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History of the Israel Defense Forces. 1948 Arab?Israeli War, Suez Crisis, Six- Day War, War of Attrition, Yom Kippur War, 1978 South Lebanon conflict, 1982 Lebanon War, Second Intifada, 2006 Lebanon War, List of wars involving Israel, Military operations conducted by the Israel Defense Forces ... Read more

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For the Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza, the Six Day War 1967 was just the beginning of a long military occupation that has dominated their lives ever since. In June 1967, the people of Abu Dis, Palestine, found themselves in the front line of the 1967 war, and this book of oral history contains people's memories of their responses as the war started and their families' movements in its immediate aftermath.These memories are contrasted to memories of the same period by people from Camden, London, including an Israeli woman, now living in Camden, who in 1967 who was called into the Israeli Reserve Army.There are also explanations from Abu Dis of the context of 1967 and the effects of the war on the lives of ordinary people in Abu Dis. ... Read more

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12 Documents, indluding maps, Dwight D. Eisenhower documents. ... Read more

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Although the assault on Utah Beach ultimately became one of the most successful military operations of World War II, its outcome was anything but certain. Not only was Utah the most isolated of the five D-Day beaches, but the airborne assault was of unprecedented size and complexity. Despite the perils, American troops confidently cascaded into that far corner of Normandy and contributed decisively to the Allied triumph on D-Day. With verve and authority, Balkoski describes how that victory was won. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Excellent!
This book is well researched and well written. It contains fascinating personal viewpoints of what it was like to be involved in the D-Day activities on Omaha Beach, as well as an overall perspective of the planning and execution. It focuses a spotlight on approximately one-quarter of the entire D-Day operation, so it gives the reader a perspective of the tremendous complexity of the whole operation. I'm currently reading the follow-on book by the same author on Utah Beach, and finding that it is just as good as this volume. Highly recommended!

Omaha Beach, the worst place to be in June 6, 1944.
Why so many casualties? What happened with the aerial bombardment and navy artillery? I chose this book to know about that, I didn't want to focus on the strategic view and the highlanders behind that BUT those brave, and not very lucky men chosen to land there, mainly in the first wave of assault. It was a flawed assault, they were welcomed by the feared german "88" machine gun, very well directed mortars, mines, snipers and short fire. The landing reception was like a first world war assault, totally expose to enemy fire. You can watch the movie "Saving Private Ryan", you can use your best imagination, but you will never know how does it feel to be in a situation like this ...
A good book full with accounts of soldiers who were there, the paperback pictures lack resolution but I wonder why so few pictures of the first hours?

"If You Stay On The Beach You're Dead Or About To Die!"
I have had the fortune to visit Normandy and the landing beaches. After personally seeing the terrain and obstacles the allies faced in 1944, the audaciousness of the attack, and the bravery of the allied troops involved in the invasion became even more clear to me. I actually carried my copy of "Omaha Beach" by Joseph Balkoski with me on my visit this summer, and the book, and in particular the maps in it, truly helped me grasp the order of battle on June 6, 1944 and shortly thereafter.

I have read many books on World War Two, and this is among the finest; it is my favorite of the accounts specializing in the Normandy invasion. I appreciate not only Balkoski's thoroughness, but his willingness to allow the troops themselves to address the action they experienced in first person narratives. A corollary to that is the book's willingness to dwell not only on top leaders and decision makers, but on "ordinary" soldiers, many of whom performed amazing feats of valor with rare acknowledgement (of course, that was often due to the total lack of survivors in certain areas). After reading the book, my respect for Brigadier General Norman D. Cota and Colonel George Taylor, neither of whom were awarded the Medal of Honor, but both of whom doubtlessly deserved it. Cota's exploits eventually resulted in the capture of Vierville (p. 360), without which the remainder of the invasion would have been seriously imperiled. There were many unsung heroes on the beach such as surgeon Captain Norval Carter, who crossed the beach to collect wounded as a litter-bearer (a job normally done by Privates, p.335), to cite but one example; Balkoski attempts through diligent research and interviews with numerous participants to give everyone their due credit.

The book is very useful to military historians, people interested in strategy and tactics, those interested in World War Two, and anyone else wanting to understand one of the most important battles of the Second World War. It is well written, requires no pre-existing knowledge of the war or military principles, and is accessible to anyone. The book is well paced, very well illustrated, and contains extremely detailed battle maps of the beach.

I recommend that everyone make an effort to go to France and visit Omaha Beach (and the adjacent cemetery). When you go, make sure to take this book with you to aid your understanding of what you are seeing. I give this book my highest recommendation.

One amazing book!
Amazing story about some pretty amazing men. I actually tried to put this book down on a few occasions because it was just so real, of course I had to read on.

If your here, at this page, order the book. You will not be disappointed. Have you ever wondered what you would have done if you had this task?. This book will leave you in a new state of mind.

Understanding Omaha
I read the book several years ago, just prior to visiting the Normandy Beaches. Bought it to have my own copy and read it again. The book's great strength (drawback for some readers, maybe) is its huge volume of detail. It is thoroughly researched; written with clarity; tells the story fully. The human side of this Day In History is also illustrated in meaningful detail; descriptions of unbelievable heroism are numerous; only three Medals of Honor were awarded;many DSCs. Issue: General Cota should have received the Medal of Honor; saved many lives; inspired leadership. A really fine and exciting book. ... Read more

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Each mini-guide allows the reader to get to know more about a region's history, linking historical events with places of interest and sites of note, as well as providing an unprecedented visual feast of contemporary photographs, uniforms, badges and equipment - all in full color. Practical information is included in each mini-guide and itineraries are suggested for those wishing to visit battlefields, monuments, memorials and museums.

In the first few days of June 1944, the Allies prepared to launch one of the most decisive operations of the Second World War: a massive assault on the Normandy coastline. It was a risky enterprise, seeking, as it did, to deliver a mortal blow to German forces in the west whilst the Red Army eliminated those in the east. It was a crucial moment for the Anglo-Saxon allies.

Defeat could spell disaster for the alliance and, just when morale was at its lowest ebb in Britain, would have had incalculable repercussions. Hitler too was well aware of the risks. For him the assault was to be decisive, his victory or his defeat in Normandy would decide the outcome of the war.

It was therefore crucial for the Wehrmacht to beat the Allies within the first 24 hours. ... Read more

Product Description
Published for the 60th anniversary of D-Day, VOICES OF VALOR, a lushly illustrated book with audio CDs, presents gripping, first-hand accounts of the Normandy invasion with a central narrative by one of America's preeminent historians.VOICES OF VALOR is an intimate and lasting tribute to the soldiers who fought in Normandy, featuring 40 interviews drawn from the archival holdings at the Eisenhower Center Oral History Project, the largest collection of oral histories of D-Day. Within the book are two hour-long audio CDs containing the oral testimonies of veterans who were at Normandy. The text of VOICES OF VALOR is based on those oral testimonies and is written by Douglas Brinkley-acclaimed historian, author, and frequent on-air commentator-along with decorated Vietnam veteran Ronald J. Drez-lecturer, historian, and research associate at the Eisenhower Center. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

terrific
What a terrific company. I had a problem with an order and they JUMPED on it and fixed it.

Never forget June 6, 1944
For the vast majority of Americans, myself included, the D-Day invasion has faded into the shadows of history. We perceive it, if at all, as one of those many touchstones, or cultural icons, in the WWII story that helps us gain a viewpoint of what happened and what is about to take place. With retrospection we know D-Day was a resounding success. We are like a person who reads the last page of a novel, knows that the protagonist achieves success and then discounts all the trepidations throughout the text. This book is highly recommended because through the audio comments of participants on the two included CD's we are confronted with real trepidation and fear and anxiety. Success was not a predetermined conclusion.
A note to those buying a used edition, make sure both CD's are included. Those disks tend to get misplaced and without them the book looses significance.

Great Reference Book Too
"Voices of Valor" is not only a very good account of the invasion of Normandy told by eye witnesses and participants, it is very useful as a reference to someone that might not be familiar with the importance of the event and how it was carried out.The pictures are, of course, a plus as well as the two cd's.Even after reading the book, the cd's are a great listen, while traveling especially.

The heroes of June 6, 1944.
This is a nice book of soldiers/sailors recollection of D-Day.The book explains the outlook of a sample of soldiers for each of the 5 D-Day beaches and reviews the obstacles which they had to overcome.Along with the written book, you get two fine CDs of the various soldiers relating their experiences on this famous day.The oral history along with the summary of the battles gives an in depth picture of what these men had to face on this day.In my viewpoint, all these men were heroes because of what they had to do.
There are other books out there that portray the battle day with more detail (The Longest Day) and some who relate experiences better (most of Ambrose's books).This is an above average book and the CDs are great material.The book and CDs are great, but there are better books on this subject.This book will not disappoint.

Well-written, brilliant photographs and two fine audio CDs
This book is a great investment for your library. "Voices of Valor D-Day: June 6, 1944," by Douglas Brinkley and Ronald J. Drez is meticulously-researched, superbly written, features 116 brilliant black-and-white photographs and includes two great hour long audio CD's.

The authors use veteran accounts of D-Day from the vast collection of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans. Brinkley and Drez skillfully place the accounts in twelve neat chapters that fully captures the military and logistic challenge of the Allies.

In essence, General Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, executed the first successful cross-channel attack since William the Conqueror pulled it off in 1066. It was a gigantic task.To this end, the authors put the puzzel together piece by piece and allow the first hand accounts of courage and carnage to explain how it was done.

Still and all, luck played a large role in the success of the Allies.Nazi meteorologists forecast a period of disturbed weather that prompted General Erwin Rommell (Germany's best general) to leave France and proceed with a June 5 trip to see Adolf Hitler...German intelligence was convinced that the First United States Army Group positioned at Dover and commanded by General George Patton (America's best general) was poised to attack Pas-de-Calasis not Normandy...there was no German air or naval patrols during the first five days of June due to bad weather; the very weather the massive allied fleet moved through undetected...moreover what was left of the German radar system failed to pick up either the air train or the sea armada...and finally the first German reports from France of the attack on Normandy were ignored by top brass in Germany.

However, the two greatest features of this book is to point out that there was no Allied back up plan...that surprise was the key to success.And secondly, that the German Army possessed the forces capable of inflicting a last-minute defeat on the Allies...that there were massive armored divisions within three days travel to the Normandy battlefield.And that there were over sixteen hundred panzers in the west that could have been sent speeding to the battle area if Hitler issued the order.

It is incredible to think that if these forces had been brought into the battle area and dispersed in France before the British and American forces could build up...that the Germans were fully capable of delivering a devastating blow on the flanks and seams of the loose-knit Allied front.This book is a tribute to the men and women who contributed to the D-Day victory.Highly recommended.

Bert Ruiz ... Read more

Product Description
Describes the Allied landing on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, with an overview of events leading to that invasion as well as a description of its momentous effects on the war. ... Read more

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Title: Canada in the Great World War : an Authentic Account of the Military History of Canada From the Earliest Days to the Close of the War of the NationsVolume: 6Publisher: Toronto : United Publishers of CanadaPublication date: 1918Subjects: World War, 1914-1918 -- CanadaCanada -- History, MilitaryNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
This brand new large format book from Michel de Trez contains not only hundreds of never before published period photographs taken at Ste-Mere-Eglise early June 1944 but also numerous color pictures of equipment and uniforms that fought for the liberation of Ste-Mere-Eglise.

This includes General Matthew Ridgway's famous helmet and Dick Winters' D-Day equipment. (the later jumping very close from Ste-Mere-Eglise).

Michel de Trez's books have rightly earned a worldwide reputation for excellent, highly detailed content and spectacular presentation of the subject matter.

Previous books by Michel include: 'American Warriors', 'At the Point of No Return' and 'First Airborne Taskforce' (in large hardback format and 'The Way we Were' series of 8½ x 11 paperbacks, including books on Doc McIlvoy, Ben Vandervoort, Forrest Guth and Bob Piper. All these books are also available exclusively from Casemate ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

In for an absolute treat
Readers of Michel de Trez's books know that they are in for an absolute treat with this book.

Impeccably researched and fabulously illustrated, this massive book on our American Airborne forces is packed with an enormous amount of material on the operations, the soldiers, their uniforms and equipment.

Michel de Trez has unique access to veteran's archives as well as being a meticulous researcher. It is unlikely there will ever be another book on Sainte-Mere-Eglise which is so well researched and presented.

General Jack Norton, USA ret, 505 PIR

Excellent Photographic study
Let's be honest many narrative books about WWII have a lack of photos, so if you're looking for hundreds of good quality photos of American Airborne troops in Normandy - then this is the book for you.Unlike the tiny inch-square photos of some books, here Michel De Trez spares no expense in sharing with us large 10 x 8 style photos of men in and out of combat.You can see the fear and exhaustion in the GIs faces and for the militaria freaks there are great close-up shots of uniforms and equipment details.Many of these are rare archive shots from the authors private collection you won't see elsewhere.

However if I was being really critical, personally I would have liked to see some of the more repetitive shots omitted from the book. There are some series of several photos taken from moving footage of the same group of soldiers where perhaps just one photo would have been sufficient. Also longer captions would have been nice.But that's me being a perfectionist, as a working battlefield guide this book is a very useful and fascinating glimpse at an era in history I missed by being born 30+ years too late! ... Read more

Product Description
In this unforgettable narrative of D-Day, Joseph Balkoski describes the minute-by-minute combat as it unfolded on Omaha Beach, allowing soldiers to speak for themselves as they recall their attempts to maneuver bombers through heavy cloud cover, the claustrophobic terror aboard transports, and the relentless fire that greeted them on the beach. Equal parts oral history and meticulous reconstruction, Omaha Beach is the closest the modern reader can get to experiencing the Normandy landings firsthand. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Excellent Book
Well researched and well written, Utah Beach covers ground that other books have not. It discusses the role of the 4th Division in much greater detail than any other D-Day book I've read, and explains how fortunate they were that the pre-landing air and sea bombardments were more accuarate and effective than those on Omaha beach. Even so, it took much courage to land and move inland under continuous artillery fire from the Germans. This book doesn't offer as much detail about the airborne troops' experience, but that has been pretty well covered in a number of other books. After reading this book and Balkoski's Omaha Beach volume, I was impressed by the extraordinary complexity of the entire D-Day planning, since those books covered only 2 of the 5 beaches involved in the invasion planning. This book is a very worthwhile supplement for serious students of World War II.

Repetition-1 star loss
Most people like the direct quotes from soldiers intermingled with the author's narrative. While I do too, I thought it is a little overdone; hence the one-star deduction from a five-star book. I found myself skimming some of the quote paragraphs to get back to the narrative which is excellent.

If you love the movie Band of Brothers, this book must be read to get a full and detailed feel for what the paratroopers went through, including the 101st.
I also got to appreciate Montgomery a little more. Without his input and direction, D-day probably would have been a lot tougher. I didn't know that before I read the book.

I've been reading WW2 books for over 50 years. This is in the top 10% of those books.

Great Book
Not the same old info, he has a lot of original research.The book is well versed and it doesn't always offer the same tired conclusions.His thoughts on Montgomery were new and gave me something to think about.He also does a better job of explaining why the Americans were so dependent on Artillery vs the Germans who depended on thier machine guns. I think he does a better job than Stephen Ambrose in telling a true history instead of a "best selling story" written for Hollywood/TV.This is a book retiredMilitary who want the real story.

Some of the information is rehashed from his previous books on the subject and they would be better served if written as a volume series so he does not have to repeat himself, but all of his books are worth reading.

WWII historiography doesn't get much better than this!!
With Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944 Joseph Balkoski established himself as a historical researcher/writer to be reckoned with.His 2005 follow up Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-day, June 6, 1944 is a welcome companion piece and should set-in-stone Balkoski's reputation as one of the foremost historians on the American experience on D-Day.While Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944 was certainly an engaging scholarly piece of work (this reviewer gave it 5 stars), Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-day, June 6, 1944 is even better!Again, Balkoski shows that few present day Second World War historians can compete with him in terms of work done up front from largely primary (oft unpublished) sources to provide the scholarly basis for his writing.Like he did with Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944 Balkoski organizes Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-day, June 6, 1944 chronologically from the planning and lead up to D-Day through the day itself, and ending as 6 June 1944 ended.Not surprisingly given the title of the book, it is also temporally focused, dealing entirely (once the para-drops start in the early morning hours of 6 June) with the Utah Beach landing area where the 4th (Ivy) Infantry Division landed at dawn by sea, and the areas on the Cotentin peninsula behind the beachhead where the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions dropped (by `chute or glider) in prior to the seaborne landings.This focused approach provides Balkoski the confined format in which to build his impressively researched and extremely well-written story.

Balkoski's formal prose is given to the first 329 pp. of the book, with very informative Appendix (nine total, over 20 pp) and Notes/Bibliography (21 pp.) sections following.Balkoski covers both the airborne and seaborne portions of the Utah Beach assault fairly equally and thoroughly, and provides ample compelling evidence that contrary to conventional historical wisdom (often perpetuated by writings of the major players themselves, such as Gen. Bradley) Utah Beach was not a simple `walk-over' in comparison to the heralded bloody Omaha.As Balkoski points out the numbers of troops engaged at Utah (when seaborne, airborne and Naval forces in harms way are combined) was only slightly smaller than that engaged at Omaha, and quite contrary to popular belief, the casualties across these troops were on par with those suffered at Omaha, which was largely a seaborne invasion force.Certainly there are differences between the two beach invasions in terms of enemy troops and positions, but as Balkoski argues, in large part the solid invasion preparation, done by VII Corps commander Maj Gen Joseph (`Lightning Joe') Lawton Collins and 4th Inf Div commander Maj Gen Raymond (`Tubby') Barton, lead the `bloodless' (of course a misnomer) victory on Utah Beach as much as anything. Balkoski's research is tremendous and other historian/writers should take note: This is the way to produce a historical piece that will stand the test of time and be among the required `texts' of history students for a long time to come.

In terms of pure enjoyment (aside from the solid scholarly contribution), Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-day, June 6, 1944 is a real page-turner.Balkoski is able to weave a largely well-known story into one that is still gripping.He also, by virtue of his probing research, is able to provide enough new material and insight to make this gripping story compelling even to the most versed students of WWII history.This is a book all interested in the American experience in WWII will enjoy reading.The late Prof. Stephen Ambrose is often given great (and deserved) accolade for his abilities to convey the horrors and sacrifice of war to the masses, but Joseph Balkoski deserves similar praise and will hopefully achieve a similar level of `celebrity' for his prowess for historical research/writing.

In the end I can't recommend Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-day, June 6, 1944 highly enough.This book, with it's `companion' Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944, represent a pair of books on the Americans at D-Day that should be read by armchair and professional historians alike. 5 Stars!!!

Another Great Book That Takes You Along To D-Day
This book is another fine example (like his one on Omaha Beach) of what good research can bring to a book about a historical event.This is not dry academia writing, but is the soldiers' story in the soldiers words.Joseph Balkoski has quotes from the individual solder, sailors, and airmen all the way up to the commanding generals.They are describing what they saw, heard, and felt during the time of the invasion or soon thereafter.

I really enjoyed the descriptions of the battles of the parachute divisions as they struggled to find out where they were and tried to achieve their missions with far less troops than expected.There are many heroes here, not just the ones who were given medals, but also those who actions saved others that they never saw or met afterwards.The book gives a common everyman feel to the battles and shows what men can accomplish when the need is there.

A final note I would like to make about this book is that it makes you want to know what happened the next day and the days that follow.There are many references to soldiers who are killed on June 7th or in the next few weeks.The way the book is written, it makes you want to follow the soldiers all the way up to the liberation of Cherbourg. There are other books that talk about this period, but none of them are written with the same style which draws you into these groups of soldiers and want to know what happened to them.

... Read more

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Six of Penguin's Classics titles:1) ERASMUS - PRAISE OF FOLLY:One of the best satirical classics of the Renaissance. It was very widely read in Erasmus's lifetime and even today reads amusingly and instructively, having lost none of its fire and very little of its relevance.2) PLATO - THE LAST DAYS OF SOCRATES:The trial and condemnation of Socrates on charges of heresy and corrupting the minds of the young, forms one of the most tragic episodes in the history of Athens in decline.3)THOMAS MORE - UTOPIA:Sir Thomas More's entertaining description of Utopia, an island supporting a perfectly organized and happy people, was a best seller when it first appeared in Latin in 1516.Utopia revolutionized Plato's classical blueprint of the perfect republic, mainly by its realism. 4) LIVY - THE EARLY HISTORY OF ROME:Contains the first five books of his monumental work, and proceeds from the foundation of Rome through the history of the seven kings, the establishment of the Republic and its internal struggles, up to Rome's recovery after the fierce Gallic invasion of the fourth century B.C.5) XENOPHON - THE PERSIAN EXPEDITION:In The Persian Expedition, Xenophon, a young Athenian noble who sought his destiny abroad, provides an enthralling eyewitness account of the attempt by a Greek mercenary army - the Ten Thousand - to help Prince Cyrus overthrow his brother and take the Persian throne.Xenophon, one of those chosen to lead the retreating army, provides a vivid narrative of the campaign and its aftermath, and his account remains one of the best pictures we have of Greeks confronting a "barbarian" world.6) JOSEPHUS - THE JEWISH WAR: Josephus' account of a war marked by treachery and atrocity is a superbly detailed and evocative record of the Jewish rebellion against Rome between AD 66 and 70. The Jewish War remains one of the most immediate accounts of war, its heroism and its horrors, ever written. ... Read more

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This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1855 edition by Redfield, New York. ... Read more