"Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die: How the Allies Won on D-Day" eBook was published in 2019 and was written by Giles Milton (http://www.gilesmilton.com). Mr. Milton has published a dozen non-fiction history books. 

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The book tells the story of D-Day in June of 1944. 

The book includes scenes that remind me of the opening shots from the "Saving Private Ryan" movie which visualizes the brutality of the D-Day landing. There are also scenes in the book that were depicted in one of my favorite WWII movies "The Longest Day". This book is a collection of stories of different people on both sides and their actions on June 6. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the 13.5 hours I spent reading this 512-page history book. I found this book to be very interesting with a mix of stories I have heard before and new material. This is the second book of Milton's that I have read (the other being "Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare") and I have enjoyed them both. I will be keeping an eye out for anything he writes in the future. I like the selected cover art and I recommend this book to any interested in WWII. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

As I started reading this book I was introduced to a group of people as they prepare to face the first day of the D-Day invasion. The Author then takes you on the path of how these people lived through the first 24 hours D-Day. It was not what I was use to in reading a history book, you usually follow one person or group of people who experience the events together. This book gives you a 360 view of the battle from all sides including the civilians who are caught in the middle of the destruction of their homes and lives,

In the first part of the book I had to get introduced to the characters, and I admit I had to work to keep up with each person or persons. Once I read further it all came together and I found the rhythm of the battle and how it unfolded. Being a Vietnam Veteran I understand how myopic you can be and not see the whole battle unfolding.

This is a great read and I learn a great deal more about D-Day and how it affected the people involved. You will not regret reading this book.

Most books I've read regarding D-Day breezed through so quickly that you really didn't get a chance to feel the human element of the battle....this book absolutely covers that. Replete with actual interviews and detailed overviews (including the backgrounds of some that perished), Soldier, Sailor, Frogman, Spy, Airman, Gangster, Kill or Die has everything you can possibly want. Main battles, small battles, Allied and German point of views, and a lot of other subjects touched upon that most D-Day related books haven't or don't cover. I learned so much from this book that I previously had no idea about. Giles Milton does a fantastic job of letting the reader know about the objectives, but of the personnel carrying out these objectives. The ghosts of D-Day would be proud to read this book knowing someone like Mr. Milton took the time and care to portray the scared but brave men (on both sides) that fought this battle. Kudos!!!

My attention was riveted on the title. Frogmen! Spies! Thanks go to Net Galley and Henry Holt for the galley, which I expected to love. Though I am disappointed, I would have been more so had I paid the cover price for this fast-and-loose pop history.

The author takes the events surrounding D-Day, the massive attack that turned the tide of World War II, and recounts them from the perspectives of those that were there, both on the Allied side as well as on the Germans’. Though the narrative flows in a congenial tone, it represents a smallish amount of research stretched and padded, and the result is a smattering of important information that’s already been conveyed in a million other sources, most of which he doesn’t cite, and a great deal of trivial information provided by bystanders, which he does.

So there is the research—or mostly, there isn’t. The author draws to some extent upon stories garnered through his German wife’s family, but a lot of it comes across as the sort of long-winded recounting that causes even loving family members to inch toward their coats and make noises about how late it’s getting to be. Long passages of direct quotations pass without a citation, and then later there are citations, but they aren’t well integrated, and almost nothing has more than a single source provided. In other words, it’s sketchy stuff that cannot pass muster.

In all fairness, I have to admit that it’s bad luck on the author’s part to have his work released so soon after Spearhead, which is brilliant and meticulously documented. On the other hand, this is no debut, and though I haven’t read the author’s other work, I can’t imagine that he doesn’t know he’s cut corners here.

Then there’s the other thing, an elephant in the room that isn’t entirely this author’s fault. Why is it that when a war ends and enmities cool, the folks that are invited back into the fold by the UK and USA are always Caucasians? Brits and Americans wax sentimental now alongside Germans, none of whom belonged to families that liked the Fascists, yet the Japanese fighters of World War II never make it back into the family, so to speak. And in this Milton has a vast amount of company, but this is where it is most obvious, so this is where I’ll mention it.

So there it is. It’s for sale now if you still want it.

This book is a great narrative (well multiple narratives) that get beyond what the just the allies or generals were thinking during the invasion of France - getting viewpoint from folks on the ground on both sides and civillians too.

This was an intense read. I enjoyed reading about the history of D-Day. This book was well-researched and had a lot of great information about the D-Day invasion. I recommend this to all history buffs!

This is one of the best, more readable books about DDay I have ever read. I would recommend it highly to anyone who had an interest in the subject. This book is told from the point of view of the men who fought it.