
When the Sea Came Alive
An Oral History of D-Day
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Narrated by:
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Edoardo Ballerini
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Garrett M. Graff
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full cast
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By:
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Garrett M. Graff
About this listen
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Absolutely gripping.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post • “A masterpiece of oral history…stirring, surprising, grim, joyous, moving, and always riveting.”—Evan Thomas • “Gripping and propulsive...Readers will be spellbound.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Plane in the Sky and Pulitzer Prize finalist for Watergate comes the most up-to-date and complete account of D-Day—the largest seaborne invasion in history and the moment that secured the Allied victory in World War II.
June 6, 1944—known to us all as D-Day—is one of history’s greatest and most unbelievable military triumphs. Though the full campaign lasted a little over two months, the surprise sunrise landing of more than 150,000 Allied troops on the beaches of occupied northern France is one of the most consequential days of the 20th century. It was the moment that turned the tide for the Allied forces and ultimately led to the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II, freeing Europe from the clutches of fascism and tragedy. In the decades since, countless stories of bravery, brotherhood, and sacrifice have made up and sustained our collective memory. Now, Pulitzer Prize finalist Garrett M. Graff, historian and author of The Only Plane in the Sky and Watergate, brings them all together in a one-of-a-kind oral history that explores this seminal event in vivid, heart-pounding detail.
The story begins in the opening months of the 1940s, as the Germany army tightens its grip around eastern and western Europe, seizing control of entire nations on the ground and bombarding others into submission by air. The United States, who has resolved to remain neutral, is forced to enter the conflict after an unexpected attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. For the second time in fifty years, the world is at war, with the stakes higher than they’ve ever been before.
Then, in 1943, as morale and resources start to wane, Allied leaders Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meet in Casablanca to discuss a new plan for victory: a coordinated invasion of occupied France, led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. Failure, it is understood, is not an option. Over the next eighteen months, under the codename OVERLORD and a deep veil of secrecy, the large-scale action is organized, mobilizing soldiers across Europe by land, sea, and sky. And when the day comes, it is unlike anything the world has ever seen.
These moments and more are seen in real time, through the eyes of those who experienced them: the children and citizens whose towns are suddenly populated by troops training on the coast of England; the COSSAC planners bent over maps and meteorological reports, making sure that every scenario is planned through; the airmen and paratroopers glancing out the sides of their planes, ready to jump into occupied territory and fight; the intelligence operatives seeding disinformation with the enemy so that they don’t catch on to the Allied plan; the army correspondents and journalists taken along for the ride, unaware that they will have a front seat to history; the generals and leaders upon whom the weight of their mission rests; and the young men, with no idea of what awaits them, boarding landing craft bound for Normandy, ready to lay down their lives for a cause greater than themselves.
A visceral drama, When the Sea Came Alive is the most comprehensive account of D-Day that we have yet to see, and an unforgettable, fitting tribute to the men and women of the Greatest Generation.
©2024 Garrett M. Graff (P)2024 Simon & Schuster AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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In the early hours of June 17, 1972, a security guard named Frank Wills enters six words into the log book of the Watergate office complex that will change the course of history: 1:47 AM Found tape on doors; call police. The subsequent arrests of five men seeking to bug and burgle the Democratic National Committee offices—three of them Cuban exiles, two of them former intelligence operatives—quickly unravels a web of scandal that ultimately ends a presidency and forever alters views of moral authority and leadership.
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Elucidating
- By J.B. on 02-23-22
By: Garrett M. Graff
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Letters from Guantánamo
- By: Mansoor Adayfi, Antonio Aiello
- Narrated by: Mansoor Adayfi, Fajer Al-Kaisi, Elias Khalil, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
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In weeks after the September 11 attacks, 18-year-old Mansoor Adayfi was kidnapped by Afghan militia and sold to US forces for bounty money. After months of interrogations, he was sent to the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as one of its first prisoners. Like the nearly 800 other men imprisoned at Guantanamo, Adayfi didn’t know why he was imprisoned or for how long. He had never seen a skyscraper and couldn’t imagine what the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center looked like, much less how they were destroyed.
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An important reminder
- By Dave Heilman on 05-25-24
By: Mansoor Adayfi, and others
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The Door of No Return
- By: Kwame Alexander
- Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves his family, playing oware with his grandfather and swimming in the river Offin. He’s warned though, to never go to the river at night. His brother tells him ”There are things about the water you do not know. “ Like what? Kofi asks. “The beasts.” His brother answers.
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The ending. It felt like Hope!
- By Maulana on 03-28-25
By: Kwame Alexander
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The Real Education of TJ Crowley
- Coming of Age on the Redline: An Audio Drama
- By: Grant Overstake, May Wuthrich
- Narrated by: Dani Martineck, Dion Graham, Tavia Gilbert, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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With his father’s mysterious disappearance and his brother Ronnie enlisting in the Vietnam War, 13-year-old TJ Crowley is left alone with his racist, unstable mother, Kate. The newly enforced Fair Housing Act results in the unthinkable for the Crowleys when a Black family, headed by the eminent Dr. Washington, crosses the racial red line and moves in next door. Kate is quick to warn TJ that their new neighbors are strictly off-limits and makes a panicked call to beg Ray, her old flame, to travel to their home in Wichita Kansas to help deal with “the problem next door.”
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Perfectly cast!
- By Amber Dekkers on 07-23-24
By: Grant Overstake, and others
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D-Day
- June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of WW II
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose
- Narrated by: Jesse Boggs
- Length: 25 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Stephen E. Ambrose draws from hundreds of interviews with US Army veterans and the brave Allied soldiers who fought alongside them to create this exceptional account of the day that shaped the twentieth century. D-Day is above all the epic story of men at the most demanding moment of their existence, when the horrors, complexities and triumphs of life are laid bare and courage and heroism come to the fore.
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What an epic story what great men
- By Michael on 02-12-14
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The Sing Sing Files
- One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice
- By: Dan Slepian
- Narrated by: Dan Slepian
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2002, Dan Slepian, a veteran producer for NBC’s Dateline, received a tip from a Bronx homicide detective that two men were serving twenty-five years to life in prison for a 1990 murder they did not commit. Haunted by what the detective had told him, Slepian began an investigation of the case that eventually resulted in freedom for the two men and launched Slepian on a two-decade personal and professional journey into a deeply flawed justice system fiercely resistant to rectifying—or even acknowledging—its mistakes and their consequences.
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Extra extraordinary and captivating Read!
- By Nicole on 09-19-24
By: Dan Slepian
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UFO
- The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 18 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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For as long as we have looked to the skies, the question of whether life on earth is the only life to exist has been at the core of the human experience, driving scientific debate and discovery, shaping spiritual belief, and prompting existential thought across borders and generations. It’s one of our culture’s favorite conversations, and yet, the idea of extraterrestrial intelligence has been largely banished to the realm of fantasy and conspiracy. Now, for the first time, the full story of our national obsession with UFOs is told.
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A wide ranging look at the Phenomenon but not all.
- By Josh on 12-31-23
By: Garrett M. Graff
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Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Goddess of Manhattan (Dramatized Adaptation)
- By: Thomas E. Sniegoski, Christopher Golden
- Narrated by: Tim Carlin, Rob McFadyen, Nora Achrati, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Original Recording
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In the early 1990’s, Hellboy, Liz Sherman, and Abe Sapien are drawn into a bizarre case in New York, linked both to Hellboy’s 1980 adventure with Anastasia in Brazil and to The Lobster’s encounter with the Proteus Club in 1933. A strange community of bizarre humans has been living in secret beneath Manhattan for more than sixty years. Now, though, someone is stalking them, murdering them one by one—someone who claims to be the ancient goddess Sem-Karul. With aid from the now elderly Cynthia Tynan, Hellboy and the BPRD must face the Goddess of Manhattan, and the monsters who serve her.
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it's alright 👍
- By Chris vest on 12-03-24
By: Thomas E. Sniegoski, and others
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Raven Rock
- The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself - While the Rest of Us Die
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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A fresh window on American history: the eye-opening truth about the government's secret plans to survive a catastrophic attack on US soil, even if the rest of us die - a road map that spans from the dawn of the nuclear age to today.
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Awesome Read!!
- By Brewer Richardson on 05-05-17
By: Garrett M. Graff
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Patton's Prayer
- A True Story of Courage, Faith, and Victory in World War II
- By: Alex Kershaw
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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General George Patton needed a miracle. In December 1944, the Allies found themselves stuck. Rain had plagued the troops daily since September, turning roads into rivers of muck, slowing trucks and tanks to a crawl. A thick ceiling of clouds had grounded American warplanes, allowing the Germans to reinforce. The sprint to Berlin had become a muddy, bloody stalemate, costing thousands of American lives. Patton seethed, desperate for some change, any change, in the weather.
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The Patton story you need to hear.
- By Norm Brock on 06-11-24
By: Alex Kershaw
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The Last Hill
- The Epic Story of a Ranger Battalion and the Battle That Defined WWII
- By: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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They were known as “Rudder’s Rangers,” the most elite and experienced attack unit the Army had. In December 1944, they would be the spearhead into Germany, taking the war into Hitler’s homeland at last. Their colonel was given this objective: Take Hill 400. After two days, when they were finally relieved, only 16 Rangers remained to stagger down from the top of Hill 400. The Last Hill is filled with unforgettable action and characters—a gripping, finely detailed saga of what the survivors of the battalion would call “our longest day.”
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more a history of the rangers in ww2
- By M. Johannes on 10-12-23
By: Bob Drury, and others
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Candy Darling
- Dreamer, Icon, Superstar
- By: Cynthia Carr
- Narrated by: Justin Vivian Bond
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Growing up on Long Island, lonely and quiet and queer, she was enchanted by Hollywood starlets like Kim Novak. She found her turn in New York’s early Off-Off-Broadway theater scene, in Warhol’s films Flesh and Women in Revolt, and at the famed nightclub Max's Kansas City. She inspired songs by Lou Reed and the Rolling Stones. She became friends with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, borrowed a dress from Lauren Hutton, posed for Richard Avedon, and performed alongside Tennessee Williams in his own play.
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Thee candy darling’s bibile
- By Anile on 04-15-24
By: Cynthia Carr
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The Light of Battle
- Eisenhower, D-Day, and the Birth of the American Superpower
- By: Michel Paradis
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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On June 6, 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower addressed the thousands of American troops preparing to invade Normandy, exhorting them to embrace the “Great Crusade” they faced. Then, in a fleeting moment alone, he drafted a resignation letter in case the invasion failed. In The Light of Battle, Michel Paradis, acclaimed author of Last Mission to Tokyo, paints a vivid portrait of Dwight Eisenhower as he learns to navigate the crosscurrents of diplomacy, politics, strategy, family, and fame with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance.
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Eisenhower Unveiled: Strategy & Leadership lessons
- By Michael on 07-12-24
By: Michel Paradis
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Brave Men
- By: Ernie Pyle, David Chrisinger
- Narrated by: Michael Brainard
- Length: 19 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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When America entered World War II, Ernie Pyle followed the soldiers into the trenches. Long before television and the internet beamed combat footage directly to us, his dispatches from the front lines augmented the coverage of the war’s politics, strategies, and macro-level mobilizations to give the American public what he called his “worm’s-eye view” of the day-to-day life of the war.
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The story in the way the narrator spoke
- By Dave Leonard on 04-24-24
By: Ernie Pyle, and others
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His Dark Materials: Once upon a Time in the North
- By: Philip Pullman
- Narrated by: David Harewood
- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In this prequel episode from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe, Lee Scoresby—Texan aeronaut and future friend to Lyra Belacqua—is just 24 years old, and he's recently won his hot-air balloon in a poker game. He finds himself floating North to the windswept Arctic island of Novy Odense, where he and his hare daemon Hester are quickly tangled in a deadly plot involving an oil magnate, a corrupt mayoral candidate, and Lee's longtime nemesis from the Dakota Country, a hired killer with at least twenty murders to his name.
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Great story
- By Wendy Strgar, sagebrushbooks on 10-04-24
By: Philip Pullman
What listeners say about When the Sea Came Alive
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- KRC446
- 12-27-24
One of the Best... Must Listen/Must Buy Audiobook
If you are a fan of WWII history, just stop reading this review and buy this audiobook.
This book is a long listen, but it is well researched, written, and performed. It is one of the best audiobooks, with testimonials from all ranks— from Churchill and Roosevelt to the average German and American soldier - with authentic-sounding actors providing an oral history of D-Day.
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- PAUL
- 07-25-24
Just a great "oral" history of d day
nothing to dislike...nicely presented from all points of view...enjoyed listening as I did my daily walk...made the steps and miles "fly" by
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- Cindy L
- 07-26-24
Personal, Thorough, Riveting
This is the first book I have listened to that involved the voices of many actors. I found this quite interesting. Also, I enjoyed the broader coverage of all five landing beaches and intense firefights for bridges and other strategic locations.
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- Dave Love
- 12-31-24
Courage in Honor
Exceptional way to see history through the eyes of those who lived it. I have an even greater respect for those men & women!
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- Bruce T Davis
- 06-13-24
Comprehensive.
Expansive story. Well told. Many primary sources & voices. Some I have not heard previously. Highly recommended.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-19-24
Best audio book I’ve ever listened to.
It’s like sitting on the porch listening to guys tell war stories…stories you never knew.
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- Patricia Ching
- 01-13-25
Amazing perspectives
I have never read a book based on pov style of personal recollections. took a while to get used to individual statements of a sentence or less. this was especially distracting in the first portion of the book building up to D-Day. however once the attack started this style became very interesting. especially hearing same event described form multiple perspectives. my favorite part was the chapter describing people's reactions to hearing news of the invasion
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- Helen
- 07-07-24
3 Generations Give 5 Stars
In the beginning I thought all the different character voices would be confusing, but I was pleasantly surprised because it was like listening to events as they were happening. It is well organized and gripping. I have really enjoyed listening to this book, and my mom really liked it too. My grandmother (91) who also worried that multiple characters would be confusing, and who thought she knew plenty about D-Day, has found she has learned so much and doesn’t find the multiple voices confusing. This is a terrific audiobook, Highly recommend.
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- Duane J.
- 06-25-24
The most thorough historical remembrance of D-Day
If you areca military history nerd like me then this is the book for you. It covers before, during, and the end of the longest day in fantastic detail through the notes reports letters etc. I thought I knew D Day pretty well but after reading this fantastical work of arts I was mistaken. I cannot even fathom the time it took to research and find all the material in this masterpiece.
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- bob
- 07-06-24
The audio approach.
The book came alive given use of the audio approach. Highly suggested reading . No further time to add additional words
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