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Publisher:
Little, Brown and Company / Time Warner |
Release
Date: May, 2004 |
ISBN:
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Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Hardbound |
Buy
it at Amazon |
Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Non-fiction / History
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Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Ellen E. Kennedy |
Reviewer
Notes: |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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Ten
Days to D-Day
Citizens
and Soldiers on the Eve of the Invasion
By David Stafford
Drawing
from diaries, official records and first-hand accounts, David Stafford
has compiled a gripping history of extraordinary courage and sacrifice
in the most dramatic, agonizing days of the European front in World
War II. Especially appropriate at the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day,
it is every bit as exciting as Tom Clancy’s best. And it’s
all true.
The
narrative begins in late May, 1944, when we are introduced to an
eclectic cast of real-life characters, all waiting nervously for
D-Day and the inevitable Allied invasion of Europe, some praying
for it, others dreading it, and everyone aware of what hangs in
the balance. Spies and soldiers, the famous and infamous (including
Hitler, Eisenhower, Churchill, and a rather recalcitrant DeGaulle),
but especially the stories of people relatively unknown to history
are what make the most compelling reading.
In
Norway, a captured member of the Resistance keeps a secret diary
by poking tiny holes in toilet paper. In the relative safety of
Britain, a young member of the Women’s Royal Naval Services—a
Wren—works long, grueling hours underground, coding and decoding
ships’ messages. Also in Britain, a young Canadian soldier
fights frustration and boredom, waiting for the order to move out.
In France, a member of the Resistance listens anxiously to the BBC
on a tiny radio hidden inside a soup can. A German soldier stationed
in France writes home wishful assurances that all is well. Stafford
follows these and many others as they count down the minutes to
H-hour and what happens when the signal is given. There is much
pain and struggle ahead, but it marks the beginning of the end of
the War.
Especially
gratifying—and sometimes heartbreaking--is the denouement
in the form of an epilogue, explaining what happened to the people
we have come to know and care about.
Over time, the events depicted in Ten Days
to D-Day have faded somewhat in our cultural memory. It is
important for us all to understand and appreciate what was at stake
in June of 1944 and what was necessary to achieve the victory.
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