Bradley a Soldiers Story [Paperback]

Omar N Bradley (Author)

Book Description

D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of Paris, the relentless drive through Germany toward Allied victory--Omar Bradley, the "GI General," was there for every major engagement in the European theater. A Soldier's Story is the behind-the-scenes eyewitness account of the war that shaped our century: the tremendous manpower at work, the unprecedented stakes, the snafus that almost led to defeat, the larger-than-life personalities and brilliant generals (Patton, Eisenhower, Montgomery) who masterminded it all. One of the two books on which the movie Patton was based, A Soldier's Story is a compelling and vivid memoir from the greatest military tactician of our time.
      
The books in the Modern Library War series have been chosen by series editor Caleb Carr according to the significance of their subject matter, their contribution to the field of military history, and their literary merit.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This 1951 volume by the so-called "GI General" is quite an appropriate title to help launch Modern Library's new "War" line of paperback reprints. Bradley here offers a firsthand account of World War II. This is the only paperback available of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"Superb history and literature...surpassed only by the magnificent volumes of  Winston Churchill."  -- The Saturday Review

"A Soldier's Story tells, better than any other book of its kind to date, how the war in the European theater was fought and why it was fought that way."
--A. J. Liebling, The New Yorker --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Rand Mcnally Company
• ISBN-10: 528881337X
• ISBN-13: 978-5288813375
• Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 1.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,007,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the WWII Memoirs, February 24, 2003

By 

A Winnetka reader (Winnetka, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Soldier's Story (Modern Library War) (Paperback)

A Soldier's Story is easily the best of the memoirs of the major Allied leaders of WWII. From D-Day to the German surrender, Bradley was in the middle of the European action and "tells it like it was", far more so than Eisenhower did in "Crusade in Europe". While Ike glosses over controversial situations and personality clashes, Bradley honestly discusses the failure to close the Falais Gap, the failure of "Market- Garden" in Holland,and the failure to detect the Ardennes offensive. In addition, Bradley graphically describes his antagonistic relationship with Montgomery and his, at times, difficulty in dealing with his subordinate, George Patton. Bradley's writing is not that of a man whose real purpose is to make friends and run for office; he writes like a man who wants to tell people his version of the momentous events of 1944-5. His story flows seamlessly and never seems self-serving, a fault of nearly every military memoir I've ever read. If you could only read 2 books on WWII, I'd recommend Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" and this book, "A Soldier's Story".

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely enjoyed this book!, August 15, 2001

By 

schalley (Northridge, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Soldier's Story (Modern Library War) (Paperback)

Currently, I am about 20 pages from the end of this book. It was a gift to me from the widow of a soldier that fought (and survived) in the ETO. As soon as I picked it up to look it over, I found myself drawn into Gen. Bradly's world over 50 years ago. It was difficult to put down each time I picked it up.

I read a LOT of WWII books and magazines. Usually I am most drawn to eyewitness/personal accounts of frontline combat. In this book I was fascinated by Gen. Bradley's personal account at the strategic level--the problems they faced, how they came to critical decisions, the relationships and insights into influential persons involved in the conflict.

This is a wonderful compliment to the footsoldier genre of WWII literature. I learned a lot about some aspects of combat command that I had never been exposed to before--like logistics and supply--and how important they are in decision-making. If you're interested in experiencing (vicariously) what it was like to be involved in this period of history, this book belongs as a unique part of your curriculum. No one else can tell us what it was like to be both under and over Patton in the same war, as a Corp Commander and as an Army Group Commander. And I might add that his writing is easy to enjoy.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Military History makes you proud to be an American, February 28, 2005

By 

Jonathan Arrowood (Missouri City, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Soldier's Story (Modern Library War) (Paperback)

I have rarely enjoyed a book so much. It is thoroughly engrossing, illuminating us to so many aspects of the European Theater, many of the great men of the war, and general command principles.

Bradley recounts, in some detail, battle by battle the move through Africa, Sicily, France and Germany. His account seems straightforward and humble, tackling failures of Monty (including Market Garden) Patton, and even himself in his failure to anticipate the Ardennes Offensive that led to the Battle of the Bulge.

His accounts of interactions with great men of the era such as Eisenhower, Monty, and Patton are worthwhile, but what I found fascinating were the figures new to me such as Hodges, Middleton, Ridgeway, Heubner, Gerow, Devers, and even Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. The hard-charging, do your duty feeling that was evident in this book makes me proud to be an American. It is simply amazing to see that men such as Eisenhower and Bradley moved from relative obscurity as colonels to leaders of enormous armies in some of the most important battles of history in a period of only 5 or 6 years.

An added plus are the motivational and management lessons learned from Bradley.

One suggestion: While the book is filled with helpful maps, search for WW2 Battlefield maps online and print them for reference. Keep them with you when you read Bradley's accounts. They will make following the detail of movement much easier.