The Guns at Last Light

By Rick Atkinson

The Guns at Last Light - Rick Atkinson
  • Release Date: 2013-05-14
  • Genre: History
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 570 Ratings

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The magnificent conclusion to Rick Atkinson's acclaimed Liberation Trilogy about the Allied triumph in Europe during World War II

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 the American-led coalition fought through North Africa and Italy to the threshold of victory. Now, in The Guns at Last Light, he tells the most dramatic story of all—the titanic battle for Western Europe.

D-Day marked the commencement of the final campaign of the European war, 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. Atkinson tells the tale from the perspective of participants at every level, from presidents and generals to war-weary lieutenants and terrified teenage riflemen. When Germany at last surrenders, we understand anew both the devastating cost of this global conflagration and the enormous effort required to win the Allied victory.

With the stirring final volume of this monumental trilogy, Atkinson's accomplishment is manifest. He has produced the definitive chronicle of the war that unshackled a continent and preserved freedom in the West.

One of The Washington Post's Top 10 Books of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2013

Reviews

  • Outstanding book

    5
    By dffyuytrc
    Very detailed and enlightening book. the research involved is mind boggling. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely read other works by this author.
  • A Superb Reflection of WWII History

    5
    By crzyboy20
    Atkinson demonstrates an amazing ability to take the reader through not only battlefields across the European theater, but also into the minds of those who fought it. Of importance, we learn what Soldiers from all walks of life were thinking, including their triumphs and tragedies. We also see how very human, and sometimes very flawed, generals and senior leaders prosecuted the war. Yet, the Allies found ways to preserve unity of effort to overcome humanity’s greatest threat. A must read and more importantly, lessons we must never forget.
  • Bringing to life on a visceral level the reality of war

    5
    By Kashi_newsguy
    Bringing to life a period in time that perhaps is forgotten, overlooked and taken for granted. A visceral connection is made through by showing the reality of an unconscionable war fought by men and women whose sacrifices would be unimaginable today. If anything else this trilogy helps keep their legacy alive and extremely relevant.
  • The Guns at Last Light

    5
    By Roy Newell
    A remarkably detailed look at WWII in Europe. There is much insight about the interaction of the Allies from Normandy to the collapse of the Axis on V-E day. One is reminded that with history there are only two outcomes: study history, or repeat it. Highly recommended.
  • The best was saved for last

    5
    By Tachyon450
    I truly enjoyed reading Atkinson's WWII trilogy, laced with the excitement of eventual Allied victory and the myriad setbacks and mistakes that permeate all extended battles. The shortcomings of the commanders in war are related in all too human terms, as are those of the enlisted men serving under them. I recommend reading all the books of the series, since one cannot understand the success of D-Day without reading of the learning experience of North Africa and Italy. Well done.
  • The Guns at Last Light

    5
    By Dvzee1
    Want to read the last book of the trilogy but will wait for the price to drop to 10.00. More than enough for a digital copy.
  • Atkinson

    5
    By ipodtman
    Great finish to his WWII trilogy. Presents a lot of new information.
  • Battlefields well trod

    4
    By Pio Ricardo
    The third book of Atkinson's WWII trilogy walks over ground previously covered by decades of authors, occasionally finding a new artifact, but often pointing out familiar landmarks and then moving on. Like the generals we first meet in his gripping book on the North African campaign and then follow into Sicily and Italy in his much needed second book on that less chronicled, bloody slog up the peninsula; Atkinson seems worn down by the time we break out of Normandy. The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far captured the the sweep of the big battles in more detail. He does fill a void with his narrative of the all-but-forgotten campaign up the Rhone from Southern France; and his painful account of the brutal, final pounding of Germany in the spring of '45 holds its own with any other history I have seen. But this is the lesser... the least ... of the three volumes. What Atkinson does bring is a much appreciated journalist's verdict to his profiles of the commanders. He treats the heroes with an even and sometimes critical eye. He also names the names of those forgotten generals whom history has passed over because they were weak or vain or failures. He also holds up a few commanders who should be better remembered than they are today. I own the other two volumes in hardback and I must complain that the maps on an iPad are far too small to be of any use, a real problem for a military history. If there was a way to scale them up, I could not find it. On the other hand, the digital book brought great power to bear on the author's sometimes overwrought vocabulary. It was much easier to keep moving when a definition was only a tap away. If you, too, have spent years with the histories of this war, this volume is a return trip to familiar fields. Ah yes, we observe: Monty is still the vain rooster; the French remain blustering, incompetent warriors; Patton is still the dashing, but bloody, warrior; the Germans still lose while fighting with better weapons than anybody else. And, somehow, Ike manages to hold it together.
  • Guns at Last Light

    5
    By albie35
    Very well written final work in what is a definitive study of WW II. Atkinson writes history in a clear voice that is both detailed and entertaining. This book was hard to put down.
  • The Guns at Last Light

    2
    By Control49er
    Excruciating detail rendered almost unreadable by the author's vocabulary. Never uses a simple word, when an obscure word will suffice.