"D-Day" by Stephen E. Ambrose

[Rooster]

I guess I am the "odd man out" in not enjoying his books as much. His style is a little simplistic, and he definately has an American-centric point of view. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the problem is that he mischaracterizes other WW2 nations.

WWII was mainly fought on the Eastern front. It was the Russinas who defeated Hitler.The ETO was mostly a side show.
With out the USA entering the war all of Europe would be speaking Russian today. The USA made it possible for the western Euro nations to get their soverienty back. The Brits just didn't have the man power or machinery to get the job done alone.

 

[Martinis at 8]

WWII was mainly fought on the Eastern front. It was the Russinas who defeated Hitler.The ETO was mostly a side show.
With out the USA entering the war all of Europe would be speaking Russian today. The USA made it possible for the western Euro nations to get their soverienty back. The Brits just didn't have the man power or machinery to get the job done alone.

This is for the most part true. When I mention this to others I am met with looks of bewilderment. If I recall the totals, 22 million dead in the Soviet Union, with 12 million of those being civilians. In addition, too much mention of Rommel with regards to the German generals, while nobody has even heard of Guderian. Go figure.

Futhermore, for some reason many think that the Pacific War was a sideshow for us, when that was actually our major effort.

Cheers,

M8

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

How so?

Mainly the Germans. I recall him saying about the 2nd line Ost troops that the only thing holding them to their posts were German NCOs with Lugers ready to shoot them if they tried to run away.


True, the Ost Battalions were often mediocre troops, but they were not the majority of German troops in Normandy nor were they like penal battalions where only the threat of death from behind kept them fighting. They were actually mostly volunteers from Eastern nations.

 

[Martinis at 8]

Mainly the Germans. I recall him saying about the 2nd line Ost troops that the only thing holding them to their posts were German NCOs with Lugers ready to shoot them if they tried to run away.


True, the Ost Battalions were often mediocre troops, but they were not the majority of German troops in Normandy nor were they like penal battalions where only the threat of death from behind kept them fighting. They were actually mostly volunteers from Eastern nations.

This is correct.

Cheers,

M8