You may think you know the story of D-Day-myself I have read countless books on the subject. This one is different. This one is personal.

John C. McManus has taken this story to a new level. He re-counts the invasion through the eyes of The U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, known as The Big Red One. The men in this division were known as "The Best of The Best"-They had been in North Africa, Italy, Sicily. They were suppose to be going home. Instead they were shipped to England and became the core of the D-Day Invasion in Omaha Beach. It amazes me that this piece of history has been ignored. After reading this book I can say with certainty, these are the men that opened the door to freeing Europe.

This was not an easy read. McManus is free with the detail of the carnage and death on that beach. He also does not hold back on the fact that the landing on that beach was a disastrously mishandled situation-nothing went on schedule, nothing planned came to fruition. The beachhead was taken, not by the out of touch planners, but by the regular soldier and the men that lead them. As the beach became over crowded and men began to black out in fear-One man,Col. George Taylor, lead assault regiment commander- was walking with an injured leg and using a cane. He began swatting the fearful soldiers with that cane and shouted “Only two kinds of people are going to be on this beach, the dead and those who are going to die. Now get moving!” Uncountable lives were saved as the soldiers shook off the fear and began heading off the beach into the unknown.

McManus accessed a lot of new and recently found sources, including interview with veterans and their families.

From the back cover : "This is gripping history-beautifully and masterfully told by one of America's premier historians"

This book is not for for everyone-but if you are like me and want the pure facts of history, it is a stellar read. ( )

Everything you want to know about the First Division and its role in the D-Day invasion. Blow-by-blow account of many individuals and how they navigated the beach while exposed to withering fire while hampered by the excessive weight of their equipment. Also excellent analysis of how the naval bombardment was utterly useless in dislodging the German defenders, thus leaving the landing troops in constant peril. ( )