The History Book Club discussion

This is the thread for the Table of Content and Syllabus for the third book in the Liberation Trilogy - The Guns at Last Light by Rick Atkinson.

by Rick Atkinson

Folks, the start date and end date of the third book and discussion is June 16th, 2014 - November 2nd, 2014.

We are going in order so we will not get to the third book until next year - 2014.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

List of Maps p. xiv
Map Legend p.xv
Allied Chain of Command p. xvi

MAPS

1. Mediterranean and European Theaters in Word War II Endpapers
2. Assault on Normandy, June 1944 p. 10
3. Final OVERLORD Plan, June 6, 1944 p. 44
4. Omaha Beach, June 6, 1944 p. 67
5. The Advance Inland, June 6-30, 1944 p. 88
6. Operation GOODWOOD, July 18-20, 1944 p. 135
7. Operation COBRA Breakthrough, July 24-27, 1944 p. 141
8. German Attack at Mortain, August 7, 1944 p. 154
9. The Falaise Pocket, August 16-21, 1944 p. 162
10. The Liberation of Paris, August 23-25, 1944, p. 174
11. Operation DRAGOON, August 1944, p. 188
12. Pursuit Up the Rhone, August 29-September 11, 1944 p. 215
13. Pursuit to the German Border, August 26-September 11, 1944 p. 222
14. Operation MARKET GARDEN, September 17-26, 1944 p. 258
15. Battle for Aachen, October 7-21, 1944 p. 290
16. Fight in the Hurtgen Forest, November 2-9, 1944 p. 316
17. Third Army at Metz, November 8-December 2, 1944 p. 344
18. Capture of Strasbourg and Stalemate at Alsace, November 26, 1944 p. 365
19. The Siegfried Line Campaign, September 11-December 15, 1944 p. 378
20. The Bulge: Sixth Panzer Army Attack, December 16-21, 1944 p. 420
21. The Bulge: Fifth Panzer Army Attack, December 16-19, 1944 p. 430
22. Bastogne, December 21-26, 1944 p. 452
23. The Western Front, January 3, 1945 p. 475
24. The Colmar Pocket, January 20-February 5, 1945 p. 529
25. Over the Roer: Operations VERITABLE and GRENADE, February-March 1945 p. 539
26. Crossing the Rhine, March 1945 p. 542
27. Operation VARSITY PLUNDER, March 24-28, 1945 p. 560
28. Encircling the Ruhr, March 28-April 14, 1945 p. 571
29. Victory in Europe, May 8, 1945 p. 586

PROLOGUE p. 1

PART ONE

1. Invasion p. 45

The Far Shore p. 45
First Tide p. 53
Hell's Beach p. 64
A Conqueror's Paradise p. 78

2. Lodgement p. 89

"This Long Thin Line of Personal Anguish" p. 89
A Gunman's World p. 93
Terror Is Broken by Terror p. 104
How Easy It Is to Make a Ghost p. 111

3. Liberation p. 123

A Monstrous Blood-Mill p. 123
The Bright Day Grew Dark p. 139
Ministers of Thy Chastisement p. 148
The Loveliest Story of Our Time p. 171

PART TWO

4. Pursuit p. 189

"The Huntsman Is Hungry" p. 189
The Avenue of Stenches p. 201
"Harden the Heart and Let Fly" p. 219

5. Against the West Wall p. 235

"Five Barley Loaves and Three Small Fishes" p. 235
Every Village a Fortress p. 243
A Market and a Garden p. 256
The Arrow That Flieth by Day p. 275

6. The Implicated Woods p. 291

Charlemagne's Tomb p. 291
"Do Not Let Us Pretend We Are All Right" p. 300
The Worst Place of Any p. 309

PART THREE

7. The Flutter of Wings p. 329

A Town Too Small for the Tragedy p. 329
Faith in a Friendly Universe p. 333
To the Land of Doom p. 350
"Providence Decrees and We Must Obey" p. 360

8. A Winter Shadow p. 379

"We Are All So Human That It Is Pitiful" p. 379
Staking Everything on One Card p. 389
The Light Line p. 398
"Go Easy, Boys. There's Danger Ahead" p. 412

9. The Bulge p. 421

A Rendezvous in Some Flaming Town p. 421
"Why Are You Not Packing?" p. 438
War in the Raw p. 450
Glory Has Its Price p. 468
The Agony Grapevine p. 482

PART FOUR

10. Argonauts p. 495

Citizens of the World p. 495
A Fateful Conference p. 505
"Only Our Eyes Are Alive" p. 524

11. Crossings p. 543

The Inner Door to Germany p. 543
Two If by Sea p. 555
"The Enemy Has Reason to Fear Him" p. 568
Lovers' Quarrels Are a Part of Love p. 576

12. Victory p. 587

Mark of the Beast p. 587
Dragon Country p. 595
"God, Where Are You?" p. 606
A Great Silence p. 620

EPILOGUE p. 629
NOTES p. 643
SELECTED SOURCES p. 813
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS p. 843
INDEX p. 851

Syllabus

Week One - June 16th - June 22th 2014
Prologue - pages 1 - 45

Week Two - June 23rd - June 29th
Part One - 1. Invasion - The Far Shore, First Tide, and Hell's Beach - pages 45 - 78

Week Three - June 30th - July 6th
Part One - 1. Invasion - A Conqueror's Paradise, 2. Lodgement - "This Long Thin Line of Personal Anguish," A Gunman's World, and Terror Is Broken by Terror - pages 78 - 111

Week Four - July 7th - July 13th
Part One - 2. Lodgement - How Easy It Is to Make a Ghost, 3. Liberation - A Monstrous Blood-Mill, and The Bright Day Grew Dark - pages 111 - 148

Week Five - July 14th - July 20th
Part One - 3. Liberation - Ministers of Thy Chastisement and The Loveliest Story of Our Time - pages 148 - 189

Week Six - July 21st - July 27th
Part Two - 4. Pursuit - "The Huntsman Is Hungry" and The Avenue of Stenches - pages 189 - 219

Week Seven - July 28th - August 3rd
Part Two - 4. Pursuit - "Harden the Heart and Let Fly," 5. Against the West Wall - "Five Barley Loaves and Three Small Fishes," and Every Village a Fortress - pages 219 - 256

Week Eight - August 4th - August 10th
Part Two - 5. Against the West Wall - A Market and a Garden and The Arrow That Flieth by Day - pages 256 - 291

Week Nine - August 11th - August 17th
Part Two - 6. The Implicated Woods - Charlemagne's Tomb, "Do Not Let Us Pretend We Are All Right," and The Worst Place of Any - pages 291 - 329

Week Ten - August 18th - August 24th
Part Three - 7. The Flutter of Wings - A Town Too Small for the Tragedy, Faith in a Friendly Universe, and To the Land of Doom - pages 329 - 360

Week Eleven - August 25th - August 31st
Part Three - 7. The Flutter of Wings - "Providence Decrees and We Must Obey," 8. A Winter Shadow - "We Are All So Human That It Is Pitiful," and Staking Everything on One Card - pages 360 - 398

Week Twelve - September 1st - September 7th
Part Three - 8. Winter Shadow - The Light Line and "Go Easy, Boys. There's Danger Ahead" - pages 398 - 421

Week Thirteen - September 8th - September 14th
Part Three - 9. The Bulge - A Rendezvous in Some Flaming Town and "Why Are You Not Packing?" - pages 421 - 450

Week Fourteen - September 15th - September 21st
Part Three - 9. The Bulge - War in the Raw and Glory Has Its Price - pages 450 - 482

Week Fifteen - September 22nd - September 28th
Part Three - 9. The Bulge - the Agony Grapevine and 10. Argonauts - Citizens of the World - pages 482 - 505

Week Sixteen - September 29th - October 5th
Part Four - 10. Argonauts - A Fateful Conference and "Only Our Eyes Are Alive" - pages 505 - 543

Week Seventeen - October 6th - October 12th
Part Four - 11. Crossings - The Inner Door to Germany, Two If by Sea, and "The Enemy Has Reason to Fear Him" - pages 543 - 576

Week Eighteen - October 13th - October 19th
Part Four - 11. Crossings - Lovers' Quarrels Are a Part of Love, 12. Victory - Mark of the Beast, and Dragon Country - pages 576 - 606

Week Nineteen - October 20th - October 26th
Part Four - 12. Victory - "God, Where Are You?", A Great Silence, and Epilogue - pages 606 - 643

Week Twenty - October 27th - November 2nd
Book as a Whole and Final Thoughts

These dates will be updated.