The Liberation Trilogy (2002-2013) [/]
Aug 12 2024
Rick Atkinson, who wrote Black Hawk Down which I like and In the Company of Soldiers which was ok, wrote the three volume Liberation Trilogy which focuses on the American Army in WWII's European Theater of Operations.
v1 An Army At Dawn (2002) - the invasion of North Africa
v2 The Day of Battle (2007) - Sicily and Italy
v3 The Guns at Last Light (2013) - D-Day to Victory in Europe day
These are big volumes with extensive end notes so he did his research. Atkinson gives the overall picture, operations, battles and small unit fights with lots of quotes and anecdotes from the highest level to the fighting soldiers. But of necessity it's still more of an overview with lots of stuff omitted (for example Sicily is 150-odd pages which is a lot but, even omitting the British side, is a lot less detail than the Sicily book I read recently).
There are a good number of maps though not for the tactical stuff. Atkinson covers the British in summary since his focus is the Americans but they often fought with the British. Similarly Army Air Corps and the US Navy is not dwelt on except as they impacted Army operations or in summary.
I'm not sure I actually like these three volumes. On the one hand a very thorough work. On the other hand it's such a big area and he wants to cover it down to low level that I feel I didn't get as much out of it as I should have. I think the low level stuff I'd rather read separate books because what he has gives a feel without substance..
The other thing I didn't appreciate is that he doesn't like Patton, doesn't like Eisenhower, doesn't like Montgomery, doesn't like most of the generals, sort of in that order. I guess he wants to bring up deficiencies for a more balanced coverage but Atkinson has a "this is shameful and disappointing" tone which is a bit grating.
Overall it's a series good enough to keep in my library but mostly because I have nothing else like it. Perhaps when I read another multi-volume series on WWII, even if more broad than Atkinson's treatment, I will find a replacement for The Liberation Trilogy.
v1 An Army At Dawn (2002) - the invasion of North Africa
v2 The Day of Battle (2007) - Sicily and Italy
v3 The Guns at Last Light (2013) - D-Day to Victory in Europe day
These are big volumes with extensive end notes so he did his research. Atkinson gives the overall picture, operations, battles and small unit fights with lots of quotes and anecdotes from the highest level to the fighting soldiers. But of necessity it's still more of an overview with lots of stuff omitted (for example Sicily is 150-odd pages which is a lot but, even omitting the British side, is a lot less detail than the Sicily book I read recently).
There are a good number of maps though not for the tactical stuff. Atkinson covers the British in summary since his focus is the Americans but they often fought with the British. Similarly Army Air Corps and the US Navy is not dwelt on except as they impacted Army operations or in summary.
I'm not sure I actually like these three volumes. On the one hand a very thorough work. On the other hand it's such a big area and he wants to cover it down to low level that I feel I didn't get as much out of it as I should have. I think the low level stuff I'd rather read separate books because what he has gives a feel without substance..
The other thing I didn't appreciate is that he doesn't like Patton, doesn't like Eisenhower, doesn't like Montgomery, doesn't like most of the generals, sort of in that order. I guess he wants to bring up deficiencies for a more balanced coverage but Atkinson has a "this is shameful and disappointing" tone which is a bit grating.
Overall it's a series good enough to keep in my library but mostly because I have nothing else like it. Perhaps when I read another multi-volume series on WWII, even if more broad than Atkinson's treatment, I will find a replacement for The Liberation Trilogy.