Voices of D-Day: The Story of the Allied Invasion, Told by Those Who Were There

This book is unlike a lot of the books about D-Day that have been published. Rather than focus on the strategies of the invasion, on what went wrong and what went right, this book tells personal stories of individual soldiers. It gives glimpses into their most vivid memories of the landing. It was like sitting down with the soldiers and listening to them reminisce about being a part of this massive invasion. The sometimes horrifying, sometimes oddly humorous stories show a very human side of the invasion, and show the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

This is not a book that details planning, strategy or tactics. Instead, this is a series of interviews collected in connection with a decade-long project by personnel of the Eisenhower Center of the University of New Orleans. In addition to selecting and editing, Ronald Drez actually collected many of these interviews himself. The result is a skillfully pieced together vision of D-Day utilizing the authentic voices of the men who were there, who witnessed first hand the carnage and success of the largest amphibious invasion in history. These are the words of men who lived through the night jumps, the hellish push from the sea to the coast, the inch-by-inch clawing up the sand flats and cliffs of the Overlord beaches to hookup with the airborne troops already inland. The voices are French, German, British, Canadian and American. From 1st Sergeant Len Lomell on Pointe du Hoc with the 2nd Rangers, to Frank Simeone of C co. of the 116th on Omaha making his way up the Vierville draw, to my friend and neighbor, Ken Russell, of the 82nd Airborne hanging from his chute on the church at Ste. Mere Eglise before taking out a German AA truck, these are words chosen by the fighting men themselves. Contained in their words are the voices of the dead, voices felt and heard only with the heart and who perhaps speak loudest of all. And they speak to us of the price of freedom they and their comrades were willing to pay for us. Published on the fifty-year anniversary of D-Day it is a fitting tribute to the gallant men of that generation who lived and died that day and is a fine companion piece for Ambrose's excellent "D-Day".

The story of the invasion is laid out beautifully before the reader as seen through the eyes of those who were there. The accounts are quite vivid and give the reader a succinct discription of D-Day.Men rose up and took charge while others shirked their duties. Young boys barely men, lost their lives and friends witnessed comrades being blown to bits before their very eyes. Yet, the will of the men was to persevere, and on they came. The accounts take us back to that fatefull time and allows the reader to see into the horrors of war. The only addition, if any to this work, would be stories of those from the Axis side of the battle; along with a few smatterings of what took place in the lives of these men after 6 June 1944.A enjoyable book to read that flows quite nicely. Highly recommended!

"Voices of D-Day" is the powerful testimony of some 150 different participents of the Normandy invasion. This book is a thouroughly facinating read, and the relaxed manner in which these stories are told, makes the D-Day experience come to life. However, Drez does not go far enough. Although he starts off by giving accounts of how and why soldiers joined up to fight, he does not follow up by revealing how their post D-Day experiences fared. There are a handful of old pictures of some of the soldiers discussed but there are no new photos. There is no mention of how these guys got home, what they did after the war, and where they are now. There are even a few pictures of soldiers who are not at all mentioned. Drez includes one personal account of a French girl who came out on to the beach to help with the wounded. He mentions at the end of her segment that she ended up marrying an English soldier, but he neglects to explain how they kept in touch during the war, when they got married, or where and how they lived. It is (I assume) quite unusual for two people to met, and eventually marry, right in the middle of history's largest invasion. What a story! Yet Drez doesn't tell you the whole story; no details. He doesn't even include a picture of the couple. This book is an excellent companion as a follow up to the movie "Saving Private Ryan", but it does not go beyond that point. I would like to know more about the lives of the men who fought and died for freedom and democracy. Voices of D-Day does not give you more; it only gives you the basics.

Wow! Voices of D-Day (Ronald Drez) offers us incredible insights into the D-Day battlefields, and described the bravery of the soldiers that fought and died there. Truly one of the most insightful books I've ever read about war. Transcends typical military history books by taking us into the landing crafts, gliders, transports, and the enemy's bunkers and fully describes the horror and reality of battle.