The Longest Day: June 6, 1944 [Paperback]

The events leading up to and including the assault at Normandy represent, by anyone's standards, one of the most remarkable feats accomplished in the history of mankind. The assault symbolizes, for the world past, present and future a classic example of "good" overcoming "evil". To read Ryan's text, anecdote by anecdote, and not have a deep feeling of respect and gratitude for each of the men involved that day is not possible. Ryan demonstrated the ability to bring the reader into the transport boats with the men, feel the anxiety Ike felt out in the quiet of the England woods and the terror experienced by the heros at Omaha beach. Heros this country needs to remember and respect and thank every day they enjoy freedom in this free, if far from perfect, country. My vote is to make the text mandatory reading in public schools throughout the U.S. My final comment: If you have not read a thing on D-Day or don't even know what it is READ THIS BOOK. You owe it to yourself and the men who served and died for YOUR freedom.

"The Longest Day" by Cornelius Ryan is the epic history of Operation Overlord, the Normandy Landings of June 6, 1944. Brought to the big screen in the movie of the same title, it will be a very familiar read for many. This book employs a skillful weaving of the big picture with the human interest. Here we get an understanding for the objectives of the battle and the heroic, tragic and humorous incidents which arose during this momentous contest.

The days leading up to Overlord were demanding and nerve wracking for both sides. The Germans were split between Rommel, who believed that the invasion must be stopped on the beach or not at all, and Von Rundstedt, who wanted to let the invasion come ashore and then engage it beyond the range of Allied naval guns. Von Rundstedt based his opinion on what he thought that he had learned from prior landings. The Allies, for their part, had learned from the disastrous Canadian raid on Dieppe in 1942 that any invasion must have the advantage of overwhelming force. They had their own disagreements, such as how to employ air power. Should it be used in a Transportation Plan, to isolate the battlefield, or to pound the German heartland? The Germans had the disadvantage of having to defend the whole shoreline, while the Allies could choose where to direct their fury. The German Atlantic Wall of mines, barbed wire, gun encasements, "Rommel Asparagras", beach obstacles and other impedimenta presented a daunting front to the Allies and strained the productive capacity of the Reich. The Allies maximized their advantage through Operation Fortitude, the faux army commanded by Patton aimed at Calais. Still they had their own cases of the jitters, such as when a popular British crossword puzzle writer used several Overlord related words in the weeks leading up to the invasion. The final uncontrollable was the weather, which forced a one day delay and almost scrubbed the landings.

The complexity of the operation boggles the mind. The weeks of air bombardment, the parachute drops to secure causeways and crossroads behind the beaches, gliders to bring in more troops and heavier equipment, naval bombardment followed by the amphibious assaults on five Norman beaches had to be timed to the moon and tide. Considering the scope of the operation, the missed drop zones, the landings on the wrong beach, the assault on abandoned fortifications at Pointe du Hoc, and the other snafus are understandable.

A reader can get these big stories from many sources. What makes this book unique is the human touch, the narration of stories that we remember from the movie. We read about Pvt. Arthur B. "Dutch" Schultz, of the 82nd Airborne who really did win a wad in a crap game and then decide to lose it all, the troops who landed in the heart of Ste. Mare Eglise while a fire was being fought, including Pvt. John Steele of the 82nd who did get caught on the steeple and the chaplain who did dive five times to find his mass kit in the flooded drop zone, just to mention a few.

This is an interesting read for its human interest value. For anyone wanting an understanding of D-Day, it is essential. This and Stephen Ambrose's "D-Day" (see my Amazon review) are the two leading works available in English. The frequency with which Ambrose quotes Ryan gives testimony to the value of "The Longest Day" as a definitive historical source.

I just finished reading this book today. It was great. I saw the movie before getting this book, and the movie was a horrid representation of this book. It made me want to be at the beach, yet at the same time, not want to be there. I have a new found respect for the veterans who made it through the assault. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Everybody would be interested in this composition. Spend the money and have an enjoyable time reading this book.