Product Description

Shortly before the inevitable Allied assault on Fortress Europe in 1944, Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel remarked to an aide "The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive...For the Allies, as well as for Germany, it will be the longest day". Cornelius Ryan's acclaimed account of 6th June 1944, which has sold over 10 million copies, takes the reader from the planning of the world's greatest-ever amphibious landing up to its implementation. In interviews with survivors, from the highest-ranking officers of both sides, the airborne troops who opened the Battle of Normandy before dawn, the poor bloody infantry who waded ashore against the devastating fire of the defending Germans to the defenders themselves, "The Longest Day" captures the horror and the glory of D-Day. Individual and collective acts of heroism are recounted as well as foul-ups and mistakes. Ryan details the shambles of Omaha Beach which has been so movingly depicted in Steven Spielberg's recent film "Saving Private Ryan".

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #335074 in Books
• Published on: 1999-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Review
The third survey of the events of June 6, 1944, this covers, necessarily the same basic material as in John Frayne Turner's Invasion '44 (Putnam, P. 241), and David Howarth's D-Day, (McGraw-Hill, P. 161), published earlier this year, in following the time schedule movements and actions of that day. Turner's book stressed the magnitude of the operations and Howarth's dealt more with individual experiences and kept the British well in the foreground. This is based on material solicited from veterans- British, American, Canadian, French and German - and civilian survivors, and from German war diaries, and Allied reports, and is an attempt, so stated by the author, "to set the record straight". Here is the story of Rommel's unfortunate trip to see Hitler; of the reasons for German blindness in not recognizing intercepted messages or even the beginnings of the invasion; of background of Operation Overlord and the mounting of the project; of the happenings in the little Normandy villages just before the first of the drops occurred. And from the paratroopers, to the gliders, to the bombardments, to the many sections of the landings, there is always the sense of racing the clock so that the involved and elaborate timetable could be kept. With this as the setting, the stories of the men take over and prove that their own resourcefulness became their measure of survival; show how they extricated themselves from extraordinary predicaments by adapting and improvising when they became victims of all kinds of errors. On the German side it follows the growing confusion when relayed messages are not believed, impossible orders given and the little that was done was negated by the might of the assembled Allies. A day, whose staggering totals, magnitude of planning, and importance are almost beyond comprehension, is here brought to life through the eyes of those who took part in it and thereby achieves a personal impress. Reader's Digest is to do a two-part condensation and the publisher says, "...this is one we expect to run with." Something to keep an eye on - in spite of. (Kirkus Reviews)

Customer Reviews

An outstanding book
I first read this many years ago (it's an old book (1959)), but prodded by the 60th anniversary celebrations, I bought another copy and re-read it. It retains its hold even over 40 years after it was written. Ryan presents the story simply and well, often letting the participants tell their own story (and back then the invasion had "only" been 25 years before and many more of the participants were still alive and their memories were fresh).

One of the most amazing things for me was how ordinary guys, placed in extraordinary situations, can do extraordinary things. Like the young, inexperienced Americans, caught in the bloody shambles of Omaha Beach, who nevertheless fought their way off that beach and gained a beachhead. Or the British paratroopers, dropped to take a heavily-defended German artillery strongpoint of over 250 men, and having lost all but 150 of their 700 men and all their heavy equipment, nevertheless did it. Or the US Army Rangers who scaled the nine-story cliffs of Pointe du Hoc in the face of intense small arms and grenade bombardment to take out big German guns (which turned out not to be there yet!).

To emphasise this, Ryan presents in the end a list of his interviewees and what they were doing then (when the book was published). "Bricklayer", "shop assistant", "chemical worker", "male nurse". These extraordinary heroes of the greatest amphibious operation ever undertaken against the foulest tyranny ever seen had simply disappeared back into ordinary life.

Ryan also tells the story from the German side, dispassionately and with sensitivity, reflecting the fact that these other ordinary guys were also only doing their job.

In the end, what shines through is the human qualities of all the participants, on both sides. If only our various governments would use these properly, and not misuse them, as Adolf Hitler did, we could have a much better world

Highly readable, balanced account of a single day in history
This is a superb book, for both the serious historian and casual reader alike. Ryan's well researched account of perhaps the most important single day in the 20th Century draws together a vast amount of factual data from the archives of both side, and hundreds of eye witness accounts collected by Ryan himself. He then presents them to the reader in a extremely readable and balanced style, presenting the thoughts, feelings, horrors as well as the orders of the day. From the generals on both sides to the infantry and civilians on the beaches who lived through it, Ryan brings it all together. An excellent, highly addictive read.

The Definitive Guide from an accomplished historian
Written before memories faded or were tainted by politics and self-interest this book provides the definitive guide to D-Day.

Later writers (such as Steven Ambrose) rely very heavily on Ryan and fail to capture the sheer scale of the exercise, the range of experiences and the extraordinary circumstances individuals found themselves in while still conveying the sheer tatical and strategic sweep of the operation. (Interestingly enough a few modern authors claim to be 'definitive' and yet do not credit Ryan in their sources, draw your own conclusions)

Also pleasing is Ryan's inclusion of the different nationalities involved on all sides. One gets a true picture of the fantastic common effort of troops (ordinary people before and after the war) from many countries allied against the Axis. Later writers tend to write for one audience / marjet and by concentrating on one nation / army overlook perhaps the most important factor of the day - the fantastic and selfless co-operation and courage fielded against tyranny.

Higly recommended for all - especially those squandering money on recent and less accomplished histories.