Meet the Author: Rick Atkinson -- The Guns at Last Light

On May 8, 2013, multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Rick Atkinson debuted the final volume of the "Liberation Trilogy," The Guns at Last Light, at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans on V-E Day. Rick Atkinson begins at 9:38. Q&A session begins at 37:20. www.nationalww2museum.org

[@Waltham1892]

For those who haven't read the series, I highly recommend it. Atkinson presents history with in a journalistic style that makes it very accessible.

[@macky3411]

Thank you Rick

[@PetrucciSatriani]

Great talk. I love the hypotheticals and how Rick gets into the minds of the commanders.

[@phtevlin]

Excellent presentation. He gave us the soul of his book, rather than facts/figures as other authors do.

[@Pannieforever]

Great trilogy.Read it during Winter of 2014-15.Highly recommend it if you are a history buff.

[@tomobrien3557]

Was wonderful listening to Rick Adkinson on his final book and the War in general. Obviously , he was affected by the tragedy of so many killed . Who couldn't be . Also he stated it was the Russian manpower that was a major factor in winning along with American Industrial might . But the overwhelming fact is "Oh my God , how did this come about" is there for all of us to ponder . "So many dead" is frightening . GOD BLESS THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM FOR GIVING US SO MUCH . SO WE MUST NEVER FORGET BECAUSE SO MANY DIED AND HOW QUICKLY WE FORGET . TOM O'BRIEN VOLUNTEER 2009 2015

[@fazorvision]

wonderful presentation/intro

[@KJ6EAD]

Actual presentation starts at 9:35 if you want to skip the long-winded bloviatory introduction.

[@cameron9643]

Why the empty seats and how do I attend one of these speeches?

[@Rstar221]

I love these Q&A sessions. Rick along with Antony Beevor always have such great perspective and insight when talking about the war.

[@ppumpkin3282]

I am bothered that instead of asking questions about the facts on which he is an expert, they are asking speculative theoretical questions which are anyone's guess.

[@spinlover1]

Great talk, great writer! I just finished "The Guns of Last Light," and I cant decide whether it is my favorite non-fiction, or whether "an Army at Dawn" (the first of the liberation trilogy" is. FYI, I and many people felt disappointing by the second book in the trilogy (forget the name), and was concerned that "The Guns of Last Light" would be more like the second than the first in the series, how wrong I was!

[@JoeHarkinsHimself]

I can confirm the change in Draft Status. In 1944, in Jersey City, the operator of a day care school (before they were called that) ran The Boy's Club on Oxford Place in a space created by removing the false walls between a string of unused garages. He taught various skills such as copper bas-relief of ships, trees, etc, basket weaving, etc to keep us fatherless boys busy while out mothers worked. His first name was William but behind his back we called him One Eye Willie. He had lost an eye. The club was forced to close when he was drafted into the US Army.

[@ppumpkin3282]

I wonder what they would do with a one-eyed guy. I was always told my father was not allowed to signup for the military because he had one eye, so he joined the merchant marine. But he may also have been to young, too. He was born in '28. Frankly I think the Merchant Marine was a raw deal, they had a very mortality rate - but they didn't get the GI benefits.

[@anchorbait6662]

Starts at 9:45

[@behindthespotlight7983]

9:42 in is when Rick begins speaking

[@davidsabillon5182]

I want to read this book.

[@bobleicht5295]

I hear Jared Frederick in the Q&A.

[@im1sickpup269]

Wow, phenomenal lecture. Now I have to get the trilogy. Just as an FYI concerning eto v pto casualties, I found this at forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=133371. " Atlantic Theaters: 182,893 , Pacific Theaters: 171,076 " ** this is probably flawed, because I thought there were something like 400k American KIAs in WW2.... but maybe the 400k was total deaths and not just combat deaths. i dunno.

[@jeg5gom]

Great talk. Proving yet again the subjective nature of a historian's perspective, he initially states WW2 lasted "2,174 days". That puts the start at the invasion of Poland. NVM the millions of Chinese that died at the hands of imperial Japan, aggression initiated long before 1939. But I get it, it's a focused discussion.

[@kweuve]

Somebody please Mr. Atkinson that Patton had two daughters (Beatrice "B" and Ruth). The facts are important!

[@TheFreshman321]

He means 15th Army.

[@currentbatches6205]

My opinion, his books are better than the presentation. I got them as the came out and thought the first was best; that campaign is little covered elsewhere. Regardless, they are, all three, worth reading; some details, such as Ike's dislike of Patch really get treated anywhere else I've seen.

[@sharonwhiteley6510]

Should OPERATION MARKTGARDEN have been placed on hold to allow for better recon and obtaining further intelligence from the Dutch Resistance? Was it a rushed operation to placate Montgomery? After all, 2/3 weeks prep time for on operation this size, ignored recon photos and information from the Resistance

[@thevillaaston7811]

And meanwhile... V2 rockets were raining down on London.

[@terrysmith6791]

You have ti remember Sharon gets her history from Hollywood so she is ignorant of actual history

[@bigwoody4704]

so important the poof bernie doesn't show up and the launching sites hammered Antwerp instead of London but that's alright little villa right?

[@terrysmith9362]

@@bigwoody4704 If you can read and I am not sure of that, then read the report by the Deputy US Army historian prepared for the US Military Center. But I guess you wont because he must not be an Anglophobe

[@bigwoody4704]

Listen you revisionist another British cock up that even the morally bereft and marginally militarily competent boob bernard fessed up to after the war

[@Peorhum]

Cean!!! not Cannes. One is in Normandy and one is in the Riviera. Have to question a historian who gets it wrong.

[@johnferguson7235]

Even in France, people in different regions use various pronunciations.

[@bigwoody4704]

Caen not Cean,pronounced caan says a confused critic