Ambrose’s first book was his Louisiana State University master’s thesis on Henry Halleck, and his second was his Ph.D. dissertation on Civil War general Emory Upton. In 1960, Ambrose began teaching at the University of New Orleans and working on a history of West Point called Duty, Honor, Country. He was twenty-eight years old when President Eisenhower, who had read Ambrose’s book on Halleck, asked him to write his biography.
Ambrose’s research into President Eisenhower’s World War II career shifted the direction of his work from the Civil War to World War II. Later, his research into Eisenhower’s political career led him to write political history.
Since then, Ambrose has written more than twenty books. Among his New York Times bestsellers are D-Day, June 6, 1944; Citizen Soldiers; Band of Brothers; Undaunted Courage; and Nothing Like It in the World. He was the historical consultant for Steven Spielberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan, and has also participated in numerous national television programs, including ones produced by the History Channel, National Geographic, and the upcoming HBO epic based on Band of Brothers.
Ambrose is a retired Boyd Professor of History. He is the Director Emeritus of the Eisenhower Center in New Orleans and is the founder of the National D-Day Museum. He is a contributing editor for the Quarterly Journal of Military History, a member of the board of directors for American Rivers, and a member of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council board.
BY STEPHEN E. AMBROSE
The Wild Blue
Nothing Like It in the World: the Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad, 1863–1869
The Victors: Brothers, Fathers, Heroes, Sons, Pals
Americans at War
Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944–May 7, 1945
Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West
D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest
Nixon: Ruin and Recovery, 1973–1990
Eisenhower: Soldier and President
Nixon: The Triumph of a Politician, 1962–1972
Nixon: The Education of a Politician, 1913–1962
Pegasus Bridge: June 6, 1944
Eisenhower: The President
Eisenhower: Soldier, General of the Army, President-Elect, 1890–1952
The Supreme Commander: The War Years of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
Duty, Honor, Country: A History of West Point
Eisenhower and Berlin, 1945
Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors
Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy, 1938–1992
Ike’s Spies: Eisenhower and the Espionage Establishment
Halleck: Lincoln’s Chief of Staff
Upton and the Army
INDEX
Abrams, Creighton, 190
Airborne Command, 35
airsickness pills, 67
Aisne River, 165
Aldbourne, 43–56, 59–60, 61–62, 108–22
description of, 44–45
postinvasion training at, 115
preinvasion training at, 45–47, 54–61
return to, 107, 114–16
training schedule at, 45–47
Aldershorst, see Eagle’s Nest
Alley, James, 305
in attack on Noville, 217–18
on D-Day, 69, 75
at Foy, 188
wounding of, 144–45, 170
Allied Military Marks, 258
All Quiet on the Western Front (film), 146
Alps, 258, 274, 278
Alsace, 220, 223–24
101st in, 223–25
supplies in, 224–25
weather in, 223–24
ammunition, ammunition supplies, 176–77
Ardennes offensive and, 174
at Bastogne, 176–78, 186, 190, 219
for bazookas, 93–94
at Foy, 214, 219
German, 186
“Hell’s Highway” and, 132, 134
for machine-guns, 136
at Mourmelon, 175
at Noville, 219
see also supplies
amputation ward, 169
Angoville-au-Plain, 89
antiaircraft fire, 68–69, 72, 123
antitank guns, 230
Antwerp, 120, 121, 139, 174
Arabs, U.S. soldiers’ view of, 248
Ardennes, German offensive at, 15, 172–74, 259
Allied intelligence and, 172–73
causalities of, 173, 220
demand for U.S. surrender in, 189
Montgomery and, 191, 213–14
Nordwind and, 223
publicity of, 190
see also Bastogne; Noville
Armed Forces Network (AFN), 115
Army, U.S.
Ardennes casualties of, 173
combat attitudes of, 110–12
comradeship in, 20–22, 26, 46, 62, 110–12, 155–57, 219–20
morale of troops in, 84, 112, 138, 177–78, 186, 219–20
nonfraternization policy of, 247, 250, 279, 281
official historian of, 85
point system in, 281–83
replacement soldiers in, 154–57, 168, 202–3, 229
returning wounded in, 109
violations of discipline in, 244
Arnhem, 120, 124, 135, 141, 158, 164
“Arnhem Annie,” 160, 164
artillery, 58, 91, 93, 132, 139–40, 142, 149, 152, 186, 192, 226–27
Atlanta, Ga., march to, 28–29
Austria, 249, 274–91
autobahn, German, 262, 265, 266
AWOL, 112, 157, 170
Bad Reichenhall, 266
Bain, Rob, 104, 306
Barbarossa, 172
basic training, 229, 239
of E Company, 18–22, 25–29
Bastogne, 15, 179–94, 219, 243, 259, 276, 291
advantages of defensive at, 195–96
ammunition supplies at, 176–77, 186, 190, 219
breaking of siege at, 190–91
casualties at, 193–94, 220–22
civilian population of, 225, 246
German Main Line of Resistance at, 184
German strategy at, 193
patrols at, 187
ring defense of, 179
supplies at, 186, 190, 219
U.S. Main Line of Resistance at, 179–94
weather at, 195–96, 214
see also Ardennes, German offensive at; Noville
battalion review, 237
Bavaria, 249, 258
bazookas, 35, 93–94, 100
Belleau Wood, 165
Berchtesgaden, 15, 259, 264–73, 279
description of, 264–65
Hitler at, 264–65
looting of, 265–73
Nazis at, 265–67
Berlin, 86, 106, 116, 121, 139, 215, 244
Blithe, Albert, 98, 103
Bois Jacques, 196–98, 267
Bormann, Martin, 265
Boyle, Leo, 22, 169, 297
on D-Day, 69, 86
promotions of, 38, 112
wounding of, 98, 151
Bradley, Omar, 57, 117
at awards ceremony, 106
Brécourt Manor, 78, 83, 86–87
Brenner Pass, 258
Brereton, Lewis, 119, 242
Brewer, Bob, 114, 126, 299
British Military Cross, 162
Bronze Star, 85, 241, 243, 287
point system and, 281–82
Bulge, Battle of the, see Ardennes, German offensive at
Burgess, Tom, 45, 73–74
California, University of, at Los Angeles (UCLA), 15, 17, 49
Calvados coast, 57–58
Camp Breckinridge, 39
Camp Mackall, 35–37
Camp Mourmelon, see Mourmelon-le
-Grand
Camp Shanks, 40–41
Camp Toccoa, 15–29, 169, 210, 240, 289–91
comradeship at, 21–22, 26
infantry training at, 20, 27–28
Cappelluto, Harold, 69
Carentan, 15, 73, 77, 89–107
Allied Strategy and, 91–92, 98
capture of, 94–96
casualties at, 100, 101
German defense of, 91–97
population of, 225
Carson, Gordon, 36, 46, 49, 113, 169, 262
in Austria, 278–79, 285–86
in Berchtesgaden, 269–70, 271–72
on D-Day, 68
at Fort Benning, 33, 35
in Germany, 260
promotions of, 38, 54
reassignment of, 241
wounding of, 182
Chamberlain, Neville, 265
champagne, 171, 271, 273
Chartres, 117–18
Chase, Charles, 130
Chateau-Thierry, 165
Chattahoochee River, 34
Cherbourg, Allied strategy and, 91
“chickenshit,” defined, 24–25
Chiem See, 265
Chilton Foliat, 54
Christenson, Burton “Pat,” 39, 113, 169, 184–85, 305
at Camp Toccoa, 19, 28
on D-Day, 71–72
in departure for Europe, 41, 43
at Foy, 183–85, 186
at Mourmelon, 239
promotion of, 112
Churchill, Winston, 55–56, 271
Cobb, Roy, 112–13, 220, 228
court-martial of, 235
on D-Day, 70
at Haguenau, 228–30, 233–35
Cobru, 214
Cole, Robert, 85
Collins, Hermin, 105
Collins, J. Lawton, 91
Cologne, 251, 257–58
Combat Exhaustion, 203
Compton, Lynn “Buck,” 84, 168–69, 201–2, 303, 304
at Aldbourne, 49–50
character of, 114
on D-Day, 78–84
at Mourmelon, 168
promotion of, 112
wounding of, 128–29, 168, 202
concentration camps, first sight of, 262–63
Congressional Medal of Honor, 85, 102
Cotentin Peninsula, 75, 89–91
Allied strategy and, 57–58, 62–63, 83
see also Utah Beach
Cromwell tanks, 120, 127
Crutchfield tongs, 193, 293
Culoville, 87, 89
Currahee, Mount, 19, 23–24, 169, 268, 289
“Currahee” (battle cry), 19, 33
Currahee (scrapbook), 42, 55, 167, 177–78
Dachau, 262
Daladier, Edouard, 265
D (Dog) Company, 15, 100
basic training of, 27, 28–29
at Bastogne, 176–78, 185
in Berchtesgaden, 268
on D-Day, 77, 83
at Haguenau, 230
in Holland, 124–25, 132
D-Day, 13, 68–70
airdrop on, 65–71
Allied strategy of, 57–58, 62–63
battleships on, 74, 77
casualties on, 77, 84
cricket identification on, 72, 74, 76
drop zone on, 73, 85
gear on, 71, 75–79
German soldiers on, 72, 76, 77–77, 78–84, 88
infantry tactics on, 78–84
jump on, 71–77
leg bags on, 71, 76
paratroopers on, 67–76
password identification on, 74
rehearsals for, 55–61
2d Battalion on, 78
significance of E Company on, 84
strength of Allied forces on, 67–78
strength of E Company on, 75, 76, 83–84, 87
tanks on, 87
visibility on, 68
von der Heydte on, 77
Winters as commanding officer on, 78–88
Winters’s diary of, 71, 88, 102
see also Normandy invasion and campaign
DeFlita, Frank, 69
demolition kit, 82, 83
Depression, Great, 15–16, 293
de Vallavielle family, 87
Diel, James, 22, 37–38, 112, 290
Dietrich, Marlene, 172, 243
Dike, Norman S., Jr., 163, 168–69, 175, 186, 202–4
breaking point of, 208–10
at Mourmelon, 168, 243
dikes, 141
Displaced Persons (D.P.s), 255–57, 276, 277, 279, 281
Distinguished Service Cross, 85, 97, 106
point system and, 281–82
Dittrich, Rudolph, 54
Dobey, O., 157–59
Doctor Zhivago (film), 215
Dodewaard, 141
Domingus, Joe, 182
Dommel River, 127
Douglas C-47
antiaircraft fire and, 68–70, 72
on D-Day, 67–73
in Operation Eagle, 60–61
V-formation of, 67, 73, 244
Douve River, 57, 89, 92
Driel, 160
drop zone, 47, 73, 85, 119, 123–24
Dukeman, William, 113, 146
DUKWs, defined, 259–60
Dusseldorf, 251
Dutch people, U.S. soldiers and, 246, 248
Dutch underground, 127, 158, 246
Eagle, Operation, 60–61
Eagle’s Nest (Aldershorst), 13, 258, 264–73
description of, 264–65
Hitler at 264–65
looting of, 265–73
Nazis at, 265–67
Early, Stephen, 242
Eastern Front, 275–76
Eclipse, Operation, 244–45
E (Easy) Company
airdrop on D-Day and, 65–71
backgrounds of men of, 15–17
basic training of, 18–20, 25–29
breaking point and, 187, 202–4
casualties of, 84, 100, 101, 106, 110, 140, 164, 193–94, 220–22
character of men of, 112–14
comradeship of, 20–22, 26, 46, 62, 110–12, 155–57, 289
in coordination with British, 140, 158–60
European departure of, 40–44
first promotions of, 38
formation of, 17–18
German people and, 247–51
inactivation of, 289
infantry training of, 18, 20, 27–28, 35–36, 39, 45–46, 61–62
initiation rites of, 21
as light infantry unit, 18, 141
in march to Atlanta, 28–29
morale of, 35, 112, 116, 138, 177–78, 219–20
Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) of, 18, 22–23, 112–14, 139, 154–57, 168–69, 184, 186, 210, 221–22, 241
officers of, 17–18, 22–24, 38, 49–50, 112, 114, 154–57, 161, 168–69, 203–4, 210, 221–22, 240–41
paratrooper training of, 18, 20, 30–33, 39–40, 46–47
physical training of, 18–22, 25–29, 30, 33, 37, 39, 45–47, 152–53
postinvasion training of, 115
preinvasion training of, 45–47, 54–61
in preparation for combat, 16–17, 18–20, 39, 46–47
privates of, 18, 27–28, 38, 168–69, 241
as rifle unit, 18, 20, 21–22, 27, 35, 36
strength of, in Normandy invasion, 78, 83–84, 87, 89–90, 106
values of men of, 16–17, 19–20
wings and insignia of, 19–20, 31, 33, 34, 40, 41, 64, 166, 219, 255
see also specific individuals and events
Eichmann, Adolf, 276
Eifel, German strength at, 172–73
VIII Corps, 172–74, 176, 184
XVIII Airborne Corps, 119
82d Airborne Division, 47, 57, 119–21, 135, 172
Ardennes offensive and, 174–78, 190–91
on D-Day, 76
in Germany, 251
MARKET-GARDE
N and, 138
Nijmegen bridge captured by, 143
at Reims, 166
83d Infantry Division, 105
Eindhoven, 120, 124, 126, 129, 135, 164, 295
Eisenhower, Dwight D., 55–56, 65, 66, 258
Allied strategy of, 57–58, 172–74, 191, 213–14, 271
First Allied Airborne Army and, 120
inspection by, 116
MARKET-GARDEN and, 121, 139
at Mourmelon, 242
Elliot, George, 105
England, 49, 108, 115
countryside of, 45–47
people of, 246, 248
English rations, 45, 132, 142–43
Ernie Pyle Bridge, 260
ETO ribbon, 282
Eubanks, John, 74–75
Evans, William, 22, 24, 36, 48, 69, 290
Face of Battle, The (Keegan), 210
Fayetteville, N.C., 40, 238
F (Fox) Company, 15, 36
basic training of, 27, 28–29
at Bastogne, 177, 206–7
in Berchtesgaden, 268
casualties of, 151
in Holland, 124–25, 132
on Island, 150
in Normandy invasion, 92, 100
Fenstermaker, Carl, 68, 73
1st Airborne Division, British, 119–21, 135, 138, 244–45
First Allied Airborne Army, 119–21
First Army, 116, 172, 193, 245
1st Battalion of 506th, 30, 86, 89, 181
on “Hell’s Highway,” 124–25, 135
1st Parachute Brigade, Polish, 119
4th Infantry Division, 116
Allied strategy and, 57–58, 63, 89
on D-Day, 83, 87
Exercise Tiger and, 58–59
43d Division, British, 143
463d Field Artillery Battalion, 179
V Corps, 57, 91
501st Regiment
Allied invasion strategy and, 92
at Bastogne, 179–80, 198
in Berchtesgaden, 287
502d Parachute Infantry Regiment, 75, 76, 137, 198
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 75
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 15, 18, 290
Allied invasion strategy and, 57–58, 62–63, 89, 92, 117
in Alsace, 223–25
at Arnhem, 160–62
at Berchtesgaden, 264
casualties of, 106, 118, 179
combat attitudes of, 110–12
D-Day airdrop and, 65–71
European departure of, 40–44
formation of, 17–18
at Foy, 214
in front-line positions, 143–44
at Haguenau, 236
on “Hell’s Highway,” 138
liberation of Son and, 124–25