The Western Front (Graphic Modern History: World War II)

[Mom says: my 6th grader is reviewing these books.]Gary Jeffrey has written many graphic history books about World War II. I am trying to read them all. They are good at teaching because 1) they use color. 2) they all start with 4 pages of background about the war, so you understand the context. 3) they are divided into chapters, and each chapter tells the story of a battle from one person's perspective. It may be an ally or a civilian, or it may be an enemy, so the author gives you a good sense of what it is like to be in a war. 4) the book has 4 pages in the back explaining the battles. 5) glossary and index. The glossary explains words like: expeditionary force, puppet government, USAF, vector.First battle: The Battle for Britain, told by John Bentley-Beard. He was a British pilot. He destroyed a Heinkel, a Messerschmitt, and made it home despite low fuel. In the second half the battle, he was swarmed by enemy aircraft and anti-aircraft guns. He was shot down at the same time he shot a Dionier 17 out of the sky. He had to bail out and his leg was injured. He survived.Second battle: D-Day, Omaha Beach, told by Harold Baumgarten. We was an American infantry soldier. This part has blood. Blood underwater, blood on the beach, blood in the face. Omaha Beach was a hard-fought invasion site -- it was a killing ground. We won because there was no way out, except forward. There was no going back. The lightly wounded kept fighting. The heavily wounded got evacuated out. This was an exciting chapter. I have respect for these veterans.Third battle: The Bridge at Remagen, told by Alexander A. Drabik. He was an American infantryman. The Germans tried to blow up the bridge, but instead, they "holed" it -- they punched holes in the roadbed. The Pershing tanks helped win this battle by blowing up the gun towers and a barge. You "see" hear the bullets and explosions all over the page. This chapter is action-packed. The Americans won the battle.Warning for the squeamish: this book can get gory

My son loved this book!

The book was just what I was expecting it to be.