
Citizen Soldiers
From the Normandy Beaches to the Surrender of Germany
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Narrated by:
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Cotter Smith
About this listen
A masterful biography of the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations, Citizen Soldiers provides a compelling account of the extraordinary stories of ordinary men in their fight for democracy. The story opens on June 7, 1944, on the beaches of Normandy and ends at the end of the war on May 7, 1945.
Along the way, Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews and oral histories to recreate the experience of the individuals who fought in the battle, from the high command - Eisenhower, Bradley, and Patton - on down to the enlisted men. Plus, the author reveals the learning process of a great army, from how to cross rivers, fight in snow, hedgerows, and cities, and coordinate air and ground campaigns, to the intricacies of fighting in winter and on the defensive. But most incredibly, Ambrose tells the story of how ordinary citizens became soldiers in the greatest army in the world.
Download the accompanying reference guide.©1997 Stephen E. Ambrose, All Rights Reserved (P)1997 Simon & Schuster Audio, All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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What an epic story what great men
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Band of Brothers
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Very Interesting of the politics of war
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Required Reading
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Great story told in greater detal
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Narration kills a great book
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D-Day
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- Length: 25 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephen E. Ambrose draws from hundreds of interviews with US Army veterans and the brave Allied soldiers who fought alongside them to create this exceptional account of the day that shaped the twentieth century. D-Day is above all the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their existence, when the horrors, complexities and triumphs of life are laid bare and courage and heroism come to the fore.
-
-
What an epic story what great men
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Band of Brothers
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- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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High Expectations Met
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The Supreme Commander
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- Length: 32 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, best-selling historian Stephen E. Ambrose examines the Allied commander's leadership during World War II. Ambrose brings Eisenhower's experience of the Second World War to life, showing in vivid detail how the general's skill as a diplomat and a military strategist contributed to Allied successes in North Africa and in Europe and established him as one of the greatest military leaders in the world.
-
-
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- Narrated by: Jeffrey DeMunn
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The very young men who flew the B24s over Germany in World War II against terrible odds were an exemplary band of brothers. In The Wild Blue, Stephen Ambrose recounts their extraordinary brand of heroism, skill, daring, and comradeship. Stephen Ambrose describes how the Army Air Forces recruited, trained, and chose those few who would undertake the most demanding and dangerous jobs in the war.
-
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Required Reading
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- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, a small detachment of British airborne troops stormed the German defense 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 of it by acclaimed author Stephen Ambrose brings to life a daring mission so crucial that, had it been unsuccessful, the entire Normandy invasion might have failed.
-
-
Great story told in greater detal
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-
Undaunted Courage
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- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 21 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson selected his personal secretary, Captain Meriwether Lewis, to lead a voyage up the Missouri River, across the forbidding Rockies, and - by way of the Snake and the Columbia rivers - down to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and his partner, Captain William Clark, endured incredible hardships and witnessed astounding sights. With great perseverance, they worked their way into an unexplored West. When they returned two years later, they had long since been given up for dead.
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Reads like Forrest Gump ( a fiction )
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The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
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This is the second audio book of Sledge's work
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Overall
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Performance
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In November 1965, some 450 men of the First Battalion, Seventh Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was chopped to pieces. Together, these actions at the landing zones X-Ray and Albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War. How these men persevered makes a vivid portrait of war at its most inspiring and devastating.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Excellent!
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Performance
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As the Allies raced to defeat Hitler, four men, all in the same unit, earned medal after medal for battlefield heroism. Maurice “Footsie” Britt, a former professional football player, became the very first American to receive every award for valor in a single war. Michael Daly was a West Point dropout who risked his neck over and over to keep his men alive. Keith Ware would one day become the first and only draftee in history to attain the rank of general before serving in Vietnam. In WWII, Ware owed his life to the finest soldier he ever commanded, a baby-faced Texan named Audie Murphy.
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The Greatest Generation.
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Critic reviews
What listeners say about Citizen Soldiers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Brooke P. Anderson
- 07-28-04
Top-notch
This is every bit as good as Band of Brothers. My only regret on this one is that it is abridged. This is one of my favorite books on war -- very well written and very well narrated, with fascinating stories to tell.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Perry
- 01-12-21
Citizen soldier
This is such a vivid description of what war was like in World War II. I’ve listen to several military books over the years and I can’t express enough how important the narrator is. Cotter Smith it brings you into each scene with his perfect delivery.
Stephen Ambrose is truly one of the great authors of our generation. I wish you were still here to tell us more stories of the greatest generation
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-06-23
Eye opening
An in depth view of the European Theater from the level of the common soldier. It really helps you to appreciate what was done.
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- AFru
- 11-26-11
A rare look at WWII Europe from the soldier's view
I'm not a WWII military authority, but this is one book I could not drop. The audible was great, getting the right French and German pronounciations; having to hear ALL the story, and not just the part I didn't skim. Its personal nature - specific stories of soldiers - makes one feel apart of the fears, horrors, and hardships they lived with and died with. Its a long audible - about 6 hours - but worth it!! If your into reading WWI and WWII history and related stories this book is a must!!
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Overall
- Joseph
- 01-20-08
Citizen Soldiers
The book was ok. Not like other ambrose books I have read. It seamed to be choppy and bounced around like Flags of our Fathers. Not bad but not his best.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Wolfpacker
- 07-21-08
Wait For the Unabridged Version
This book suffers quite a bit because of the abridgement. You move from a battle scene in the forest to a street fight in the town with no transition or explanation. I was able to follow some of it, but my wife was constantly stopping the book to ask what was being discussed. My daughter has read the unabridged book, and she says it is very good.
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