• An Army at Dawn

  • The War in North Africa, 1942-1943
  • By: Rick Atkinson
  • Narrated by: Rick Atkinson
  • Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (317 ratings)

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An Army at Dawn  By  cover art

An Army at Dawn

By: Rick Atkinson
Narrated by: Rick Atkinson
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Publisher's summary

In the first volume of a remarkable trilogy, Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Atkinson provides the definitive history of the second world war in North Africa.

The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is an epic story of courage and calamity, of miscalculation and enduring triumph. An Army at Dawn begins on the eve of Operation TORCH, the daring amphibious invasion of Morocco and Algeria. After three days of hard fighting against the French, American, and British troops push deeper into North Africa.

But the confidence gained after several early victories soon wanes; casualties mount rapidly; battle plans prove ineffectual, and hope for a quick and decisive victory evaporates. The Allies discover that they are woefully unprepared to fight and win this war. North Africa becomes a proving ground: it is here that American officers learn how to lead, here that soldiers learn how to hate, here that an entire army learns what it will take to vanquish a formidable enemy.

Many great battle captains emerged in North Africa, including Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and Montgomery. Atkinson brings these commanders vividly to life. He takes us to the front lines of every major battle - from Oran to Kasserine to Tunis. In North Africa, the Allied coalition came into its own, the enemy forever lost the initiative, and the United States - for the first time - began to act like a great power.

Atkinson casts a clear eye on the dark tragedies that haunt every war. The first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, An Army at Dawn is history of the highest order - brilliantly researched, rich with new material and surprising insights, the deeply human story of a monumental battle for the future of civilization.

©2002 Rick Atkinson, All Rights Reserved (P)2002 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.
  • Abridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

  • Pulitzer Prize Winner, Non-Fiction, 2003

"[An] intellectually convincing and emotionally compelling narrative." (Publishers Weekly)
"A fascinating story...that is hard to stop reading, even though one knows the outcome." (Library Journal)
"An absolute masterpiece....This book is storytelling - and

What listeners say about An Army at Dawn

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Horrid

This book was such a disappointment. I was really looking forward to listening about the great battles between Rommel and Montgomery which north Africa during WW2 is known for. Instead, the book describes movement of troops, the personal feelings of Patton and Eisenhower and a few smatterings of troop complaints. The movement of troops and battle scenes are hard to follow. Since this book is to be a trilogy, I can strongly say that I will not be wasting my time with any follow up this author has.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Slow Death

A book filled with interesting facts and figures but beyond that has absolutely no redeeming qualities. The pace of this story was deadly slow with little detail on the deployments, locations and directions of the battlefields or of the flow of armies. (Maybe the book had maps). This story lacked the emotion that is so desperately needed to make the history of a military campaign enjoyable, interesting and leaves you yearning for more.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing.

This audiobook is markedly reduced from its original form. The characters and events are hard to follow. The beautiful narrative writing style is completely gone. The historical sequence of events could more easily be obtained from many other sources.

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