The Men of World War II - Eisenhower and His Boys

Ambrose has a style of writing where the "history" tells the story. This book is no difference and I would highly recommend it (as all his other books).

You get a great walk-through of the war in Western Europe from the planning of the D-day to the VE-day.

I always enjoy ambrose writing, he it very thorough and his style is compelling I read it through in several days and thought about it after. That is always a sign to me of a rousing book, when you keep thinking about it after and wish there was more.

The book was very enlightening to me because I was so young when it happened. My brother was in World war II but he very seldom talked about it. I know he was in heavy artillery and was in 5 major battles at the end of the war.

Another great book from Steven Ambrose which documents the allied victory over Germany. One could probably say some parts of this work are a summary of his previous accounts of WWII (Supreme Commander, Band of Brothers); however that shouldn't discourage one from reading this account. As with all Ambrose books, it is very well written, very informative, and hard to put down because there are no sections where the reader's interest lags. One should also read David Howarth's "Dawn of D-Day" to supplement this and other books concerning fighting in Europe.

Stephen E. Ambrose provides an intriguing read on General Eisenhower. This is a must read book if you are interested in Eisenhower and how he was able to transition through WWII as the Supreme Allied Commander.

Once again Stephen Ambrose reveals how lucky we are today to have had the greatest generation as our ancestors. I highly recommend this to those of us who's fathers fought in WWII, but would never reveal to their families their experiences in fighting against the tyranny of Germany and Japan.

Not one of Ambose's better efforts. In general I am a real fan but this book is not real compelling - maybe because there is not much character development but just a string of anecdotes about a whole lot of people.

I thought it contained much of the infomration that was in Citizen Soldiers. The conflict betweent he generals was interesting. The D-day invasion was described in detail. Hindsight is always 20 -20

Ambrose again brings the history of World War II alive for those that did not experience it. I found myself going to Google Earth to follow the progress of the War and see the memorials and scars of war. A must read for WW II history buffs.

I have read many Stephen Ambrose books on the War. Each is very informative and satisfying. I like the way he presents the story in "The Victors". I encourage anyone with an interest in history to get this book and read it.

Total rehash of segments of his previous books. Very disappointing. Never again will I trust this author. Certainly the facts are the facts but a fresh approach is expected, not a cut and paste rendition.

I enjoyed this book.

It is, first, well-written from a literary perspective, with a clear, simple format that gets the information across. Second, the book is rich in content, being comprised of the author's comprehensive, first-hand interviews with the actual soldiers involved. Likewise, the book is substantial on multiple levels: as a well-rounded historical timeline of WWII, along with a solid breakdown of the war's complicated context; also, as a human study, both sociological and psychological, by way of profiling the war's key participants and their personalities. In these subjects alone, the book is an interesting and insightful read, presented with a reasonable amount of objectivity, perceptiveness, and consideration.

However, what I found most valuable about 'Victors' was its wealth of raw, universal wisdom. Namely, the soldiers' accounts contain many life lessons, all of them universally applicable and highly powerful, as much on the battlefield as the football field. From the tales of heroism and exceptional character, to the descriptions of seemingly superhuman endurance, to the heartrending depictions of brutality and inhumanity (and the many philosophical questions raised as a result), the book provides endless examples of what we are capable of, both good and bad; subsequently, we are afforded much food for thought. Personally, I was made to rethink myself and my potential in light of the text, in addition to gleaning a wealth of other useful information, from the intellectual to the spiritual and everything in between. All in all, there is much to be learned from WWII's collective story, useful to everyone, of all walks of life, in peace and war both. In this sense, the book goes some distance, however small, in perhaps preventing future wars, by way of the potential for education and enlightenment it presents to the world at large.

If I had to list a negative, it would be that which applies to any book comprised of personal, first-hand experiences: the issue of cognitive dissonance, and being unable to truly verify or substantiate the accounts of the events in question. However, this is less a flaw than a simple reality, created by the constraints of human perception and memory, and it does little to diminish the book's final effect.

My sincere thanks goes out to this book's author, publisher, and subjects (who went through so much to bring the world the wisdom of their stories, coming quite literally "from the trenches"). I am grateful for, and have benefited from, your work and service.