Whistle Stopper - The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (The Liberation Trilogy)

	List Price: $35.00 Our Price: $16.38 Your Save: $ 18.62 ( 53% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co.
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Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 940.54215 EAN: 9780805062892 ISBN: 0805062890 Label: Henry Holt and Co. Manufacturer: Henry Holt and Co. Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 816 Publication Date: 2007-10-02 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Release Date: 2007-10-02 Studio: Henry Holt and Co.
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Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Great Job Comment: Another wow from Rick Atkinson. Loved this book as much as an Army at Dawn. Can hardly wait for #3 in the liberation trilogy. Customer Rating: Summary: The Day of Battle Comment: Makes every Allied Commander a complete DUNDERHEAD. Atkinson has evidently joined the "Blame America First" crowd! I would think he could find some positive snippet in the data he reviewed (173 pages of notes & selected sources). In his exaustive research, it seems he fails to realize that we did infact win the war. Customer Rating: Summary: Another Winner Comment: Rick has followed the first volume of his WWII trilogy with another winner. The first book "An Army at Dawn" captures the amatuer performance of a great Army learning to fight. This book captures the beginning of the Army's maturity as a fighting force and the growth of it's leadership.The tragic Airborne operation is painful to read. The unending battle of egos between Patton and Mongomery is tragic. Rick captures the story of the Sicily and Italian campaign with the great skill. Well worth any WWII History Buffs time. Customer Rating: Summary: Focus on Sicily and Italian Campaign in WWII Comment: This book focus' on Sicily and the Italian campaign in World War II. However, in my opinion, it is not as good as the first book, Army at Dawn. Some examples of why are the following. (1) The author must have used the phrase "Marcus Aurelius Clarkus" six times at least to describe General Mark Clark. This sort of repetitiveness gets annoying. (2) In the first book, the focus was on the US Army. This time that isn't the focus of the book. The book shares what the New Zealanders did, what the Poles did, what the French did, what the English did and what the Canadians did. Now, to some level that makes sense, since all of these forces fought at Monte Cassino. But when the book moved to the other side of the peninsula to focus on a Canadian action. Consequently, I found myself unclear on what the focus was. (3) There was less of the soldiers experiences this time and more of the general's experiences. I was hoping for a book that shared the perspective of the GI, but didn't get it as much this time. In spite of these comments, this is a good book, on a theater that hasn't been written about adequately. Customer Rating: Summary: Best d**** war history ever Comment: The depth of anecdotes, the overview of strategy, the on the scene feelings of battle make this book one of, if not the, best books I have read of WW11. More Reviews
Editorial Reviews: Amazon Best of the Month, November 2007: Topping a Pulitzer Prize-winning effort is tough; finding originality in a World War II narrative is even tougher. Yet Rick Atkinson accomplishes both with The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944. His previous work, An Army at Dawn, won the 2003 Pulitzer in history, but Atkinson has managed to set the bar even higher with his second installment in "The Liberation Trilogy." He descends upon each battlefield with rich historical perspective, tactical analysis, and chilling frontline observations. Cocksure Hollywood bravado is sparse, as Atkinson depicts soldiers fighting for honor, not glory. "We did it because we could not bear the shame of being less than the man beside us," explains one soldier's diary. "We fought because he fought; we died because he died." The result is an incredible portrayal of the courage, sorrow, and determination that came to define our greatest generation. --Dave Callanan