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Men of War
- The American Soldier in Combat at Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, and Iwo Jima
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins
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Publisher's summary
In the grand tradition of John Keegan's enduring classic The Face of Battle comes a searing, unforgettable chronicle of war through the eyes of the American soldiers who fought in three of our most iconic battles: Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, and Iwo Jima.
This is not a book about how great generals won their battles, nor is it a study in grand strategy. Men of War is instead a riveting, visceral, and astonishingly original look at ordinary soldiers under fire. Drawing on an immense range of firsthand sources from the battlefield, Alexander Rose begins by re-creating the lost and alien world of 18th-century warfare at Bunker Hill, the bloodiest clash of the War of Independence - and reveals why the American militiamen were so lethally effective against the oncoming waves of British troops. Then, focusing on Gettysburg, Rose describes a typical Civil War infantry action, vividly explaining what Union and Confederate soldiers experienced before, during, and after combat. Finally, he shows how in 1945 the marine corps hurled itself with the greatest possible violence at the island of Iwo Jima, where nearly a third of all marines killed in World War II would die.
As Rose demonstrates, the most important factor in any battle is the human one: At Bunker Hill, Gettysburg, and Iwo Jima, the American soldier, as much as any general, proved decisive. To an unprecedented degree, Men of War brings home the reality of combat and, just as important, its aftermath in the form of the psychological and medical effects on veterans. As such, the book makes a critical contribution to military history by narrowing the colossal gulf between the popular understanding of wars and the experiences of the soldiers who fight them.
Cover design by Carlos BeltránCover photograph courtesy of The National Archives.
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Story
At first light on Tuesday, May 28th, 1918, waves of American riflemen from the US Army's First Division climbed from their trenches, charged across the shell-scarred French dirt of no-man's-land, and captured the hilltop village of Cantigny from the grip of the German Army. Those who survived the enemy machine-gun fire and hand-to-hand fighting held on for the next two days and nights in shallow foxholes under the sting of mustard gas and crushing steel of artillery fire.
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Outstanding storytelling.
- By David on 04-26-21
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The Bloody Battle for Suribachi
- The Amazing Story of Iwo Jima that Inspired Flags of Our Fathers
- By: Richard Wheeler
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The classic first-hand WWII narrative that chronicles the Marines’ savage five-day struggle to wrest Mount Suribachi from its tenacious Japanese defenders during their 35-day battle for Iwo Jima in 1945. Revised with a new introduction by the author and recently discovered photos, this book served as invaluable source material both for James Bradley’s best-seller Flags of Our Fathers as well as Clint Eastwood’s acclaimed film of the same name.
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Incredible
- By Ed Hart on 06-09-22
By: Richard Wheeler
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The Unknowns
- The Untold Story of America’s Unknown Soldier and WWI’s Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home
- By: Patrick K. O'Donnell
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Brilliantly researched and vividly told, The Unknowns is a timeless tale of heeding the calls of duty and brotherhood and humanizes the most consequential event of the 20th century, which still casts a shadow a century later. Celebrated military historian and best-selling author Patrick O'Donnell illuminates the saga behind the creation of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and recreates the moving ceremony during which it was consecrated.
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The Unknowns
- By Logophile on 05-09-19
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1918
- A Very British Victory
- By: Peter Hart
- Narrated by: Clive Mantle, Peter Hart
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Abridged
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This epic account of the events of 1918 is the first major reappraisal of the end of the war for more than 20 years, and describes what is in some respects a forgotten chapter in history. The soldiers who returned to Britain in November 1918 were not the martyrs or victims of popular memory - they were a victorious army and were greeted as heroes.
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1918: a one sided twisting of history
- By Maarten Demont on 02-03-19
By: Peter Hart
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Voices of the Foreign Legion
- The History of the World's Most Famous Fighting Corps
- By: Adrian D. Gilbert
- Narrated by: Eric Brooks
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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The French Foreign Legion has established a reputation as the most formidable of military forces. Created as a means of protecting French interests abroad, the legion spearheaded French colonialism in North Africa during the nineteenth century. Accepting volunteers from all parts of the world, the legion acquired an aura of mystery—and a less than enviable reputation for brutality within its ranks.
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A good, if not amazing listen
- By Shaun on 03-06-13
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Brotherhood of Heroes
- The Marines at Peleliu, 1944
- By: Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 11 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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A Band of Brothers for the Pacific, this is the gut-wrenching but ultimately triumphant story of the Marines' most ferocious, yet largely forgotten, battle of World War II. Between September 15 and October 15, 1944, the First Marine Division suffered more than 6,500 casualties fighting on a hellish little island in the Pacific. Peleliu was the scene for one of the most savage struggles of modern times, a true killing ground that has all but been forgotten, until now.
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Flawed and Plodding
- By Blake on 09-02-09
By: Bill Sloan
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I Will Hold
- The Story of USMC Legend Clifton B. Cates from Belleau Wood to Victory in the Great War
- By: James Carl Nelson
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The incredible true story of Clifton B. "Lucky" Cates, whose service in World War I and beyond made him a legend in the annals of the Marine Corps. Cates knew that he and his small band of marines were in a desperate spot. Before handing the note over to a runner, he added three words that would resound through Marine Corps history: I WILL HOLD.
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I Cannot Hold!
- By Matthew on 10-22-16
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The Ultimate Battle
- Okinawa 1945: The Last Epic Struggle of World War II
- By: Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The Ultimate Battle is the full story of the largest land-sea-air battle ever waged by the United States, a battle whose staggering casualties and take-no-prisoners ferocity led Truman to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. From April through June 1945, more than 250,000 American and Japanese lives were lost, including those of nearly 150,000 civilians who either committed suicide or were caught in the crossfire. This book tells a gripping story of heroism, sacrifice, and death.
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Takes you into the mud and death
- By Ron on 02-02-08
By: Bill Sloan
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Monash's Masterpiece
- By: Peter FitzSimons
- Narrated by: Michael Carman
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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The Battle of Le Hamel on 4 July 1918 was an Allied triumph and strategically very important in the closing stages of WWI. A largely Australian force, commanded by the brilliant Sir John Monash, fought what has been described as the first modern battle - where infantry, tanks, artillery and planes operated together as a coordinated force. Monash planned every detail meticulously, with nothing left to chance. Peter FitzSimons brings this Allied triumph to life and tells this magnificent story as it should be told.
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Excellent history, almost unknown in US
- By Paul Gallagher on 09-28-23
By: Peter FitzSimons
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Dog Company
- The Boys of Pointe Du Hoc - the Rangers Who Landed at D-Day and Fought Across Europe
- By: Patrick K. O’Donnell
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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It is said that the right man in the right place at the right time can mean the difference between victory and defeat. This is the dramatic story of 68 soldiers in the US Army's Second Ranger Battalion, Company D - "Dog Company" - who made that difference, time and again. America had many heroes in World War II; however, few can say that, but for them, the course of the war would have been very different. The right men, the right place, the right time - Dog Company.
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On par with the best; Band of Brothers, etc
- By Addicted to Amazon on 04-30-14
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Grunts
- Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II through Iraq
- By: John C. McManus
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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From the acclaimed author of The Dead and Those About to Die comes a sweeping narrative of six decades of combat, and an eye-opening account of the evolution of the American infantry. From the beaches of Normandy and the South Pacific Islands to the deserts of the Middle East, the American soldier has been the most indispensable - and most overlooked - factor in wartime victory.
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Unfiltered First Hand Look at War
- By Peter Taylor on 01-07-21
By: John C. McManus
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The Greatest U.S. Marine Corps Stories Ever Told
- Unforgettable Stories of Courage, Honor, and Sacrifice
- By: Iain Martin, Colonel Joseph H. Alexander - introduction
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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On Friday, November 10, 1775, the Continental Congress approved a resolution for the organization of the Corps, creating what would become the hallowed few, the proud - the Marines. Since then, the men and women of the United States Marine Corps have created the finest traditions of service and honor, and supplied a pantheon of heroes who have upheld them.
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Marines Will Hate This Narrator.
- By Blaine E. Moyer on 04-18-17
By: Iain Martin, and others
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Give Me Tomorrow
- The Korean War’s Greatest Untold Story - The Epic Stand of the Marines of George Company
- By: Patrick K. O’Donnell
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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“If I were God, what would you want for Christmas?” With a thousand-yard stare, a haggard and bloodied marine looked incredulously at the war correspondent who asked him this question. In an answer that took “almost forever,” the marine responded, “Give me tomorrow." After nearly four months of continuous and bloody combat in Korea, such a wish seemed impossible.
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The boys of Summer Camp….Amazing!!
- By James on 05-18-11
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Citizen Soldiers
- The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: George K. Wilson
- Length: 21 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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A masterful biography of the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations during World War II, Citizen Soldiers provides a compelling account of the extraordinary stories of ordinary men in their fight for democracy. From the high command on down to the enlisted men, Stephen E. Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews and oral histories from men on both sides who were there.
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Required reading, excellent narration
- By Jeremy on 06-30-11
What listeners say about Men of War
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Dr. S. J. Ahearn III
- 05-16-20
Very well done. Well worth the time.
John Keegan's books are a nice companion to this one. What happens in the battle is just as important if not more so than the dry chess game books on strategy.
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- Clayton
- 11-14-15
Excellent
Though a little gory... The description of Iowa Jima is amazingly thorough and descriptively powerful
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jack OBrien
- 04-22-16
My Review
As a Marine Corps Veteran of the Vietnam War who survived the Battle Of Dai Do, I can understand a little bit better how combat has affected my life. The author is quite right, war is not glamorous, but it is vicious, savage and horrible. It is regrettable that as long as there are two human beings on this planet there will surely be wars. The author brings home with accurate details the insanity of war on a level to those who have not experienced combat. Reminding me of the phrase, "for those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know. I highly recommend this book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Zoi
- 01-14-23
Outstanding work
If you are a student of history then this is for you. A work ever equal and in many ways superior to it’s inspiring title. The narrator is definitely a positive bonus!
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- Danny E Sieg
- 03-25-16
Good rendering of the American Soldier.
An enjoyable work of nonfiction. I looked forward to listening each day. Never wandered from writing into the sensational realm of glorifying war's actions.The narrator provided an elegant reading of these Men under the severe hardships of War. I have become a fan of this authors style. A thorough examination of historical facts.
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1 person found this helpful
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- David
- 10-24-20
One of the best
Literally in the soldiers shoes, all the action recounted. One of my favorites bc it isn’t just regiments moving around on a map. Macro view is not what I’m looking for. Excellent job giving just enough overview and the gritty details. Well written great narrator.
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1 person found this helpful