Patton Papers: 1940-1945

When I saw what a project of a book this was at 857 pages, I wondered if I would ever get through it. It took no more than 15 or 20 pages to convince me that I would enjoy every page of it. This is a great read, especially if you are already a Patton fan. His diary entries and letters are honest and blunt, and offer great insights into Patton's winning style and strategy, his distaste for putting allied considerations over American interests, his frustrations with the press and his superiors, and his deep distrust of the Russians. Blumenson weaves these innumerable entries and letters into a seamless and easy-to-read narrative of Patton and his heroic exploits. Fans of the movie will love seeing lines taken word for word from his diary entries. I truly loved this book -- one of my favorite reads of all time.

Martin Blumenson's has created a fascinating and surprisingly readable biography of the World War II hero, General George Patton. Blumenson has taken the General's diaries, personal and official letters and combined them with letters written to him and newspaper articles written about him. These are arranged in chronological order. The period covered by this book was the most active of Patton's lifetime. In the last three years of his life, Patton had adventures enough for several lifetimes. After playing a major part in the conquest of North Africa, then Sicily, Patton was sidelined for nearly a year after the slapping incidents. During this time a disinformation campaign was put forth to convince the Nazis that Patton would command a non-existent army group that was to invade the south of France. A month after D Day Patton took command of the recently formed Third Army and drove across Europe, playing a pivotal role in the Battle of the Bulge. In this book, Blumenson splices together the actual documents written by and about Patton as the actual events unfolded. Despite being an amalgamation of material from so many different sources, the book reads like a novel. Blumenson very rarely adds his own editorial commentary. This is done in a way that enhances the flow of the narrrative. My only complaint is that it frequently is difficult to determine where these asides begin and end. This readability is what makes the book great and unique. Having read many other biographies that over-analyze and inject the authors' personal opinion into the narrative it is refreshing to simply have the facts laid out in front of you. Patton had an amusing tendency to give sarcastic nicknames to his rivals and adversaries. Omar Bradley is "the tentmaker," both for his Arab name and his tendency towards caution, Eisenhower is "divine destiny" for his political ambitions. General W. Bedell Smith, Eisenhower's hated chief of staff, is variously referred to as Beadle and Beetle. At the same time he is privately mocking these people, Patton takes great pains to praise and flatter them publicly. He even admits to himself in his diary that he is a shameless bootlicker and rear-end kisser when necessary. Patton justifies his actions because he feels he must be a sycophant to fulfill his destiny of leading men in battle. Patton even advises his son (who was a West Point Cadet at the time) that the way to advancement at the Academy is to seek out the Commandant and Superintendent and suck-up to them and their wives as much as possible.I had low expectations for this book. Every other collection of the letters of famous men I have read has been interesting in spots but unreadable as a whole.Even the famous collected letters of Pliny the Younger are mostly dreary reports to the emperor and uninteresting notes to friends. For Blumenson to have created such an entertaining and informative document from similar material is a remarkable achievement.

Although a fan of General Patton, I hesitated to purchase this book. The title indicated a daunting book for reference only, rather than one for reading. But one shouldn't judge a book by its cover; I was wrong. "The Patton Papers" is surprisingly readable, and a must for anyone who would seek to understand this American hero. From diary entries to personal letters, Martin Blumenson weaves a fascinating story that makes one feel one is a part of the Seventh and Third Army staff! I recommend that you read a biography first ("Patton: A Genius for War" is excellent) so that you have an overview of Patton's life. A word of caution: reading this book will dampen your enthusiasm for the movie "Patton," as it makes clear the multitude of historical inaccuracies. A really great book!

The Patton Papers (1940-1945) is actually part two of a two part series. While the first part covers the first 55 years of General George S. Patton's life this book details the period leading up to Americas involvement in WW II and takes the reader through all of Patton's ordeals. The Author, Martin Blumenson, has taken General Pattons own words from letters and diary entires to paint a wonderfully detailed portrait of Patton, not only as a military officer but as a human being. This book captures the true spirit of Patton. His ego-mania, his drive for success both on the battlefield and off, his sometimes paranoia about other officers, especially Montgomery. Patton was a very complex figure and no book that I have read really comes close to explaining his personality better than this one. Best of all, this book details his military genius, through all of World War II, including his end-run in France to liberate Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. What is also interesting is how Patton was unable to adapt to peace-time, leading to his dismissal as post-war occupational governor of Bavaria. If you're interested in WWII and Patton intriques you as he does me, I would highly recommend this book. It truly gives you a great understanding of the man instead of the myth.

This book gives the reader an insight into the way the war was fought and the personality of the main participants. General Patton's letters, both personal and professional, enable us to gain a window into the mind of a combat officer in the middle of a war. He also highlights the conflicts between the Allied forces and the American command structure, as well as the conflicts between the various senior Americans (Eisenhower, Bradley, Hodges, ect...) The editor, Blumenson, gives the reader a picture of what was going on while Patton's letters were being written as well as the truth when the author was uninformed about something. (It's impossible to know every event during a war.) A great book that should be in every WWII historians library.