Maps on end papers

Includes bibliographical references (pages 813-841) and index

1. Invasion : The far shore ; First tide ; Hell's Beach ; A conqueror's paradise -- 2. Lodgement : "This long thin line of personal anguish" ; A gunman's world ; Terror is broken by terror ; How easy it is to make a ghost -- 3. Liberation : A monstrous blood-mill ; The bright day grew dark ; Ministers of thy chastisement ; The loveliest story of our time -- 4. Pursuit : "The huntsman is hungry" ; The Avenue of Stenches ; "Harden the heart and let fly" -- 5. Against the west wall : "Five barley loaves and three small fishes" ; Every village a fortress ; A market and a garden ; The arrow that flieth by day -- 6. The implicated woods : Charlemagne's tomb ; "Do not let us pretend we are all right" ; The worst place of any -- 7. The flutter of wings : A town too small for the tragedy ; Faith in a friendly universe ; To the land of doom ; "Providence decrees and we must obey" -- 8. A winter shadow : "We are all so human that it is pitiful" ; Staking everything on one card ; The light line ; "Go easy, boys. There's danger ahead" -- 9. The Bulge : A rendezvous in some flaming town ; "Why are you not packing?" ; War in the raw ; Glory has its price ; The agony grapevine -- 10. Argonauts : Citizens of the world ; A fateful conference ; "Only our eyes are alive" -- 11. Crossings : The inner door to Germany ; Two if by sea ; "The enemy has reason to fear him" ; Lovers' quarrels are a part of love -- 12. Victory : Mark of the beast ; Dragon country ; "God, where are you?" ; A great silence

Tells the dramatic story of the titanic battle for Western Europe from D-Day to the thrust to the heart of the Third Reich

This book is the magnificent conclusion to Rick Atkinson's acclaimed Liberation Trilogy about the Allied triumph in Europe during World War II. It is the twentieth century's unrivaled epic: at a staggering price, the United States and its allies liberated Europe and vanquished Hitler. In the first two volumes of his bestselling Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson recounted how the American-led coalition fought through North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now he tells the most dramatic story of all -- the titanic battle for Western Europe. D-Day marked the commencement of the final campaign of the European war, and Atkinson's riveting account of that bold gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows. The brutal fight in Normandy, the liberation of Paris, the disaster that was Operation Market Garden, the horrific Battle of the Bulge, and finally the thrust to the heart of the Third Reich -- all these historic events and more come alive with a wealth of new material and a mesmerizing cast of characters. Atkinson tells the tale from the perspective of participants at every level, from presidents and generals to war-weary lieutenants and terrified teenage riflemen. When Germany at last surrenders, we understand anew both the devastating cost of this global conflagration and the enormous effort required to win the Allied victory. With the stirring final volume of this monumental trilogy, Atkinson's accomplishment is manifest. He has produced the definitive chronicle of the war that unshackled a continent and preserved freedom in the West

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews