Patton: Ordeal and Triumph Paperback by Ladislas Farago (Westholme Publishing)

This book is a great study of an individual personality, and the mindset and dynamics of the brass calling the plays in WWII. It took the author a dozen years to finish this book. He worked on it between 1952 and 1964. This is important in that he had access to people who were there, who could tell their version of the stories. Many tlmes throughout the book I found myself wondering how the author knew the information he was presenting. It is clear that he did his homework, very thoroughly.
Now, more than a half-century later, this book offers many lessons about both about the evolution of WWII, and how military strategists work overall.

While there is a lot of detail that may not be memorable, such as about particular divisions doing things at any one time, the big picture is extremely valuable. Seeing inside the group of people who are sending young men off to die is both compelling and repugnant. While it is common knowledge that the egos of the generals played a part in the war, this book shoves that layer of the war into the reader's face. It is not a pretty picture. To see the obvious folly of nineteen year old men dying because one Allied general was playing a poker hand with another Allied general is a part of war that is more graphically illustrated in this book than in any other of the many books I've read about WWII. While war is always hell, and all death in war is random, many deaths could probably have been prevented with a different dynamic among the top brass. That lesson is undoubtedly as true today as it was then.

The author takes a very even handed view of Patton. It is clear that he is generally favorable to him, but he is quite clear about detailing Patton's personal failings, and his personal biases. Patton was not liked by many of his peers. It is not clear how likeable he would be to many people. But others found him a compelling, charismatic character. I wondered whether George C. Scott's version of Patton was actually more likeable than the real man.

One final note. Amazon has a January 2015 date listed for publication of this book. Clearly that is wrong. Perhaps that is when the kindle version appeared. The earlier publication date is, to me, a strength of the book. It came from a time when more sources were still alive. This book was published prior to the era when maps were easily created and published by computers, so the maps available are primitive, and totally impossible to use on a kindle. A new edition of this book could be greatly enhanced with photos and newly created maps.

Overall, this book is highly recommended.