Book Review: Patton - Ordeal and Triumph
By: Ladislas Farago
America always seems to turn to the right men in time of great need. George Washington almost single handedly saved a fledgling country through force of will and inspired leadership. Abraham Lincoln sacrificed his mind, body, and soul in an attempt to save the United States from destroying itself over slavery. Many would argue today that George Bush is the right president to lead America in its fight against terrorism. It is also true that during the dark times of the 1939 and 1940 when the world was in jeopardy of being conquered by German Nazism, Italian fascism, and Japanese totalitarianism, America turned to a group of military leaders to lead and inspire thousands of young Americans on the field of battle. One such man, whose name will forever be associated with the American fighting spirit, was General George Smith Patton, Jr.
In Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago, the reader learns about Patton’s upbringing and his family’s military background. His grandfather, a Confederate colonel in the American Civil War, was killed by Union cavalry troops and Patton felt that he was carrying on the family tradition by joining the military at a young age. In the twilight days of World War I, when then Major Patton was one of the Americans charged with creating the first American tank division, he realized that the tank was the future of land warfare. He marveled at the tank’s ability to bypass fixed fortifications and engage in lighting quick strikes deep into enemy territory. However, after the war the resistance to change within the U.S. Army prevented America from modernizing into a tank based military. During the two and a half decades between the first two World Wars, Patton pushed his superiors to emphasize the tank rather than infantry troops. His views, while ignored in peacetime, were vindicated when Germany used its tanks to quickly overrun most of Europe.
After the American military realized that World War II would depend largely on tank warfare, Patton, as the most knowledgeable American general in the area, was one of the first military leaders dispatched to the European theater. Throughout the war Patton’s troops were constantly advancing, whether in North Africa, Sicily, or France and Patton quickly became regarded by the Germans as the best tactical field commander of the Allied forces.
However, Farago is quick to emphasize that Patton was not a perfect general. As indispensable as Patton was in the conflict against the Nazis, he was not without his faults. He was a brilliant military strategist, but he was deficient in dealing with the political and administrative duties that were required after the battles had been fought. For instance, Patton was heavily criticized by many for the influence he allowed Vichy France to wield in North Africa after his military victories there. Patton, who no doubt loved the spotlight and public recognition, also developed a rivalry with Britain’s number one army commander, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. They clashed over strategy and their competition complicated the Allied war plans.
Farago paints a picture of an astute and forward thinking military leader whose brilliance was diminished by politics and the commanders above him. Many bold initiatives suggested by Patton, that some argue would have ended the European war much sooner, were rejected by his much more conservative superiors, Dwight Eisenhower and General Omar Bradley.
Ordeal and Triumph relies on first-hand accounts of Patton’s closest confidants to gain insight into a complex man. An especially telling observation comes from Corporal Joe Rosevich, Patton’s general secretary throughout the war. Rosevich summed up his service to Patton in this quote. “I had occasion to see that I was serving two men rather than one. General Patton was the fusion of two men who lived in different worlds. One was his own world of calm efficiency, discipline and order. The other was the world of his immediate environment – our world of extreme tension and nervous strain.”
What makes Ordeal and Triumph one of the preeminent Patton biographies is the unbiased perspective of Farago. Many Patton biographies suffer from either being written soon after war without significant information that was classified at the time, or being written by prejudiced amateurs who were friends or worked for or with Patton during World War II. Farago sums up Patton’s contribution to the American war effort in Europe by analogy, comparing the American commanders to the Roman triumvirate. Eisenhower was the coordinator, General Bradley was the thinking-machine, but Patton was the fighter who new how to actually win the war on the ground. Ordeal and Triumph centers on the broad strategy decisions made during the European campaign. Pure military historians and simply curious readers can both appreciate this and the insight it gives into one of the greatest American military leaders.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
America always seems to turn to the right men in time of great need. George Washington almost single handedly saved a fledgling country through force of will and inspired leadership. Abraham Lincoln sacrificed his mind, body, and soul in an attempt to save the United States from destroying itself over slavery. Many would argue today that George Bush is the right president to lead America in its fight against terrorism. It is also true that during the dark times of the 1939 and 1940 when the world was in jeopardy of being conquered by German Nazism, Italian fascism, and Japanese totalitarianism, America turned to a group of military leaders to lead and inspire thousands of young Americans on the field of battle. One such man, whose name will forever be associated with the American fighting spirit, was General George Smith Patton, Jr.
In Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago, the reader learns about Patton’s upbringing and his family’s military background. His grandfather, a Confederate colonel in the American Civil War, was killed by Union cavalry troops and Patton felt that he was carrying on the family tradition by joining the military at a young age. In the twilight days of World War I, when then Major Patton was one of the Americans charged with creating the first American tank division, he realized that the tank was the future of land warfare. He marveled at the tank’s ability to bypass fixed fortifications and engage in lighting quick strikes deep into enemy territory. However, after the war the resistance to change within the U.S. Army prevented America from modernizing into a tank based military. During the two and a half decades between the first two World Wars, Patton pushed his superiors to emphasize the tank rather than infantry troops. His views, while ignored in peacetime, were vindicated when Germany used its tanks to quickly overrun most of Europe.
After the American military realized that World War II would depend largely on tank warfare, Patton, as the most knowledgeable American general in the area, was one of the first military leaders dispatched to the European theater. Throughout the war Patton’s troops were constantly advancing, whether in North Africa, Sicily, or France and Patton quickly became regarded by the Germans as the best tactical field commander of the Allied forces.
However, Farago is quick to emphasize that Patton was not a perfect general. As indispensable as Patton was in the conflict against the Nazis, he was not without his faults. He was a brilliant military strategist, but he was deficient in dealing with the political and administrative duties that were required after the battles had been fought. For instance, Patton was heavily criticized by many for the influence he allowed Vichy France to wield in North Africa after his military victories there. Patton, who no doubt loved the spotlight and public recognition, also developed a rivalry with Britain’s number one army commander, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. They clashed over strategy and their competition complicated the Allied war plans.
Farago paints a picture of an astute and forward thinking military leader whose brilliance was diminished by politics and the commanders above him. Many bold initiatives suggested by Patton, that some argue would have ended the European war much sooner, were rejected by his much more conservative superiors, Dwight Eisenhower and General Omar Bradley.
Ordeal and Triumph relies on first-hand accounts of Patton’s closest confidants to gain insight into a complex man. An especially telling observation comes from Corporal Joe Rosevich, Patton’s general secretary throughout the war. Rosevich summed up his service to Patton in this quote. “I had occasion to see that I was serving two men rather than one. General Patton was the fusion of two men who lived in different worlds. One was his own world of calm efficiency, discipline and order. The other was the world of his immediate environment – our world of extreme tension and nervous strain.”
What makes Ordeal and Triumph one of the preeminent Patton biographies is the unbiased perspective of Farago. Many Patton biographies suffer from either being written soon after war without significant information that was classified at the time, or being written by prejudiced amateurs who were friends or worked for or with Patton during World War II. Farago sums up Patton’s contribution to the American war effort in Europe by analogy, comparing the American commanders to the Roman triumvirate. Eisenhower was the coordinator, General Bradley was the thinking-machine, but Patton was the fighter who new how to actually win the war on the ground. Ordeal and Triumph centers on the broad strategy decisions made during the European campaign. Pure military historians and simply curious readers can both appreciate this and the insight it gives into one of the greatest American military leaders.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
posted by The Conservative Guy at
5:46 PM
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