The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II
by Jeff Shaara
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jeff ShaaraEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-13
ISBN: 0345461428
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Product features:
- fiction
- historica
- military
- author of
- America's premier
Book Reviews of The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II
Book Review: Superb historical fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
Jeff Shaara is unequaled in his ability to turn the dry stuff of history into compelling fiction.
In "The Steel Wave", Shaara turns his attention to the WWII D-Day period, the time leading up to and shortly after the invasion of France over the beaches of Normandy.
He tells us the story through eyes of only a few protagonists: Eisenhower, Rommell and to lesser extents, other leaders such as Churchill, Bradley and Patton. But the bulk of the story rests on the shoulders of Sergeant Jesse Adams, a soldier of the 82nd Airborne Division, whose troops were the first to drop into occupied France.
Shaara's skill is taking the dry stuff of history and turning it into fiction. Here we have Eisenhower in the well documented meeting with meteorologist Captain Stagg deciding whether or not to launch the invasion fleet on June 5, 1944 despite the awful weather. Every one of us who has studied WWII history knows this scene well. But what Shaara does is infuse emotion to Eisenhower that we don't read in the histories. Invented? Yes. Plausible? Wrapped in Shaara's words, very much so.
And so we see things through Rommell's mind as he attempts to carry out his orders to make all of Western Europe's coastline into an impregnable barrier to Allied invasion. Again, the obstacles Rommell faced are well known to history buffs, but it is Shaara's dramatization of Rommell's thoughts that makes for compelling reading.
When Shaara deals with Patton, although to a lesser degree, every student of history will recognize the words and deedsa of Patton as published in a number of books, but what makes this different is Shaara's treatment of Eisenhower's thoughts as he deals with his brilliant, but difficult to handle general. Likewise, Shaara joins with contemporary historians in deflating the balloon that was built around Montgomery, the British commander. Montgomery here comes across as a sniveling, whining leader who was promoted past his competency, protected surprisingly by Eisenhower against Churchill, Bradley and others.
But the bulk of the story rests on the shoulders of Jesse Adams, introduced in Shaara's first installment of his planned WWII trilogy. Adams is the ground soldier, smart, recognized for his potential, but a man who prefers to be sergeant, slugging it out on the battlefield.
Through Adams, we see the horror of war and its attraction to men. Through Adams, we feel the rain, the heat, the dust, dirt, mud of the slog from one engagement to another. We see the terror of leaping out of an airplane into the darkness of night over a land where the enemy is waiting to kill you.
Jesse Adams is an Everyman: through his thoughts, we experience the nature of battle, the nature of real soldiers. And it is a searing experience, leaving the reader to wonder how men could do so much, endure so much in the name of an abstract idea like "freedom".
This is, indeed, a wonderful work of historical fiction. Shaara brings to life the spirits and beliefs that animated tens of millions of Americans to support the war, though it ultimately cost us the lives of over 400,000 Americans. As we sit here almost seven decades later with so many of the participants passed on, we may well wonder if the nation can ever again raise a generation like the one chronicled in these pages.
A marvelous book.
Jerry
Summary of The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II
Jeff Shaara, America?s premier author of military historical fiction, brings us the centerpiece of his epic trilogy of the Second World War.General Dwight Eisenhower once again commands a diverse army that must find its single purpose in the destruction of Hitler?s European fortress. His primary subordinates, Omar Bradley and Bernard Montgomery, must prove that this unique blend of Allied armies can successfully confront the might of Adolf Hitler?s forces, who have already conquered Western Europe. On the coast of France, German commander Erwin Rommel fortifies and prepares for the coming invasion, acutely aware that he must bring all his skills to bear on a fight his side must win. But Rommel?s greatest challenge is to strike the Allies on his front, while struggling behind the lines with the growing insanity of Adolf Hitler, who thwarts the strategies Rommel knows will succeed.
Meanwhile, Sergeant Jesse Adams, a no-nonsense veteran of the 82nd Airborne, parachutes with his men behind German lines into a chaotic and desperate struggle. And as the invasion force surges toward the beaches of Normandy, Private Tom Thorne of the 29th Infantry Division faces the horrifying prospects of fighting his way ashore on a stretch of coast more heavily defended than the Allied commanders anticipate?Omaha Beach.
From G.I. to general, this story carries the reader through the war?s most crucial juncture, the invasion that altered the flow of the war, and, ultimately, changed history.
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