an army at dawn

This book, awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for History, has been considered by the Wall Street Journal to be the best account of World War II since the classic works of Cornelius "Ryan's The Longest Day" and "A Bridge Too Far."

The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is an epic of courage and hardship, of successes, failures, and ultimate triumph. But the Allied victory cannot be understood without knowing the history of the immense drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. Atkinson's narrative begins with Operation Torch and the initial confrontation with collaborating French troops, and continues with the open struggle of Allied troops against the German army. In that terrible scenario, the Allies learned the price of defeating a formidable enemy and where most of the great generals of World War II, such as Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and Montgomery, were forged, having to face warriors as prestigious as Rommel or Kesselring. But, beyond the great names, Atkinson takes us to the front lines where the smell and taste of combat, death in the trenches, and anonymous tragedies show us the human face of a crucial battle for the destiny of civilization.

This book, awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for History, has been considered by the Wall Street Journal to be the best account of World War II since the classic works of Cornelius "Ryan's The Longest Day" and "A Bridge Too Far."

The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is an epic of courage and hardship, of successes, failures, and ultimate triumph. But the Allied victory cannot be understood without knowing the history of the immense drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. Atkinson's narrative begins with Operation Torch and the initial confrontation with collaborating French troops, and continues with the open struggle of Allied troops against the German army. In that terrible scenario, the Allies learned the price of defeating a formidable enemy and where most of the great generals of World War II, such as Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and Montgomery, were forged, having to face warriors as prestigious as Rommel or Kesselring. But, beyond the great names, Atkinson takes us to the front lines where the smell and taste of combat, death in the trenches, and anonymous tragedies show us the human face of a crucial battle for the destiny of civilization.