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Marcus | 2/12/2014
" I'm having a good streak with my book selections lately. 'An army at dawn' is not only a valuable, objective addition about United States first WWII campaign in the West, but it's also beautifully written. Mr. Atkinson manages to complete a very difficult task - to give a comprehensive picture of the events, paints a very vivid picture of main personalities and gives enough space to the ordinary grunts who actually stood for the fighting and dying. I am extremly impressed with this book and am really looknig forward to reading remaining parts of this lovely trilogy. "
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Christopher | 2/4/2014
" A good narrative on the North African campaign of WWII, Atkinson certainly shows a flair for dramatic prose and illuminating detail. Atkinson shows a great deal of empathy for all involved, from the generals to the grunts, the Axis to the Allies. My one criticism of this book is that Atkinson seems too fixed on showing the small and stupid failures of the Allies during the campaign. Granted, no war is perfect and many of the mistakes made were really dumb (like Gen. Allen taunting the Germans on their own coded frequencies), but the failures seem to outweigh the successes of the campaign. Overall a good start to what will probably be a great trilogy of military history books. "
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Tico | 1/31/2014
" War/history buffs, go read this. Great stuff. "
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Doug Peterson | 1/25/2014
" Excellent treatment of the entire sweep of the North African campaign. This book has made me wait with baited breath for volume two... "
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Cj | 1/24/2014
" This is a really first class account of the war in North Africa. It reads like a novel, tells dozens of really personal tales, and just sucks you into the story so you can't put it down. Knowing how things ultimately turned out does not take away from the suspense that builds up before the battle sequences. Really great book. "
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Marianne | 1/14/2014
" One of the best I've read! "
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Travis | 1/14/2014
" Pretty good historical account of the U.S. entry in to North Africa during WW2. We were in way over our heads, but learned the hard way how to become efficient as a fighting force. Very detailed in battle maneuvers, terrain, commanders, etc. Sometimes too detailed. But, I put this book down satisfied and have actually picked the next in the trilogy. Atkinson does his research, and this would be a good book for histroy and war buffs. "
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Larry | 1/12/2014
" This is the first of a trilogy on WWII. I read this one and the one on the war in Italy. I am waiting for the final book about the invasion of Europe. "
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Keith Slade | 1/7/2014
" OK history but a bit tedious in parts. Helped me understand the war in N. Africa a little better. "
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Dave Steinbrunn | 12/30/2013
" Perfect book. A must read if you are a military history buff "
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Sparkchaser | 11/26/2013
" After reading this book, I am surprised the Allies were even able to win the war. This book is a true tale of the coming of age of the U.S. military in WWII. "
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Dr. | 10/5/2013
" Pretty good but I don't get the hype. I really wanted this one to ened so I could read the next one which did turn out to be better. It's good history but it's too much in the vainb of Stephen Ambrose for my taste. "
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Zachary Krug | 7/28/2013
" Nicely crafted narrative of the allied campaign for N. Africa. Thought he belaboured the point about the US slowly lurching its way towards competence as an army, but enjoyed this much and look forward to the next two in the series. On to Italy. "
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Catherine | 6/18/2013
" A good read if you like details about the development of warfare during WWII. This is not a page-turner, but is very relevant when compared to books which depict modern warfare. "
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Missie | 6/16/2013
" I love reading books about our military but I think with this book I realized I preferred single account books. I found myself confusing all the names, especially the British commanders. "
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Jeffry | 1/10/2013
" Brilliant. Atkinson deserved the prize. "
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Steve Pugh | 12/2/2012
" This was a nice look at how we used to fight wars. The author does a nice job of getting into personal war stories. I'm glad I didn't have to fight in those conditions. "
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Quinn | 10/21/2012
" I like history and Rick recounts Americas first encounter with the Axis in stunning detail. If you like history this is a must read. "
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AFBonanno | 7/2/2012
" Very tactically inclined book. Nonetheless, interesting. "
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Brad | 4/25/2012
" 3.5 stars. Was ok. Didn't really hold my attention as much as I had wanted it to. "
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Nick | 12/7/2011
" Surprisingly easy to get through considering the daunting size, and unavoidable mountain of facts and figures. A fascinating look at a campaign that I previously knew nothing about. "
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Nishant | 5/19/2011
" The beginning of the end, so to speak... the allies take on Rommel in Africa... looking forward to reading Part 2...
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Sean | 5/3/2011
" Fantastic. Rick Atkinson is an erudite author of the first order. He makes this history come to life.
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Kendar88 | 3/26/2011
" Good perspective of the battle in North Africa. Noted how aweful the US military was at first and then how we became a powerful force.
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Paul | 3/13/2011
" Good WW II history perspective on Americas entry into North Africa and the 1942/1943 campaign. At 500 plus pages it gets a bit detailed on the battles.
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Brent | 2/15/2011
" Outstanding book! Very good account of the Americans first taste of combat in the European combat theater. Did not rely solely on hard facts but incorporated numerous quotes from soldiers.
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Larry | 1/9/2011
" This is the first of a trilogy on WWII. I read this one and the one on the war in Italy. I am waiting for the final book about the invasion of Europe.
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Michael | 12/31/2010
" War is ugly; this book shows how unprepared we were to enter into WWII, but also shows the steep learning curve of our armies and its leaders.
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Bebe | 8/3/2010
" Great book for folks interested in WWII.
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