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The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945

Book 3 in the series:World War II Liberation

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Rick Atkinson's 'The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945' is the final installment of his Liberation trilogy, focusing on the U.S. Army's operations during the last year of World War II in the European theater. The book covers harrowing battles such as those in Normandy, the Ardennes, Hurtgen Forest, and the Rhine, providing a campaign history intertwined with soldiers' letters and individual experiences. Atkinson does not shy away from criticizing the various generals involved, including Patton, Eisenhower, Bradley, and Montgomery, offering a smooth and enjoyable reading experience.

Writing/Prose:

The author's engaging journalistic style blends narrative storytelling with first-person accounts and historical documentation, making complex events accessible while maintaining clarity.

Plot/Storyline:

The book chronicles the concluding year of World War II in Europe, detailing major events and the multifaceted challenges faced by the Allied forces, including leadership disputes and logistical difficulties.

Setting:

Set in Western Europe during World War II, the narrative covers major battlefields and highlights the logistical and political challenges faced by the Allies.

Pacing:

The pacing of the book varies, with some sections feeling rushed while others delve deeply into details, leading to a fluctuating reading experience.
THE singing stopped as the Norman coast drew near. Stars threw down their silver spears on a long column of eight hundred airplanes ferrying thirteen thousand American paratroopers to battle. South th...

Notes:

The Guns at Last Light is the third volume in Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy, focusing on the Western Front during World War II.
Atkinson uses a mix of firsthand accounts and narrative style to make the history engaging.
The book has a significant length of 640 pages, making it a lengthy read.
It examines pivotal battles like Normandy, Market Garden, the Hürtgen Forest, and the Ardennes offensive.
Atkinson discusses the challenges faced by Eisenhower, especially in dealing with British and French commanders.
There is notable coverage of the emotional narratives surrounding the war, although some readers feel it detracts from hard analysis.
The book touches on the liberation of concentration camps, but this topic is not covered in detail compared to the overall narrative.
Maps are included in each chapter to help readers visualize military maneuvers and strategies.
Eisenhower's challenges with various allied commanders, particularly Montgomery and Gaulle, are highlighted throughout the book.
The narrative emphasizes that the war involved complex moral situations and was not just a straightforward good vs. evil conflict.
Atkinson's writing balances personal stories of soldiers with broader strategic analysis, providing insight into the human experience of war.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for the book include depictions of war violence, casualties, and the horrors of battle, as well as discussions of war crimes.

From The Publisher:

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 they 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 European war's final campaign, 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. With The Guns at Last Light, the stirring #1 New York Times bestseller and final volume of this monumental trilogy, Atkinson has produced the definitive chronicle of the war that unshackled a continent and preserved freedom in the West.

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About the Author:

Rick Atkinson is the bestselling author of An Army at Dawn (winner of the Pulitzer Prize for history), The Day of Battle, The Long Gray Line, In the Company of Soldiers, and Crusade. His many other awards include a Pulitzer Prize for journalism, the George Polk award, and the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award. A former staff writer and senior editor at The Washington Post, he lives in Washington, D.C.

 
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