New Releases by Stephen E. Ambrose

Legendární historik druhé světové války Stephen E. Ambrose v knize Den D 6. 6. 1944 – Vrcholná bitva druhé světové války vychází z 1 400 ústních výpovědí mužů, kteří se v červnu 1944 zúčastnili invaze do Francie. Poprvé tak odhaluje, že celý složitý plán byl málem zrušen ještě dříve, než vůbec padl první výstřel. Pravdivá historie v autorově podání pojednává o občanech vojácích (nižších důstojnících a řadových vojácích), kteří, jakmile si uvědomili, že se ocitli ve zcela jiné situaci, než na jakou je připravovali, se na vlastní pěst chopili iniciativy, aby prolomili Hitlerův Atlantický val. Kniha obsahuje strhující popisy bojů na plážích Omaha a Utah, které vycházejí z informací poskytnutých americkými, britskými, kanadskými, francouzskými a německými veterány, vládními i soukromými archivy. Autor, význačný americký vojenský historik a obdivuhodný vypravěč, podává na stránkách této knihy příběh nejdůležitějšího dne v dějinách 20. století.

Stephen E. Ambrose''s classic New York Times bestseller and inspiration for the acclaimed HBO series about Easy Company, the ordinary men who became the World War II''s most extraordinary soldiers at the frontlines of the war''s most critical moments. Featu-ring a foreword from Tom Hanks. They came together, citizen soldiers, in the summer of 1942, drawn to Airborne by the $50 monthly bonus and a desire to be better than the other guy. And at its peak--in Holland and the Ardennes--Easy Company was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From the rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to the disbanding in 1945, Stephen E. Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company. In combat, the reward for a job well done is the next tough assignment, and as they advanced through Europe, the men of Easy kept getting the tough assignments. They parachuted into France early D-Day morning and knocked out a battery of four 105 mm cannon looking down Utah Beach; they parachuted into Holland du-ring the Arnhem campaign; they were the Battered Bastards of the Bastion of Bas-togne, brought in to hold the line, although surrounded, in the Battle of the Bulge; and then they spearheaded the counteroffensive. Finally, they captured Hitler''s Bavarian outpost, his Eagle''s Nest at Berchtesgaden. They were rough-and-ready guys, battered by the Depression, mistrustful and sus-picious. They drank too much French wine, looted too many German cameras and watches, and fought too often with other GIs. But in training and combat they lear-ned selflessness and found the closest brotherhood they ever knew. They discove-red that in war, men who loved life would give their lives for them. This is the story of the men who fought, of the martinet they hated who trained them well, and of the captain they loved who led them. E Company was a company of men who went hungry, froze, and died for each other, a company that took 150 percent casualties, a company where the Purple Heart was not a medal--it was a badge of office.

Van D-Day tot Berlijn begint op 7 juni 1944 op de stranden van Normandië en eindigt op 7 mei 1945, de dag dat Duitsland capituleert en er een einde komt aan de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Stephen E. Ambrose vertelt de geschiedenis van de geallieerde legers tijdens hun moeizame tocht van de Normandische stranden naar Duitsland en maakt daarbij gebruik van honderden interviews en nagelaten verhalen, van de generale staf (Eisenhower, Bradley en Patton) tot de gewone soldaten en de Duitsers die tegen hen vochten. Ambrose brengt hun ervaringen op unieke wijze weer tot leven.

In the bestselling BAND OF BROTHERS, Stephen E. Ambrose portrayed in vivid detail the experiences of soldiers who fought on the bloody battlegrounds of World War II. THE WILD BLUE brings to life another extraordinary band of brothers - the men who volunteered to join the American Air Force and undertook some of the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the war. Focusing on the men of the 741st Bomb Squadron and, in particular, the crew of the DAKOTA QUEEN, these are the boys turned pilots, bombardiers, navigators and gunners of the B24s, who suffered 50 per cent casualties during conflict. With his extraordinary talent for bringing alive the action and tension of combat, Ambrose sweeps us along in the B24s as their crews fought to the death to reach their targets and destroy the German war machine.

D-Day before dawn. Minute by minute, hour by hour the danger grows... In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, a small detachment of British airborne troops stormed the German defence forces and paved the way for the Allied invasion of Europe. Pegasus Bridge was the first engagement of D-Day, the turning point of World War II. This gripping account by acclaimed author Stephen E. Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed. Ambrose traces each step of the preparations over many months to the minute-by-minute excitement of the hand-to-hand confrontations on the bridge. This is a story of heroism and cowardice, kindness and brutality - the stuff of all great adventures.

This sequel to D-DAY opens at 00:01 hours, June 7, 1944 on the Normandy Beaches and ends at 02:45 hours, May 7, 1945. In between comes the battles in the hedgerows of Normandy, the breakout of Saint-Lo, the Falaise gap, Patton tearing through France, the liberation of Paris, the attempt to leap the Rhine in operation Market-Garden, the near-miraculous German recovery, the battles around Metz and in the Huertgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, the capture of the bridge at Remagen and, finally, the overunning of Germany. From the enlisted men and junior officers, Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews and oral histories from those on both sides of the war. The experience of these citizen soldiers reveals the ordinary sufferings and hardships of war. They overcame their fear and inexperience, the mistakes of their high command and their enemy to win the war.

On the basis of 1,400 oral histories from the men who were there, bestselling author and World War II historian Stephen E. Ambrose reveals for the first time anywhere that the intricate plan for the invasion of France in June 1944 had to be abandoned before the first shot was fired. The true story of D-Day, as Ambrose relates it, is about the citizen soldiers - junior officers and enlisted men - taking the initiative to act on their own to break through Hitler''s Atlantic Wall when they realised that nothing was as they had been told it would be. D-DAY is the brilliant, no holds barred, telling of the battles of Omaha and Utah beaches. Ambrose relives the epic victory of democracy on the most important day of the twentieth century.

Dwight D. Eisenhower dreamed of serving under George S. Patton, Jr., but history reversed their roles. Their stormy relationship dramatically shaped the Allied assault on the Third Reich. Here, in this short-form book from acclaimed historian Stephen Ambrose, is their story.

From acclaimed biographer Stephen E. Ambrose comes the life of one of the most elusive and intriguing American political figures: Richard M. Nixon. From his difficult boyhood and earnest youth to his ruthless political campaigns for Congress and Senate to his defeats in ''60 and ''62, Richard Nixon emerges life-size in all his complexity. New York Times bestselling author Stephen Ambrose charts the peaks and valleys of Nixon''s first fifty years—his critical support as a freshman congressman of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan; his involvement in the House Committee on Un-American Activities; his aggressive pursuit of Alger Hiss; his ambivalent relationship with Eisenhower; and more. It is the consummate biography and a stunning political odyssey.

This ebook box set includes Undaunted Courage and Nothing Like It in the World by Stephen E. Ambrose, focusing on the ingenuity and the hardships that shaped the American West. Undaunted Courage: This #1 New York Times bestseller gives a sweeping account of the most momentous expedition in American history. Ambrose follows the Lewis and Clark Expedition from Thomas Jefferson''s hope of finding a waterway to the Pacific, through the heart-stopping moments of the actual trip, to Lewis''s lonely demise on the Natchez Trace. Along the way, Ambrose shows us the American West as Lewis saw it—wild, awesome, and pristinely beautiful. Nothing Like It in the World: A riveting account of an unprecedented feat of engineering, vision, and courage—this is the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad. The US government pitted two companies—the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads—against each other in a race for funding, encouraging speed over caution, and their race brilliantly comes to life in Ambrose’s telling of the investors who risked their businesses and money; the enlightened politicians who understood its importance; the engineers and surveyors who risked, and sometimes lost, their lives; and the Irish and Chinese immigrants, the defeated Confederate soldiers, and all the laborers who did the backbreaking and dangerous work on the tracks.

This ebook box set includes books by Stephen E. Ambrose that bring into focus the men and women who fought in World War II. The Victors: A breathtaking work that follows the momentous events of the war from D-Day through to the final days, centering this epic drama on the citizen soldiers, the boys who became men as they fought, proving eventually unbeatable. A compelling celebration of military genius and heroism, and of camaraderie and courage. Citizen Soldiers: A riveting account that follows the individual characters of World War II, from the high command down to the ordinary soldier, drawing on hundreds of interviews to re-create the war experience with startling clarity and immediacy. From the hedgerows of Normandy to the overrunning of Germany, this is the real story of World War II from the perspective of the men and women who fought it. Wild Blue: Following this exceptional band of brothers, the young men who flew the B-24s over Germany in World War II against terrible odds, Ambrose recounts their extraordinary brand of heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship with the vivid detail and affection.

From Stephen E. Ambrose, bestselling author of Band of Brothers and D-Day, the inspiring story of the ordinary men of the U.S. army in northwest Europe from the day after D-Day until the end of the bitterest days of World War II. In this riveting account, historian Stephen E. Ambrose continues where he left off in his #1 bestseller D-Day. Citizen Soldiers opens at 0001 hours, June 7, 1944, on the Normandy beaches, and ends at 0245 hours, May 7, 1945, with the allied victory. It is biography of the US Army in the European Theater of Operations, and Ambrose again follows the individual characters of this noble, brutal, and tragic war. From the high command down to the ordinary soldier, Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews to re-create the war experience with startling clarity and immediacy. From the hedgerows of Normandy to the overrunning of Germany, Ambrose tells the real story of World War II from the perspective of the men and women who fought it.

In this riveting account, historian Stephen Ambrose continues where he left off in his #1 bestseller D-Day. Ambrose again follows the individual characters of this noble, brutal, and tragic war, from the high command down to the ordinary soldier, drawing on hundreds of interviews to re-create the war experience with startling clarity and immediacy. From the hedgerows of Normandy to the overrunning of Germany, Ambrose tells the real story of World War II from the perspective of the men and women who fought it. From June 7, 1944, on the beaches of Normandy to the final battles of Germany, acclaimed historian Stephen E. Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews and oral histories from men on both sides to write a compelling and comprehensive portrait of the Citizen Soldiers who made up the U.S. Army. Ambrose re-creates the experiences of the individuals who fought the battle, from high command - Eisenhower, Bradley, and Patton - on down to the enlisted men. Within the chronological story, there are chapters on medics, nurses, and doctors; on the quartermasters; on the replacements; on what it was like to spend a night on the front lines; on sad sacks, cowards, and criminals; on Christmas 1944; and on weapons of all kinds. In this engrossing history, Ambrose reveals the learning process of a great army - how to cross rivers, how to fight in snow or hedgerows, how to fight in cities, how to coordinate air and ground campaigns, and how citizens become soldiers. Throughout, the perspective is that of the enlisted men and junior officers - and how decisions of the brass affected them.

Milton S. Eisenhower was one of the most honored and influential statesmen this country has produced. His career spanned government and higher education, and he was a shaping force in both. This biography by Stephen E. Ambrose and Richard H. Immerman traces the 34th President''s younger brother''s path from small-town Kansas into the Washington bureaucracy and on through the presidencies of Kansas State, Penn State, and Johns Hopkins. Because Eisenhower himself wrote about his government service in two books, Ambrose and Immerman have concentrated instead on his career as an educator. The portrait they paint is based upon extensive research and interviewing, but it is richly colored with anecdotes, opinions, and personal narrative. The portrait of Milton Eisenhower that emerges in this book is of a personable, diplomatic, highly effective administrator—innovative, intuitive, abundantly energetic, tenacious, and combative when necessary. The final section of the book depicts a spirited octogenarian whose contributions to American life continued even after more than a decade of official "retirement."

A Easy Company, 506.o Regimento de Infantaria Pára-Quedista do Exército Norte-Americano, foi uma das melhores companhias de fuzileiros do mundo. ''Band of Brothers'' é o relato sobre os homens dessa unidade que combateram, passaram fome, sofreram com o frio e morreram. Uma equipe que teve 150% de baixas e considerava a medalha Purple Heart um distintivo. Baseando-se em horas de entrevistas com sobreviventes, bem como nos diários e nas cartas dos soldados, Stephen Ambrose conta a história desse notável grupo, que sempre recebia as missões mais difíceis, sendo responsável por tudo, do salto de pára-quedas na França nas primeiras horas da manhã do Dia D à captura do Ninho da Águia, a fortaleza de Hitler em Berchtesgaden. De seu rigoroso treinamento na Geórgia, em 1942, ao Dia D e à vitória dos Aliados, Ambrose teceu uma narrativa primorosa, com riqueza de detalhes, sobre as características dos soldados de infantaria de elite, transcrevendo no decorrer da obra as próprias palavras e depoimentos dos combatentes, o que dá mais veracidade à trama.

Completed shortly before Ambrose''s untimely death, To America is a very personal look at our nation''s history through the eyes of one of the twentieth century''s most influential historians. Ambrose roams the country''s history, praising the men and women who made it exceptional. He considers Jefferson and Washington, who were progressive thinkers (while living a contradiction as slaveholders), and celebrates Lincoln and Roosevelt. He recounts Andrew Jackson''s stunning defeat of a superior British force in the battle of New Orleans with a ragtag army in the War of 1812. He brings to life Lewis and Clark''s grueling journey across the wilderness and the building of the railroad that joined the nation coast to coast. Taking swings at political correctness, as well as his own early biases, Ambrose grapples with the country''s historic sins of racism; its ill treatment of Native Americans; and its tragic errors such as the war in Vietnam, which he ardently opposed. He contrasts the modern presidencies of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, and Johnson. He considers women''s and civil rights, immigration, philanthropy, and nation building. Most powerfully, in this final volume, Ambrose offers an accolade to the historian''s mighty calling.

''This was much more than a bunch of guys out on an exploring and collecting expedition. This was a military expedition into hostile territory''. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a pioneering voyage across the Great Plains and into the Rockies. It was completely uncharted territory; a wild, vast land ruled by the Indians. Charismatic and brave, Lewis was the perfect choice and he experienced the savage North American continent before any other white man. UNDAUNTED COURAGE is the tale of a hero, but it is also a tragedy. Lewis may have received a hero''s welcome on his return to Washington in 1806, but his discoveries did not match the president''s fantasies of sweeping, fertile plains ripe for the taking. Feeling the expedition had been a failure, Lewis took to drink and piled up debts. Full of colourful characters - Jefferson, the president obsessed with conquering the west; William Clark, the rugged frontiersman; Sacagawea, the Indian girl who accompanied the expedition; Drouillard, the French-Indian hunter - this is one of the great adventure stories of all time and it shot to the top of the US bestseller charts. Drama, suspense, danger and diplomacy combine with romance and personal tragedy making UNDAUNTED COURAGE an outstanding work of scholarship and a thrilling adventure.

This groundbreaking book collects black women''s personal recollections of their public and private lives during the period of legal segregation in the American South. Using first-person narratives, collected through oral history interviews, the book emphasizes women''s role in their families and communities, treating women as important actors in the economic, social, cultural, and political life of the segregated South. By focusing on the commonalities of women''s experiences, as well as the ways that women''s lives differed from the experiences of southern black men, Living with Jim Crow analyzes the interlocking forces of racism and sexism .

Parachutée dans l''arrière-pays normand la veille du D-Day, la Compagnie E contribue à bloquer la contre-offensive allemande, malgré un nombre élevé de pertes et la violence des combats, Après une mission aéroportée en Hollande, ces hommes, retranchés à Bastogne, contiennent une fois encore des forces très supérieures en nombre. Puis c''est l''avancée victorieuse à travers l''Allemagne et l''Autriche... Stephen E. Ambrose - le grand historien de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale - dresse un portrait saisissant de cette unité de GI''s, et nous livre un remarquable témoignage sur cette incroyable aventure humaine.

The story of the men who build the transcontinental railroad in the 1860''s.

Stephen E. Ambrose’s classic New York Times bestseller and inspiration for the acclaimed HBO series about Easy Company, the ordinary men who became the World War II’s most extraordinary soldiers at the frontlines of the war''s most critical moments. Featuring a foreword from Tom Hanks. They came together, citizen soldiers, in the summer of 1942, drawn to Airborne by the $50 monthly bonus and a desire to be better than the other guy. And at its peak—in Holland and the Ardennes—Easy Company was as good a rifle company as any in the world. From the rigorous training in Georgia in 1942 to the disbanding in 1945, Stephen E. Ambrose tells the story of this remarkable company. In combat, the reward for a job well done is the next tough assignment, and as they advanced through Europe, the men of Easy kept getting the tough assignments. They parachuted into France early D-Day morning and knocked out a battery of four 105 mm cannon looking down Utah Beach; they parachuted into Holland during the Arnhem campaign; they were the Battered Bastards of the Bastion of Bastogne, brought in to hold the line, although surrounded, in the Battle of the Bulge; and then they spearheaded the counteroffensive. Finally, they captured Hitler''s Bavarian outpost, his Eagle''s Nest at Berchtesgaden. They were rough-and-ready guys, battered by the Depression, mistrustful and suspicious. They drank too much French wine, looted too many German cameras and watches, and fought too often with other GIs. But in training and combat they learned selflessness and found the closest brotherhood they ever knew. They discovered that in war, men who loved life would give their lives for them. This is the story of the men who fought, of the martinet they hated who trained them well, and of the captain they loved who led them. E Company was a company of men who went hungry, froze, and died for each other, a company that took 150 percent casualties, a company where the Purple Heart was not a medal—it was a badge of office.

Historian Ambrose studies the political and military aspects of Eisenhower''s decision to leave Berlin to the Russian army in the waning days of the European War.

"In addition to the essays, fifteen sidebars by such authors as Caleb Carr, Tom Wicker, David Fromkin, and Ted Morgan illuminate in brief other world-changing episodes."--BOOK JACKET.

Recounts the American experience in war, and discusses the roles of leaders and soldiers alike, the effect that wars have had in shaping American society, and the effect that a democratic society has on waging wars

“Halleck originates nothing, anticipates nothing, to assist others; takes no responsibility, plans nothing, suggests nothing, is good for nothing.” Lincoln’s secretary of the navy Gideon Welles’s harsh words embody the stereotype into which Union General-in-Chief Henry Wager Halleck has been cast by most historians since Appomattox. In Halleck: Lincoln’s Chief of Staff, originally published in 1962, Stephen Ambrose challenges the standard interpretation of this controversial figure. Ambrose argues persuasively that Halleck has been greatly underrated as a war theorist because of past writers’ failure to do justice to his close involvement with movements basic to the development of the American military establishment. He concedes that “by all the touchstones used to judge great captains of the past, Halleck was a failure,” but maintains he was nonetheless “the ‘Old Brains’ of the Union Army in the time of the testing of the nation.”