Patton: Genius for War, A

The author presents a comprehensive look at Patton’s life going back to his heroic Civil War ancestors and their influence on the formation of his character. A student of military history; of the greatest battles going all the way back to antiquity; and of their warrior heroes, inspired Patton to hone his mind and military skills in order to join the historical pantheon of truly great military leaders. A complex but flawed character nearly ruined Patton’s opportunity to make history, however in the end, he proved himself to be the best tactician and general of WWII, joining the small historical ranks of exceptional war time battle field generals. The book is detailed, critical and well worth the read.

“The end of war is, in short, a sort of massive hangover, a culture shock that often manifests itself in antisocial behavior, alcoholism, and severe depression.” A quote located on page 268 of this book. This was a statement that the author placed upon the conclusion of Colonel George S. Patton’s experience of the First World War. At the conclusion of the Second World War that same depressive feeling that Patton had in November 1918 would be only expounded exponentially in November of 1945.This account of General Patton’s whole life is nothing short of excellent. Sources are well cited in each chapter and the overall work is a comprehensive and objective view on one of America’s best soldiers of either the First or Second World Wars.Had General Patton lived longer it is quite possible that there would have been medical evidence to show he suffered from PTSD; though not something diagnosed as such during this particular time frame in history. The term “burn out” appears several times throughout the book, and as the book was published in 1995 the term “PTSD” was still to this point not a fully recognized condition of an effect upon persons who have been in a combat environment. The tragic death of General Patton came at a time when he had reached is destiny; his own efforts to reach that destiny never seemed to encompass what he would do after the destiny had been reached. I am a bit “on the fence” when it comes to any potential assassination plot; on the one hand there was an “accident” and yet, unlike the JFK assassination – this death seems to me to be more likely to have actually had a conspiracy behind it. Still, the author takes an objective, primary source review to dispel this myth and one cannot help but feel it is the truth in this sense.General Patton was certainly one of a kind; and, a fellow Soldier I understood with each page and readily accepted on those surprise moments of his personal life.

I'm not through yet, but so far I've definitely enjoyed reading this book. It starts out with a couple of chapters on family history, watches Patton grow up for a good number of chapters, and the remaining bulk of the book tells of Patton and his family while he climbs up and down the ranks. For those who know nothing about the Army before WWII (which would include myself prior to this book), there is a good glimpse of the military activities and policies - as they affect Patton in particular (which is quite a bit). I had no clue how unprepared we were for WWI, and how irresponsible the post war government was by completely dismantling the army afterwards. The section discussing the U.S.'s punitive venture into Mexico was pretty interesting, and was the major bridge into relating Patton's life and career with those of another big-name general, John Pershing. As for Patton himself, he is presented as much more than the macho general-figure many of us picture. He was a devoted student of military history, an avid reader, a poet, a loving if not sometimes socially abrasive husband, a horseman, and an olympic athlete. From the time he decided to follow his forefathers into the army, it seems he thought of nothing but advancement. It is clear the author is not making things up (the auther states that no documentation in the Patton home was ever disposed of, providing a wealth of information from which to glean) - the book is full of quotations, with many from his own children, himself, those who served with him, and other Patton historians, etc. Even his daughter who least got along with him seems to have a lot of respect for who he was. He can sound pretty brutal - longing for war, etc., especially after the bloody "War to end all wars." However, I understand that this is not the exception to the soldierly experience. If the auther beats one thing to death, it is the fact that Patton was dyslexic. Especially during his growing-up years we are presented and oft reminded of Patton's learning disablity. Furthermore, from then on during an account of practically any bout of depression throughout his life, the reader's memory is not deemed sufficient to provide context to his anxiety. I'm looking forward to the rest of the book. It's pretty daunting in size, but it's written well and is easy to read. It'll be fun to next read the other book I purchased concurrently with this one - The Rommel Papers!

the movie was great but as usual hollywood took poetic license. this book tells the story of what really happened. it pulls no punches about eisenhower and bradley.

This long biography confirms what you think you know about the man George S. Patton.He was every bit as gruff as you would imagine. What surprised me was the twenty years of being in the army, waiting for WWII.Also, then, despite his hard work and decades of study, his problems all stemmed from peccadillos that don't seem nearly as important from the distance of seventy years. It more seems like a great man was hamstrung by lesser men such as Eisenhower or Bradley. It also reminded me that no person achieves greatness without enduring the friction of lesser souls.

This is THE BOOK to read for anyone interested in a deep dive into the life of General George S. Paton.

Comprehensive and well written.

Great read. Lots of Historical Facts and side stories.

This is a great thorough book on the life of Patton. It is very well written biography of one of history's greatest military leaders warts and all. From the moment I received it I couldn't put it down. A definite must have for any WW2 library

Few warriors like this legendRespectThoroughly researched and insightful reasons Patton was so dynamic ,great and flawed.

Mi ha piaciuto molto la lettura del libro "Patton", soprattutto il capitolo della II Guerra Mundiale: "cinque stelle". Molto buono!!

Fine writing, good portrayal of the character of the General. The author goes beyond the often derided cowboy characteristics of the man.

パットン将軍の伝記映画を見たことがあるので買ってみました。800ページを超える本です。戦争が生きがいだったようで第一次世界大戦と第二次世界大戦の間の時期には生きる目標がなくなったためにノイローゼのような状態になったようです。福島正則と加藤清正のことを連想しました。詩を書くのが得意だったことは意外でした。