.

Bottom line I wouldn't change a thing on the book and is packed with intense battle fights from beginning to end.

My husband and a neighbor talk about the war alot. They enjoy these types of books.

If you like WWII history, you'll like this. Lots of great stories. My favorite is the one about that rare bird, the atheist in a foxhole. It's nice to know that there were some of these, and that occasionally they survived while their buddies chanting the Hail Mary were blown to bits.

Much of the book is concerned with the tremendous suffering endured by American soldiers in Europe, often unnecessarily. Ambrose believes that even some minor changes could have made a tremendous difference in the number of casualties. For example, a few hours' worth of briefing replacements on survival in a foxhole before they were sent to the front could have been done by GIs recovering from wounds, costing little and saving many lives. This is an interesting part of the war that I wasn't very aware of before.

The last part of the book on the post-war lives of the GIs seems to me the weakest part of the book. Ambrose goes all-out in his respect and admiration for these American soldiers. I agree that what they did was great. In my opinion, though, the WWII generation also tended to fail big. Many of the most serious problems of today were created by them. GIs came back from the war with the idea that American know-how could do anything. This led to idiotic wars like Vietnam. They believed they deserved a house in the suburbs and the ability to drive everywhere. This has led to the decline of community and a bizarre and increasingly dysfunctional transportation system in America. The GIs believed they deserved to raise as many kids as they wanted. This has led to overpopulation and declining living standards in the U.S. The WWII generation believed that their hard work and sacrifices meant they deserved a cushy retirement without having to pay for it themselves. The result is that they have become the most pampered senior citizens in history, while their children and grandchildren who paid for it may well get no retirement at all. Contrary to Ambrose, I think the "greatest generation" has a lot to answer for. I would suggest reading "The Long Emergency" by Kunstler and "Running on Empty" by Peterson as a balance to what Ambrose has to say here.

This is a tremendous book as it tells the story of the European theater in WWII through the eyes of the ordinary grunt. Hardship, suffering and finally victory. Some of the stories are unbelievable!!

Not until I read Citizen Soldiers did I come to an understanding of the US involvement in the European theater of WWII (at least, post D-Day). All those war movies and Sgt. Rock comic books made me think that the war was fought by small groups of men patrolling and killing as many "Krauts" as possible. Others have accurately commented on this book's function of highlighting the "citizen soldiers" who fought WWII, but I'd point out the excellent overall historical treatment that this book provides.

Citizen Soldiers is a great book. While D-Day focused on the Soldiers and Generals, Citizen Soldiers focuses on everyone. Privates, Doctors, Medics, Sergeants, Generals, Germans, and more. Excellent.

Citizen Soldiers is a very good description of Military life on the western front in WWII. Although it doesn't cover D-Day (that's left for other books), it discusses the days following D-Day, all the way to Germany's surrender. There are numerous first person accounts, in addition to references to other books and general historical facts. Ambrose describes the workings of Allied command in the ETO (European Theater of Operations), but mainly focuses on the daily life of the soldiers themselves. The descriptions of the fighting are impressive, mainly because of the use of the soldiers' perspective on events such as assaulting enemy positions, surviving artillery barrages, and general gritty fighting. The constant anecdotes are some of the more interesting parts of the book, die to their first-hand nature.
There is also a section on "Life in the ETO", which discusses the air war, medics and nurses, replacements, POW's, the more negative aspects of some of the soldiers personalities, and what it was like to spend a night on the front lines. The chapters on replacements and "Jerks, Sad sacks, Profiteers, and Jim Crow" were most interesting, as they provide insight into the personalities of the soldiers.
Citizen Soldiers may turn into somewhat of a dragged-out read unless you become very engrossed in it, but the intensity and good writing is enough to out do most movies ten times over. The conversations between the generals are areas of interesting. From Eisenhower's rare "Order of the Day" and steadfastness of command, to Patton's always onward nature, to Montgomery's constant "Why am I not in charge?" whining, it's all here. The book also makes constant mention of the eternal learning process of the US army, such as hedgerow (The effects of White Phosphorous shells had to be cool to see, for the Americans that is.), city, and winter fighting techniques, and air-ground and infantry-tank coordination.
Overall this is a very good book, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in World War II.

This is a great book. It is written for the common person that may not be all too interested in history. I could hardly put it down. After having to read hundreds of tedious history books for my degree, it was nice to read something with a bit of emotion. While he cannot be 100% accurate all the time it is still very good for people who want a swift read about WWII soldiers.

I've always wondered whether you can really be a great battlefield writer without having been in battle. It's almost as if Alfred Kinsey were a virgin. You might know an awful lot, but without ever having known someone in that Biblical sense, you're bound to miss something.

So when I say that Ambrose's Citizen Soldiers "puts you in the heat of battle", I can only say this is coming from a man who has never heard a shot fired in anger, and an author who was only there through the memory of veterans' footsteps. Something has got to be lost in translation. But whatever it is, it can only be for realization of a deeper cavern of hell.

Here are searing stories of death and disability, mind and body, from D-Day until the fall of Berlin. Instruments of Death affectionately become "Bouncing Betties" (the dreaded, disabling S-Mines) and "Moaning Minnies" (bombs that flew through the air with a strange whining). American men grope through an interminable forest of darkness and death (The Hurtgen Forest), only to find, upon emerging, that the light they had seen at the end of the tunnel is only a mirage, a useless piece of real estate, paid for because of commander incompetence.

It's a never-ending wonder that the same homo sapiens who find the crash of an air conditioner in summer "intolerable" could have tolerated the singular experience of being pursued by so many enemies trying to destroy in so many different ways. By gun, cold, confinement, lack of food, sleep, every imaginable creature comfort. And yet somehow, these young men, members of that age group almost defined by its immaturity and short-sightedness, were able to press on and in doing so formed an inseverable bond, explained by a lieutenant as "an ecstasy."

I had heard that Ambrose was a devoted admirer of Eisenhower, and while that may be true, none of the Supreme Commander's mistakes are forgiven. Indeed, Ambrose excoriates Ike for his senseless and "criminally wasteful" Replacement System that sent poorly-trained men directly to the front where they were immediately sacrificed, specifically by the Germans, but just as culpably by the American command itself.

Bradley's legacy as Champion of the Common GI is also exposed as a myth birthed by the magnanimous Father Ike and journalist extraordinaire Ernie Pyle. Bradley saw little reason to ever visit the front, and even less when the brutal winter of 1944 descended on the Siegfried Line. The consequential gap between the war as fought in the map room and the war as fought on the ground could never have been greater nor more costly in American lives.

But still, it's the riveting battlefield stories that really give Citizen Soldiers its charge. The Rangers attack of Hill 400, the gruesome crucifixion sequence in the village Schmidt, the men who died in so many different ways that it's a wonder any actually remained to tell the story. The story that, however dimmed by time, will not go entirely forgotten beneath the hedgerows of Normandy.

The one thing that stands out in this book is the sheer bravery combined with decency and humility of the men from the Greatest Generation who served their country in Europe during World War II.

What a contrast to our current political leaders who strut around beating their chests as if they've done something when all of them for one reason or another refused to answer the call to serve in Vietnam even though they all supported that war. The Greatest Generation put it all on the line to defeat evil whereas this group of cowards in the White House wouldn't know the first thing about sacrifice or courage.

Stephen Ambrose's sequel to "D-Day" focuses on the Allied push to Berlin and the final German surrender. As in the earlier book, the focus here is on the officers and men who did the fighting, the bridge crossing, the liberating and the winning of the war. He makes great use of the many interviews he conducted, and history really comes alive here in a way that I can't say of many other books. Ambrose does tend a bit toward hero worship as he lionizes the men that Tom Brokaw would later call "the greatest generation." As he calls them "the guys," I'm reminded of Samuel Johnson's remark that "every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier." Every now and then you get a tinge of that in Ambrose's writings. Nonetheless, these guys were heroes, and they freed the world from some really bad people. Ambrose does them apt tribute in this wonderfully written book that you won't be able to put down, even if you're not a military history buff. Highly, highly recommended!