Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #276773 in Books
• Published on: 1995-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Synopsis
Adored by many and loathed by some, General George S. Patton Jr, was one of the most brilliant military strategists in history. This book is the personal and candid account of his celebrated, relentless crusade across Western Europe during World War II. First published in 1947, this narrative draws on Patton's memories of battle and his detailed diaries, from the moment the Third Army exploded onto the Brittany Peninsula to the final Allied casualty report. The result is not only a human account of daily combat and heroic feats - including a look at the battle of the Bulge - but a chronicle of the strategies and personality of a legendary warrior.

Customer Reviews

An essential read for the student of military history.
This book is as valuable for the light it sheds on Patton's character as it is for the detailed accounts of his various European campaigns. Patton's directness (admittedly the book was a rough draft of what would have been published had he lived) confirms that he was a man committed to discerning and speaking the truth. Generous with friends and reticent with enemies, he appears honorable and entirely credible in his explication of the facts of the War. As for his opinions on the nature of war, they are very clearly encapsulated in the appendix, and are shown to be both learned and hard to refute.

A large portion of the book is concerned with the dispositions of the Third Army; these sections would undoubtedly be easier to follow if more and better maps were included in the book.

A Good Supplemental Source
War As I Knew It" is the World War II memoirs of General George S. Patton, beginning with the Operation Torch landings in North Africa in 1942 and continuing to the German Surrender on May 8, 1945. Patton died a few months after the end of the war. I suspect that this explains its fairly unpolished style.

This book is, essentially, World War II as Patton observed it. It verifies many of the scenes and dialogues which we enjoy in the movie "Patton". It does not get into deep analysis of the war or explanations of his actions. It is good in reporting the movements of the various units under his command. There is very little about the rivalry between himself and Montgomery or the competition for resources between the Third Army and others. From reading this you would not learn that there was any controversy over the slapping of a soldier in the hospital. One must look elsewhere for a realization that the relationships between Patton and Eisenhower and Bradley were crucial and changed as the war progressed.

I read this book in the hopes of getting a better understanding of Patton's approach to the war which he led. In this I was moderately disappointed. I do recommend it as a second book on Patton through which to obtain a deeper understanding, but would not recommend it as a first book. As a first hand report on the war, I do not rate it up with Eisenhower's "Crusade in Europe" (see my Amazon review). For an understanding of Patton, I recommend "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph" by Ladislas Farago (see my Amazon review) as a starting point with "War As I Knew It" as a supplemental work.

a real taste of war
I consider these book just excelent, the third part of the book regarding tactics and strategy it is an example of how to run not only an army but also a business, in these days of global competition and crisis being a good strategist and a good leader is the key to success, i recomend these book to executive managers and business students.