Customer Reviews

General Ike: A Personal Reminiscence

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

...

John Eisenhower is conspicuous among those of us who have had more than one career. A graduate of West Point, John followed his famous father into the army, and as a junior officer was witness to some historic moments of World War II. Subsequently, he emerged as a historian in his own right. Mr. Eisenhower's narrative of the Battle of the Bulge, "The Bitter Woods," and his history of the Mexican War, "So Far From God," reflect his broad interest in the military history of the past two centuries.
Although Mr. Eisenhower has seven books to his credit, he has not written specifically about his father until now. (There are, after all, many Eisenhower biographies, of which my personal favorite is that by Carlo d'Este.) "General Ike," as the subtitle makes clear, is not a full biography, but a series of essays that focus on Ike's dealings with important figures of the war years, most notably Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, and Generals George Marshall, Bernard Montgomery, and George Patton. Mr. Eisenhower's portraits inevitably cover some ground that is familiar to students of World War II, but they also include fresh insights.
One of the more trying periods of Ike's career came before the war, when he served as chief of staff to Douglas MacArthur, then head of a U.S. military mission to the Philippines. Mr. Eisenhower insists that his father's diary entries in this period exaggerate his differences with MacArthur, but most readers will conclude that the Army did well to keep Eisenhower and MacArthur far apart during World War II. But Mr. Eisenhower has kind words for both men, concluding that "Ike Eisenhower could never have played the role of Emperor of Japan as well as did MacArthur, and MacArthur could never have contended with Churchill and Montgomery, men he did not control, so well as Ike."
Dwight Eisenhower's long friendship with Patton is a matter of record, as is Ike's support for Patton in the wake of embarrassing wartime episodes, including two instances in which Patton abused soldiers whom he viewed as malingerers. But, Mr. Eisenhower points out, Ike's tolerance lasted only as long as Patton's talents seemed essential to winning the war. When, after Germany's surrender, Patton delivered a speech in which he suggested that Nazis were not that much different from America's Democrats and Republicans, Ike sacked him. Mr. Eisenhower was visiting his father at the time and quotes him as saying, "I'm not firing George for what he has done; I'm firing him for what he'll do next."
Ike found Marshall the easiest of his illustrious contemporaries to work with. Although Marshall had wanted to command the invasion of Europe, once Roosevelt settled on Ike as supreme commander, Marshall gave him unstinting support.
Mr. Eisenhower shares his father's respect for Marshall, but has some personal insights. It seems to me that forbidding himself the warmth of wide friendships outside his immediate family made Marshall's a barren life. To the outsider he seemed determined never to be friends with his subordinates. He never made any effort to develop a personal relationship with Ike off duty, no matter their mutual respect professionally.
Ike's most difficult wartime relationship was, of course, that with the prickly Montgomery. Much of the friction grew out of Montgomery's desire to lead a single, deep thrust into Germany as opposed to a broader advance that would make full use of the Allies' advantage in numbers. Mr. Eisenhower's discussion of this issue is one of the strong points of his book, and serves to underscore the great power that Ike, as supreme commander, had over the allocation of scarce resources such as gasoline.
The book abounds in anecdotes, and one of the better ones relates to Montgomery, who was notorious for his refusal to allow smoking or drinking in his presence. When, after his victory at El Alamein, Montgomery chose to entertain a captured German general, von Thoma, at dinner, he was roundly criticized in the British press. Churchill fended off the criticism with the remark, "Alas, poor Thoma. I too have dined with Montgomery."
Mr. Eisenhower addresses - somewhat gingerly - the question of whether his father was a "great general."
He dismisses Mongomery's insistence that a great general must experience battle at all command levels, noting that this criterion would have eliminated men such as Caesar and Robert E. Lee. The author notes, with respect to Ike's strategic grasp, that he had graduated first in his class at the command and general staff school at Fort Leavenworth. But Mr. Eisenhower suggests that his father's great gift was his ability to manage strong-willed associates for the common good:
"His relations with . . . Montgomery serve as a case in point. Time and time again, Ike put up with the foibles, discourtesies, and downright arrogance of his official subordinate, while at the same time insisting that his major decisions be carried out."
Much the same might be said of his dealings with Patton.
Mr. Eisenhower was fortunate to have been close to his father at some crucial junctures of World War II. Students of the war are now fortunate that he has committed his recollections to print.

John Eisenhower's book on the Mexican War persuaded to me to purchase this book and I am glad I did. Eisenhower writes extremely well and always in an entertaining, informative style. This ability to convey details in a personal way enhances this splendid look at Ike in the pivotal period 1940-1945. Though John didn't see too much of his father during this turbulent times, he obviously knows much behind the scenes information which he now imparts to the reader.

This isn't a full-scale biography of Ike (consult Ambrose for that), but rather contains different chapters on famous military personalities in Ike's orbit. These include the pompous MacArthur, who said of Eisenhower in the Philippines, "He was the best clerk I ever had," Patton, Bradley, Churchill and Monty. General Montgomery was, of course, an insufferable prig and egomaniac, and John details the delicate path Ike had to traverse in keeping the Brit in check. He also reveals many of Ike's thoughts and movements prior to June 6, 1944, D-Day for the Allies.

I highly recommend this book to all who admire Eisenhower, to any WWII buff or anyone who admires taut, well-written historical prose. A great read.

John Eisenhower, the son of Dwight David Eisenhower (General Ike)has done us all a service by writing a book about his father. The entire book deals with Ike's relationships with other important military and political leaders. John Eisenhower says he wrote the book primarily to correct misapprehensions and mistakes that other writers have made in discussing Ike.

The reader will meet people who we never knew existed such as General Fox Conner, a competent and decent army officer who early on recognized Ike's leadership potential and did his best to promote his career. We will learn about Ike's complicated relationships with famous persons such as Douglas MacArthur, John "Black Jack" Pershing, and the French General Charles DeGaulle. Ike apparently held DeGaulle in great personal regard and put him on a list of the five most important men he knew.

Ike's wartime relationship with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill deserves special mention. Early on Churchill understood how critical Anglo-American cooperation was to a successful outcome in World War II. As such, he bent over backwards to see that Eisenhower and the Americans were given first-class treatment by the English. Eisenhower had much regular contact with Churchill and it struck me that he was closer to him than President Roosevelt and other American political figures.

One of the most interesting sections of the book recounts Ike's dilemma in dealing with British Army General Sir Bernard Montgomery. Montgomery believed that he alone had the strategy which could have forced an earlier end to World War II. He constantly feuded with Eisenhower over strategy and supplies. At one time, Eisenhower came close to asking the British to place someone else in command, but than things were smoothed out. The problems did not end even after the war was over. Years later, Montgomery wrote his own memoirs criticizing Eisenhower's conduct of the European campaign after D-day. A normally patient man, Ike was infuriated with Montgomery.

This is a good book for students of World War II history and those who believe that history is determined more by individuals than by events.

I found this to be one of the most enjoyable as well as informative books about Dwight D. Eisenhower that I have as yet read. Its title and subtitle correctly indicate what it is...and isn't: John Eisenhower's focus is on his father's military career (especially during the 1940s) during which he was affectionately viewed as "Ike" by almost everyone with whom he was associated; the material consists of a respectful and loving son's own reminiscences. However, John Eisenhower makes no claim for himself as a biographer or military historian. He limits himself to his own personal experiences with his father when not citing his (i.e. his father's) documented statements and others' eyewitness accounts. The net result is a unique and revealing examination of one of the most important leaders in the 20th century, offered from the perspective of a son who observed General Eisenhower while engaged in his most memorable relationships with other leaders during World War Two, notably with Churchill, Marshall, Patton, Montgomery, and De Gaulle. We also learn much of interest about Ike's relationships with Conner, Pershing, and MacArthur which -- to varying degrees -- also significantly influenced his military career as well as personal development.

"By no stretch of the imagination is this book a comprehensive biography of Ike, nor is it even a history of the battles he fought. Instead, my essays deal almost exclusively with Ike's relations with his associates, for the simple reason that the facets of his personality appear differently depending on the individual he was dealing with at a given time." John Eisenhower goes on to explain that he offers "a son's view of a great military leader -- highly intelligent, forceful, kind, yet as human as the rest of us." What I especially appreciate in this personal account is the fact that the son subordinates himself while recalling the situations while accompanying his father; also, that his views of Ike throughout the book seem balanced as he comments on his father's less attractive qualities (e.g. a sometimes volcanic temper) as well as his most admirable strengths (e.g. forging consensus and cooperation among egocentrics such as Montgomery and De Gaulle). Almost everyone liked Ike. Over time, he also earned the respect which Marshall clearly had for Ike when promoting him over dozens of senior officers to serve as commander of Overlord Operation, arguably the most extensive and complicated military invasion ever undertaken, before or since.

Later, Marshall told Ike: "You have commanded with outstanding success the most powerful military force that has ever been assembled. You have made history, great history for the good of all mankind and you have stood for all we hope for and admire in an officer of the United States Army." Such praise was well-deserved and widely shared. In this exceptionally thoughtful and eloquent account, John Eisenhower also reveals this great military leader to be "as human as the rest of us."

This book is especially important to anyone interested in the history of World War II or just history in general. John Eisenhower doesn't just paraphrase the works of other historians who were born years after the war - he writes first hand descriptions of the great military and political laeders of the war - all of them he met personally during war. Of course, his sections on his own father (possibly the greatest of them all) is an essential read.

First rate! Could not put the book down, lots of new and fresh insights into DeGaulle, Churchill, Patton, and Montgomery (what a piece of work...) I read a great deal of WWII history, and it is a joy to read new information for a change! In addition the reader will gain knowledge of the great and rather-more-complicated man than we might think, President Eisenhower. Written in a clear and understandable way for the non-military, John Eisenhower is a gifted historian. In summary, I am making it a priority to purchase his other books, as this is the first of his works I have had the pleasure to read.

All in all, this book does a really nice job laying out a biography of Eisenhower, and does so in an interesting fashion. Ike is explained in chapters that could largely standalone and are demarcated by the people he's working with. There's a chapter on Eisenhower and Pershing, then one on MacArthur, Patton, DeGaulle, Montgomery, and Churchill. Needless to say, the chapters on Patton, MacArthur, Montgomery, and Churchill were very interesting. I dozed off on the DeGaulle piece, while was riveted by the Patton chapter. Those who are familiar with the Patton story will appreciate Eisenhower's behavior toward his early (and ranking) comrade.

Some of the other interesting takeaways from the book come from Ike's early days. Those of us familiar with the nature of the political army can appreciate how Ike nearly ended his career by advocating the tank in independent operations. An early mentor saved Ike's career by having him transfered to the Adjutant General's Corps.

I haven't read the Ike autobiography but I would estimate that this book would complement that work. The author seeks to avoid restating the same data over and over, and instead offers the unique view I described above, plus adds his own fly-on-the-wall viewpoint that he enjoyed being Ike's son. His own anecdotes, while interesting, wouldn't stand on their own as a booke but are very well-used here.

This book is written by DDE's son, John. The book covers many people that Ike dealt with during his army career and as President. It is well written, well researched, and very enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history, WW2, world politics. One of the best biographical books I have read.

Eisenhower's son writes very well, and this is the third book I have read of his. He writes like Ambrose, so the flow of these books is good. In this book, Eisenhower tackles the subject of his father as he would like to remember him--that as the General and Supreme Allied Commander. This is not a biography but rather glimspes of his father and his interaction with some other famous personalities such as Marshall, Pershing, De Galle, Churchill, Patton,and Montgomery.
Some of the stories Eisenhower tells in this book deal with the working relationship of his father with these persons. Montgomery was by far the most difficult of these persons. What surprised me was how Ike regarded De Galle in a very favorable light. Why Eisenhower talked about these persons and not others like Roosevelt and Bradley also amazed me. Why were these people excluded from the book?
Otherwise, another great read from Eisenhower. I hope he has another few books left in him so the history reader can enjoy his work.

Retired Brig. General John Eisenhower has again given history a gift for the ages with "General Ike: A Personal Reminiscence" (2003 277-page hardback). (His earlier work "Yanks" -about the First World War- was also a brilliant piece.) "General Ike" will long present Dwight D. Eisenhower's military personality to colleagues, historians, students, and admirers.

Early on, author Eisenhower determines to present his illustrious father, the General, as military man rather than politician. In deed, he understands Ike's to have effectively negotiated a two-part career: 1st as military leader, and, 2nd as political statesman. This book focuses on Ike's military commander aspect.

John Eisenhower brings a plethora of knowledge, research, interviews, and personal accounts for telling the interesting story of his dad's memorable military career. Creatively, he presents Ike with chapter vignettes for each personality that affected the General's life. Readers are presented Ike's life with George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, Charles De Gaulle, and Winston Churchill. Ike's appreciation for General Fox Connor, General George Marshall, and Prime Minister Churchill are thoroughly analyzed. Ike's issues with Montgomery, Patton, and De Gaulle are reviewed. (By the end, Ike was able to overlook the differences and remain friendly with each man.)

Admitting a personal bias for his father, the author concludes his study suggesting that Eisenhower ranks with the history's greatest generals. Certainly, all should agree that Ike was the 20th century's greatest general. (He should also be a candidate for one of America's greatest 20th century leaders.)

The personal reminiscences alone make this book worth its price. John Eisenhower is often present with his father during historic moments. His access to Ike's paper, family life, and personal thoughts is unprecedented. As Ike's son, he was accepted into the General's circle of exceptional history makers. The knowledge gain through these experiences is presented in "General Ike". This book is unusually unique.

"General Ike" is recommended to everyone interested in Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower and World War 2.