The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II [Paperback]

"The Steel Wave" by Jeff Shaara is the second novel (following "The Rising Tide") in Shaara's planned Second World War historical fiction trilogy. The theme of this novel is the planning and execution of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Northern France. In this piece Shaara uses his now-familiar technique of examining the time period in question from the perspective of historical figures -- some eminent indeed, such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, others less exhalted, i.e. a sergeant of paratroopers. In this novel the approach works superbly, because this novel passes the first critical test--it is one extremely engaging read. The novel moves along at a brisk pace, never loses the reader's interest, and has the ring of realism about it.

The other notable trait of this novel is that once again, Mr. Shaara appears to have done his homework. Shaara's insights into the problems faced by General Eisenhower, the various political leaders, and the men in the field, go well beyond the superficial. Here, the reader truly appreciates the risks and uncertainties that faced the planners and fighters of Operation Overlord. Shaara takes us into the infighting, indecisions, and ultimate risks with which the Allied generals had to contend. My sense is that here, Shaara is fairly evenhanded, although *very minor spoiler* partisans of British General Montgomery will probably not be pleased. And of course, Shaara does a creditable job showing us the invasion from the perspective of the incredibly brave men who actually undertook Operation Overlord and made it a success.

Overall, this is excellent historical fiction about a great subject, that is very well told. Highly recommended.

Jeff Shaara is unequaled in his ability to turn the dry stuff of history into compelling fiction.

In "The Steel Wave", Shaara turns his attention to the WWII D-Day period, the time leading up to and shortly after the invasion of France over the beaches of Normandy.

He tells us the story through eyes of only a few protagonists: Eisenhower, Rommell and to lesser extents, other leaders such as Churchill, Bradley and Patton. But the bulk of the story rests on the shoulders of Sergeant Jesse Adams, a soldier of the 82nd Airborne Division, whose troops were the first to drop into occupied France.

Shaara's skill is taking the dry stuff of history and turning it into fiction. Here we have Eisenhower in the well documented meeting with meteorologist Captain Stagg deciding whether or not to launch the invasion fleet on June 5, 1944 despite the awful weather. Every one of us who has studied WWII history knows this scene well. But what Shaara does is infuse emotion to Eisenhower that we don't read in the histories. Invented? Yes. Plausible? Wrapped in Shaara's words, very much so.

And so we see things through Rommell's mind as he attempts to carry out his orders to make all of Western Europe's coastline into an impregnable barrier to Allied invasion. Again, the obstacles Rommell faced are well known to history buffs, but it is Shaara's dramatization of Rommell's thoughts that makes for compelling reading.

When Shaara deals with Patton, although to a lesser degree, every student of history will recognize the words and deedsa of Patton as published in a number of books, but what makes this different is Shaara's treatment of Eisenhower's thoughts as he deals with his brilliant, but difficult to handle general. Likewise, Shaara joins with contemporary historians in deflating the balloon that was built around Montgomery, the British commander. Montgomery here comes across as a sniveling, whining leader who was promoted past his competency, protected surprisingly by Eisenhower against Churchill, Bradley and others.

But the bulk of the story rests on the shoulders of Jesse Adams, introduced in Shaara's first installment of his planned WWII trilogy. Adams is the ground soldier, smart, recognized for his potential, but a man who prefers to be sergeant, slugging it out on the battlefield.

Through Adams, we see the horror of war and its attraction to men. Through Adams, we feel the rain, the heat, the dust, dirt, mud of the slog from one engagement to another. We see the terror of leaping out of an airplane into the darkness of night over a land where the enemy is waiting to kill you.

Jesse Adams is an Everyman: through his thoughts, we experience the nature of battle, the nature of real soldiers. And it is a searing experience, leaving the reader to wonder how men could do so much, endure so much in the name of an abstract idea like "freedom".

This is, indeed, a wonderful work of historical fiction. Shaara brings to life the spirits and beliefs that animated tens of millions of Americans to support the war, though it ultimately cost us the lives of over 400,000 Americans. As we sit here almost seven decades later with so many of the participants passed on, we may well wonder if the nation can ever again raise a generation like the one chronicled in these pages.

A marvelous book.

Jerry

Beginning of the End
The Steel Wave is very good historical novel about D-Day. Mr. Shaara does a creditable job of covering the general events surrounding the WW2 D-day invasion of Europe that signaled the beginning of the end for Germany. His use of real historical persons interspersed with fictional characters was excellent at developing the massive problems, difficulties and chaos surrounding those eventful days in June, 1944. In essence, it was all one giant Allied crap shoot. A successful landing spelled the beginning of the end of German hegemony in Europe. A failed landing spelled disaster for the Allies and meant Germany was secure in Europe, and could turn its military power to fight the advancing Russian hoards in the East. The stakes were monumental. The pressure for success huge. Failure was NOT an option. BUT, what if the Allies failed? Mr. Shaara highlights all this with powerful prose, and grapples with the entire picture from the "grunt" level to the highest levels of command on both sides. He expertly discusses the complex interpersonal relationships of the various political leaders and military commanders and how they affected the eventual outcome. All in all a good superficial, broad brushed look at one of history's climatic moments.

I can't help but think back to Herman Woulk's epic series concerning WW2. It was a masterpiece of sorts. Mr. Shaara's WW2 epic is excellent but lacks the subtleties of Woulk's human interaction. The overall character development in The Steel Wave generally lacked depth, although Mr. Shaara did an excellent job in regards to General Eisenhower and Field Marshal Rommel. The minor characters appeared to be there to simply flesh out the novel. The battle scenes were adequate but seemed to lack punch.

All in all I liked the book and am looking forward to the final installment next year. Can you read this work without reading his first novel on WW2? Yes, but it would make it all the more pleasurable to read them in sequence. Mr. Shaara is an excellent historical fiction writer. Good read.

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