The Longest Day: A Classic Epic Tale of D-Day

Rosemary Jamieson: Clean hardcover book. I am very pleased.

R. Jamieson

United States on Jul 15, 2023

Paul F. Cocozza: I read this book after I visited Normandy. I wish I read it before.
Reading it just put me back at Normandy. The author did a tremendous job giving the account of the preparation and the battle. Seeing Normandy it’s amazing more lives were not lost. It’s a somber place that every American should try to visit. Read this book.

United States on Jun 23, 2023

J. Groen: This is the classic book about D-Day. They're a lot of books out there about this most important day in the 20th century, and I have read most of them, and, in my opinion, this is the best one. If you want to read just one book on D-Day, I suggest that you read this one.

United States on Jun 23, 2023

James Gnitecki: The author was a well-trained reporter at the time of D-Day, so he knew how to properly find and preserve evidence and testimonials. Couple that with fantastic storytelling expertise, and you have a VERY gripping recounting of the events of the single most important battle day of World War 2. I can see why a movie was made based on this big, and where the script writers of Saving Private Ryan got much of their material. I read it in a very small number of long could-not-put-it-down sessions, and then my wife did also. HIGHLY recommended.

Canada on Aug 11, 2022

Port Lairge: Written by an Irish journalist, this is a gripping account of the events of a day that helped change the course of history. The stories of personal bravery and sacrifice put other things firmly in perspective. It also reminds one that while a few may profit freedom has a price.

United Kingdom on Jan 15, 2021

Rajkamal KashyapRajkamal Kashyap: One of the most informative book written by Sir Cornelius Ryan. Really this books tell us the sacrifice and heroism of both the Allies and Axis soldiers who fought in the Normandy Beaches in 1944.
This is the story of D-Day told through the voices of over 1000 survivors - from high-ranking Allied and German officers, to the paratroopers who landed in Normandy before dawn, the infantry who struggled ashore and the German troops who defended the coast.
"The Longest Day " is a story not of war, but of the courage of man.
At last I am giving thanks and honour to Sir Cornelius Ryan to provide such an informative and heart touching book to the world. And I salute for them who had sacrificed their life for their nation in the longest day battle, the battle of D-Day , June 6, 1944.

India on Nov 09, 2019

John Spain: This is a very well detailed account of the events of the day, and you can see where many of the scenes in the film of the same name came from. What spoils it is the fact that the last third of the book is just lists of names and pages of credits, which I suppose the author felt necessary to include. However, when you are well engrossed and enjoying the read, and thinking you still have lots to come, it's a bit of a dampener when it suddenly comes to an end. I was reading the Kindle version so was not expecting it, if you were reading a hard copy you would obviously be able to see what was coming.

Spain on Aug 11, 2019

William Mead: There is little to add about this classic book describing the D-Day landings in Normandy. The book itself is a landmark account of the action, with an effective mix of strategic, tactical, and personal information about the world-changing events. It's not the most deeply moving WWII account that I've read, but it is clearly and coherently told, and the chaos and horrors of war are well described. I would have appreciated a few maps as the action was described. In this review, I will focus on the Kindle edition. Since I have not seen the printed edition, I might be pointing to "flaws" in the Kindle presentation that are related to limitations of the print copy. Feel free to comment if you have read the print edition.

The Kindle edition is a solid version of the text. I detected a few typos, but, overall, the transfer to electronic form has been highly successful.

My reservations about the Kindle edition are in the placement and quality of the figures. The figures are grouped at the end of the text. I much prefer having the figures placed within the text at the points where they are directly relevant. Also, the figures are displayed too small to be appreciated in much...

United States on Jul 08, 2014

M. H.: Da mir mein 1. Buch zu diesem Thema nur in Deutsch vorlag, habe ich mir auch noch die Originalversion geholt. Ein paar Dinge kommen anders rüber, jedoch nichts Elementares. Dass das Buch in seiner Erzählweise und mit seinen Darstellungen antiquiert ist sollte natürlich jeder wissen. Das Massaker auf dem Kirchplatz in St. Mere Eglise hat so nie stattgefunden. Die Schilderungen sind Jahre später durch die Veteranen, wie J. Steele und K. Russell, dramatisiert worden. Verständlich ist das bei dem psychischen Anspannungen im Gefecht wird sicher manches anders wahrgenommen. Auch C. Asay hat viel zu erzählen kommt im Buch zu kurz weg. Haben in 2007 auf dem Friedhof in Colleville getroffen und später mit ihm in Bayeux einen interessanten Nachmittag im Kaffee verbracht. Die Masse der Quellen ist ein Problem für den Autor. Auch die Zeit als das Buch geschrieben wurde, ließ kaum eine neutrale Darstellung zu. So kommt es, dass die West-Alliierten natürlich als Sieger glorifiziert wurden. Aber alles in allem ein spannendes Buch mit vielen Quellen und interessanten Quellenangaben zur weiteren Eigenrecherche. Prädikat: Lesenswert mit Einschränkungen / Diese beziehen sich auf die sich...

Germany on Jun 25, 2013

Barron Laycock: Famed author Cornelius Ryan has a unique and appealing way of telling a story that makes his books quite unique, and this huge best seller is no exception. Here he sets the stage for his brilliant trilogy on the war in Europe by chronicling the events surrounding the fabled Allied sea-borne assault in Normandy on June 6, 1944. Its total cost in terms of human life and unnecessary destruction is a cautionary lesson for history. Like his other books, this is a story told at every level, but concentrating on the faithful recollections of the actual participants in the action. Thus, the reader is wept into the action as we get a voyeur's view of the moment-to-moment development of the story as it unfolds in all its horrific detail.
There is a virtual cornucopia of information presented here, and Ryan's approach is scrupulously faithful to the facts, all of them, regardless of the source. Therefore, there is a great deal of attention paid not only to the recollections and experiences of the Allied assault troops, but to German defenders and French civilians caught in the terrible crossfire of the opposing forces. This was the book that originated the man-on-the-ground perspective...

United States on Jul 30, 2000