Book Summary, Review & Study Guide: The Guns at Last Light

WARNING: This is not the actual book "The Guns at Last Light" by Rick Atkinson. Do not buy this "Summary, Review & Analysis" if you are looking for a full copy of this great book. We have already read "The Guns at Last Light" and pulled out some of the key points, and insights to give you a comprehensive chapter-by-chapter summary & review. In doing so, unfortunately we do not have the space to include all of the many important ideas and anecdotes found in "The Guns at Last Light." To get it all, you should first order the full book. Packaged together in an engaging and easily digestible format, this concise summary & analysis works best as an unofficial guide or companion to read alongside the book. A SUMMARY OF RICK ATKINSON'S THE GUNS AT LAST LIGHT: THE WAR IN WESTERN EUROPE, 1944-1945 -- RICK ATKINSON The greatest armada ever assembled is poised to invade Normandy and liberate the continent from Nazi tyranny. They will have to battle a hardened and veteran German army and later on fanatical Nazi resistance as they approach and enter the Third Reich. Such a vast undertaking requires an extraordinary amount of materiel, superhuman logistical effort, meticulous planning and coordination, all to an extent never seen before in human history. War - in all its crudity, heroism, terror, and misery - is portrayed in this most epic of stories. Rick Atkinson skillfully weaves individual soldiers' stories with the grand strategy pursued by the different leaders of the belligerent powers. "The Guns at Last Light" is exceptionally even-handed and balanced. The portraits of the main commanders are insightful and objective. Their strengths and weaknesses are analyzed unsparingly, giving complete and nuanced portraits of famous generals. Eisenhower might not have been a great operational commander, but without his maturity, his patience, and his diplomatic and political skills, the alliance might have come unstuck with disastrous consequences. General Patton might have undertaken more daring and brilliant maneuvers, but most likely he would have broken up the alliance and endangered the war effort with his vainglorious demeanor, imprudence, and lack of tact. In this summary, you will discover that: The German war effort proved incredibly resilient as, against generalized expectations, Germany did not surrender in 1944. The most senior generals in the Wehrmacht were so beholden to Hitler that they subordinated even their most strongly held professional judgments to Hitler's will, acquiescing to a suicidal offensive they knew could not succeed. Contrary to popular belief, both German and some American troops committed atrocities in killing unarmed and surrendering soldiers. By the time World War II came to pass, the mechanization and mobility of troops, the key importance of air power, and the harnessing of scientific and technological knowhow, all of which required industrial might, were the determining factors in deciding wars. The greatest conflagration known to mankind ended four centuries of European domination of the world and ushered in the American century. All this and much more! Apart from brilliantly chronicling the drama and vicissitudes of the life-and-death struggles of the contending armies in Western Europe, Atkinson demonstrates how the Allies' overwhelming advantage in men and especially the physical wherewithal to wage war sealed Nazi Germany's fate. The narrative is a fascinating tour de force. FROM START-TO-FINISH IN JUST 20 MINUTES! Here's your chapter-by-chapter guide to Rick Atkinson's "The Guns at Last Light" that you can start and finish right now!