Book excerpt: ”Almighty God—Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor.” It was with these words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the troops that were to mount the final assault on Nazi-dominated Europe on D-day, June 6, 1944. The Mighty Endeavor is a sweeping history of American action in the European theater in World War II, covering the entire scope of America's effort ”to set free from Nazi tyranny a suffering humanity.”From the first landings at Casablanca straight through to the crossing of the Elbe River and V-E Day, this book tells the gripping stories of all the battles in which Americans took part. At its core are accounts of such dramatic episodes as Kasserine Pass, Salerno and Anzio, D-day, the liberation of Paris, the Battle of the Bulge, and the crossing of the Rhine. MacDonald's sources include official U.S. Army records and interviews with soldiers from the lowest ranks to top-level officers such as Generals Eisenhower and Bradley. Since its initial publication in 1969, The Mighty Endeavor has retained its reputation as the best one-volume history of the American war in Europe, a true classic of its kind.