The Guns at Last Light The Guns at Last Light
Book 3 - The Liberation Trilogy

The Guns at Last Light

The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945

    • 4.3 • 570 Ratings
    • $13.99
    • $13.99

Publisher 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

GENRE
History
RELEASED
2013
May 14
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
896
Pages
PUBLISHER
Henry Holt and Co.
SELLER
Macmillan
SIZE
19.9
MB

Customer Reviews

Pio Ricardo ,

Battlefields well trod

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.

Crabzomatic ,

Staggering price is RIGHT

Why does a 400 page digital document need to be priced at $20.00?

Dad E.O. ,

The Guns at Last Light

A detailed and impeccably researched account of the allied political and military leaders in Africa & Europe during WWII.

The writing is first class and richly deserving of the many award and accolades awarded to the author.

This book pays homage to the efforts and sacrifice of so many during the war.

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More Books by Rick Atkinson

An Army at Dawn An Army at Dawn
2007
The Day of Battle The Day of Battle
2007
The British Are Coming The British Are Coming
2019
The Long Gray Line The Long Gray Line
2010
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The Liberation Trilogy Box Set The Liberation Trilogy Box Set
2013

Other Books in This Series

An Army at Dawn An Army at Dawn
2007
The Day of Battle The Day of Battle
2007