He is remembered as an officer with few equals. A leader who attained legendary status while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness. But no matter the opinion or label attached to his name, few can argue George S. Patton's place as a truly legendary figure in the annals of military history. George S. Patton Jr. was only five years old when he informed his parents he intended to become "a great general." When he learned to read, the first book he bought was a history of decisive battles. In school he was always organizing sham battles. On his honeymoon in France, he took his young bride to historic battlefields and fortresses. Waging war was Patton's passion and all his life he trained himself to fight. Nothing else really mattered to him. Many books have been written about Patton. Fighting Patton: George S. Patton Jr. Through the Eyes of His Enemies is the first to examine the legendary general through the eyes of his enemies, the opposing German commanders. During his extensive research through German wartime records, noted historian and author Harry Yeide has uncovered hundreds of unpublished unit reports, officer accounts, and telephone transcripts to illuminate the German perspective on how and why they lost their battles with Patton's forces. This truly unique study follows Patton's rise through the ranks in the Mexican Expedition and World War I, as well as his many campaigns throughout World War II, from Tunisia, Sicily and Normandy to Lorraine, the Bulge, and into the heart of Germany. The result is a fresh take on one of the most storied figures of twentieth-century warfare.
Publishers Weekly,Known for his work on American armored units in WWII, Yeide combines extensive research in published and archival materials to render a unique sketch of General Patton as seen through the eyes of his enemies. Save a brief encounter with the Vichy French in 1942, Patton primarily tangled with the Germans, who, due to their renown in Patton's own forte-armored and mobile operations-served as his most qualified judges. Without debunking Patton's achievements, Yeide shows that the German command regarded the general as a formidable adversary on the battlefield, but they did not view him as "the key to Allied intentions." Rather, such accolades went to strategists Bernard Montgomery and Omar Bradley. Still, it was Patton's gumption on the battlefield that set him aside from his more conservative peers. Following Patton's struggles and victories throughout the war, Yeide unveils a man far more complicated than the mythologized military hero; Patton "was a leader whom some adored and some loathed," a man simultaneously imperious and humble. Yeide adds new depth to our picture of Patton. Considered and evaluated in the specific context of armored commanders, he stood among the greats. In Yeide's words, "It is enough." 50 b&w photos, 40 maps (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.,Publishers Weekly,Publishers Weekly,Known for his work on American armored units in WWII, Yeide combines extensive research in published and archival materials to render a unique sketch of General Patton as seen through the eyes of his enemies. Save a brief encounter with the Vichy French in 1942, Patton primarily tangled with the Germans, who, due to their renown in Patton's own forte-armored and mobile operations-served as his most qualified judges. Without debunking Patton's achievements, Yeide shows that the German command regarded the general as a formidable adversary on the battlefield, but they did not view him as "the key to Allied intentions." Rather, such accolades went to strategists Bernard Montgomery and Omar Bradley. Still, it was Patton's gumption on the battlefield that set him aside from his more conservative peers. Following Patton's struggles and victories throughout the war, Yeide unveils a man far more complicated than the mythologized military hero; Patton "was a leader whom some adored and some loathed," a man simultaneously imperious and humble. Yeide adds new depth to our picture of Patton. Considered and evaluated in the specific context of armored commanders, he stood among the greats. In Yeide's words, "It is enough." 50 b&w photos, 40 maps (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
