I wish this book had been on sale before I bought it! In fact, I wish I had read it from the library. On third thought, I wish had never read it in the first place.

I wanted to read this due to the subject matter, and had hoped that it would follow works from the likes of Ambrose, Goodwin, and so on. Instead, this book is an insult to the subject matter, it is so bad. I won't go into the details of the story itself, but rather why you should avoid paying money or wasting too much time on this piece of dreck.

It has been a long time since I've read something so poorly researched, put together, and edited. This is another in a line of historical works that reflects the fact the few editors nowadays have any military experience, and thus miss so many mistakes.

The author shows a complete lack of understanding of the military in general, and his subject matter specifically. Mistakes abound such as refering to the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) as the standard issue "submachine gun" - which in reality was the Cal .45, M3 Submachine Gun (commonly known as the 'Grease Gun"); refering to LTG Leslie J. McNair as "Chief of Staff, HQs, US Army" when at the time of the reference he was Commanding General, Army Ground Forces; stating that the road trip from Camp Blanding, Florida to Bedford, West Virginia would take a day in 1942 - when it is hard to do it in that time in the present using interstate highways.

When discussing the reestablishment of Bedford's National Guard Company after the war, Kershaw states that National Guard units would never again go to war together, but would be broken up throughout the Army before deploying. While there was some truth to this during the Korea War for some units in the Guard and Reserve, the Army policy has always been that National Guard and Reserve units will deploy together as a unit. Look at the deployment of the Reserve and Guard in our present wars to see that Kershaw has no idea what he is talking about.

Kershaw appears to have fallen into the classic trap of a writer who uses personal recollections as a major part of his research: he never follows through to check on the memories of participants. To be honest, most people's memories of events over 40 years ago are usually lacking detail and are focused on their own little small part of the event. Many of Kershaw's writings that are based on these memories are, frankly, historically wrong or lacking understanding of how the individual was fitting into the 'big picture'. I don't want to dismiss the veterans and families who provided the mateial, but a good writer understands and keeps in context what may be clouded by time or emotion - or at least provides update.

Other than the interviews Kershaw did with survivors and family members, his bibliography and research is superficial at best. He uses a basket full of biographies and 'school boy' histories of WWII as his 'research'. The middle third of the book is a simplistic regurgitation of the history of WWII, barely concentrating on the role of the Bedoford Boy's Company and the parent Regiment and Division.

The story behind the construction and establishment of the national memorial in Bedford, which could have easily been a chapter or two, is covered in a handful of pages - and then not very well.

Lately, I have gotten into the habit of marking mistakes and editing issues in books I read. Kershaw's book is marked on virtually every page with historical / research errors and simple bad writing.

All in all, cut out about 85% of this book, get a decent editor, and it would make an interesting long magazine article. Bottom line - don't waste your money on what should have been a great story of one of our great wartime tragedies.

I don't need to "review" this book. It's not fiction and it's not a broad history of D-Day. It's much simpler than that.

At the rate the survivors of World War II are dying today (and to the tens of thousands that preceded them), we will soon lose the first-person accounts of that war. This book gives just that: a narrow and personal focus on a small number of men--most of whom gave their lives over a few short minutes on D-Day.

It's tragic. It's true. And, I'm grateful for this introduction to men who lived, fought and died for us.

WOW! I have read many books on WWII and many on D-Day but none as gripping as this. There are parts I re-read many times. This is real people living through a world war and how it has affected them 60 years later. A MUST READ.

I would have thought that since the publication of Stephen Ambrose's authoritative D-Day June 6, 1944: The Climatic Battle of World War II subsequent authors would have little new to say about the epic battle that turned the tide of WWII in Europe. Luckily for us Alex Kershaw has managed to find a new angle.

The Bedford Boys focuses on Company A of the 116th infantry regiment, which was among the first units to land on D-Day. Company A was largely composed of residents of Bedford, VA. population 3000 in 1944, 22 Bedford Boys didn't return From Europe.

Kershaw relies on first person interviews for the bulk of the book, which gives the combat scenes a visceral quality. Kershaw takes you right down to the water line, as bullets whiz past your ear, and you wait for the ramp to drop. I have read many books on WWII, and these combat scenes are the best I've ever come across.

What sets Kershaw's narrative apart however is his ability to juxtapose the combat scenes with scenes from the homefront so as to give the reader a more complete understanding of the true cost of war.

The last of the Bedford Boys was laid to rest this fine spring morning.

BEDFORD -- Elisha "Ray" Nance, the last surviving Bedford Boy to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day, was laid to rest Wednesday in Oakwood Cemetery.
Nance, 94, died Sunday at the Elks National Home in Bedford. [...]

The last of the Bedford Boys was laid to rest this fine spring morning.

BEDFORD -- Elisha "Ray" Nance, the last surviving Bedford Boy to land on Omaha Beach on D-Day, was laid to rest Wednesday in Oakwood Cemetery.
Nance, 94, died Sunday at the Elks National Home in Bedford.
(more at link)

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I read a lot of American history - especially about WWll but this book is special. Living here in the Heartland of America, I see National Guard units all around me going off to Iraq! There is something particularly sad about eager young men joining their friends for service in case of a "national emergency" and learning that they must fight an unknown enemy far from homeGod bless ALL the "Bedford Boys" in 1944 and the "Bedford Boys" in 2007!!