Building Of A Massive Atlantic Wall example essay topic

Book Critique of The Longest Day Cornelius Ryan, born in Dublin, Ireland in 1920, worked as a reporter covering the battles in Europe from 1941-1945 and then the final months of the Pacific Campaign. His articles were printed in both Reuters and the London Daily Telegraph. His first book was The Longest Day, published in 1959, selling over 4 million copies in 27 different editions. In 1962 a director named Darryl Zanuck made the book into a movie. Ryan's next book was The Last Battle, published in 1966.

His final book, A Bridge Too Far, was published in 1974. This book was also made into a movie in 1977, and just recently re-released in 1998 on DVD. Ryan had an extensive collection of materials that he used to create the large amount of realism in this book, they can now be found in the Ryan Collection at Ohio University. There are personal files for 3,072 individuals, both military and civilian participants of the battles, containing 2,551 questionnaires, 955 interviews, and numerous letters, diaries, accounts, and observations.

In addition, there are 166 audio recordings of interviews Ryan considered especially important. Of particular note among the interviews are those with Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, President Eisenhower, and General Simpson, all from 1963. Doug McCabe University Records Manager Alden Library Ohio University Athens, OH 45701 E-Mail: In 1976 Cornelius Ryan died from cancer. The period covered in this book is a very short one, covering the building of the Atlantic wall in little detail, and in great detail, the few days before D-Day and the initial attacks on D-Day itself. On the German side Hitler has ordered the building of a massive Atlantic Wall to stop any Allied attackers from landing on the western seaboard, from the Kirke nes to the Pyrenees. After defeat in Africa, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel is sent to inspect and oversee the wall's completion.

After seeing the horrible state of the wall Rommel worked to complete the wall as quickly as possible. He had the German and French coast of the English Channel and their beaches filled with mines. Rommel then placed heavy fortifications behind the beaches to stop any attackers who made it past the beach defenses. In Great Britain, the Supreme Allied Commander, General Eisenhower was planning the date to launch the massive attack on Normandy, but his time frame was limited due to a bad storm in the area. On June 5, 1944 the ships were launched only to be recalled back just 40 miles from the German forts along the coast of Normandy. If Eisenhower did not launch on the 6th, he wouldn't be able to launch for another two weeks.

So the early the next morning the slowest ships and the minesweepers were launched with the faster gun ships traveling behind so that they would all reach the beaches of Normandy at the same time. Paratroopers were launched to remove German defenses from behind, but this was ineffective as the many planes and the paratroopers were shot down. As soon as the troops landed a long and strenuous firefight began for the control of the five beaches at Normandy. As the Allies pushed inward they overran the German installations slowly but steadily. At the end of the day however, the Allies received greater casualties than the Germans due to the obstacles and booby-traps, but they had gained a massive victory over Hitler. The theme of The Longest Day is one of uncertainty because the slightest change in the course of things could change the entire direction of the war.

Rommel knew that if he couldn't get the Atlantic Wall as prepared as he did the Allied onslaught would have overwhelmed the German troops quickly and the Third Reich would be over. Eisenhower chose to launch on the 6th because if another two weeks had gone by, the German spies could have figured out that the invasion was to take place at Normandy, and not Pas de Calais. What if Rommel had chosen to stay at his headquarters, would he have been able to lead his troops to victory on D-Day? All these things affected the commanders and the actions they took because of the uncertainty they felt. The Longest Day is relevant to the modern era in many ways. It teaches us the madness and horrors of warfare, and that peace and respect are the only way to avoid such a massive loss of life.

However, on the other hand it teaches us that freedom is one of our greatest ideals and is something worth fighting for. It also lets us see what the leaders of each side were thinking and how we can stop ourselves from repeating their mistakes. Ryan made this book very real by using a huge number of sources, including, but not only, letters, pictures, and interviews with veterans of the combat. His first hand knowledge of happenings in during the war also helped him. This leaves very few if any serious questions left to the reader, or anything that the reader would need further explanation on.

In all his books, Ryan stressed realism and was meticulous in attention to detail and his extensive research notes.