This book tells the story of the British 6th Airborne Division on D-Day, and their mission to take two bridges near Caen in order to hinder German counterattacks and ensure that the Allies would be able to cross the Caen Canal and Orne River. I picked it up a few days ago at a used book sale when I saw the author's name (he has also written Band of Brothers, which I very much enjoyed). I knew virtually nothing about the operation before reading the book, so it was quite informative.
Like Band of Brothers, Pegasus Bridge is a fairly easy read. Ambrose's prose is simple but eloquent, and it does not generally bog the book down with unnecessary figures. I thought that it gave a good summary of events, but it did not go into a lot of detail in places that it could have. One major point in its favour was that it was not just an account from the side of the Allies, since Ambrose was able to interview both one of the German commanders and one of the German soldiers who had been guarding the bridges. I think, however, that Ambrose's scope was somewhat limited--he interviewed only a handful of the British participants, and generally seemed to portray their experience as the whole story. There were moments when he would seemingly skip over parts that did not involve his interviewees that I wish he would have covered in more depth.
Overall, the book was enjoyable but certainly no more than a light read.
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