'[Atkinson's] storytelling verve and infectious, boyish enthusiasm swept me up and carried me along from D-Day in June 1944, all the way through Normandy, Paris, Arnhem and the Bulge to the final apocalyptic reckoning . gripping and harrowing . for sheer relentless readability, Atkinson is hard to beat.' Telegraph The magnificent conclusion to Rick Atkinson's acclaimed trilogy about the Allied triumph in Europe during World War II tells the most dramatic story of all - the titanic battle in Western Europe. D-Day marked the commencement of the European war's final campaign, and Atkinson's riveting account of that bold gamble sets the pace for the masterly narrative that follows. With the stirring final volume of this monumental trilogy, Atkinson has completed the definitive chronicle of the war that unshackled a continent and preserved freedom in the West. 'For history buffs or anyone interested in how men react in extremis . top storytelling' Antony Beevor, Mail on Sunday.