General Patton: A Soldier's Life [Paperback]

Stanley Hirshson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2003

General George S. Patton Jr, an inspirational leader and outstanding tactician, has intrigued and confounded his biographers. Utilising untapped archival materials in both the USA and UK, government documents, family papers, and oral histories, Hirshson creates the most balanced portrait of Patton ever written. It reveals Patton as a complex soldier capable of brilliant military manoeuvres but also of inspiring his troops with fiery speeches that resulted in horrendous acts, such as the massacres of Italian civilians. It explains Patton's belief in a soldier's Valhalla, connects the family's wealth to one of America's bitterest labour strikes, and disputes the usual interpretation of Patton's relief from command of the Third Army. In investigating this complex man, Hirshson has uncovered surprising material about a series of civilian massacres in Sicily, about the two slapping incidents, about attempts to exploit Patton's diary after his death, and about Patton's relations with top Allied generals. Patton emerges as a soldier of great imagination and courage, and his military campaigns make for edge–of–the–seat reading. All the drama of Patton's life comes alive in this meticulously documented volume.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

CUNY history professor Hirshson's exhaustively researched and well-written biography presents a balanced view of Patton's life from every angle, from his performance in the 1912 Olympics to his belief in reincarnation. Of course, most of the book chronicles his career in WWII, and the material is excellent. Besides a first-rate account of Patton's notorious slapping incidents, Hirshson (The White Tecumseh) also reveals American atrocities in Sicily fomented by Patton's oratory to his troops. He examines the strategies and tactics of the American war in Europe, and includes fascinating analyses of the often problematic relationships between Patton and Allied generals. Tracing Patton's advocacy of tank warfare throughout his career, Hirshson offers the surprising revelation that the general voiced doubts about it shortly before the battle for France in 1944. Extensive use of quotations from letters, memoirs, etc., enhance his clear, stimulating prose, and important insights on Patton from his extended family add to Hirshson's complete portrait. Offering an essentially sympathetic view of the general, the book still describes all of Patton's faults though carefully. His extramarital affairs (and those of other generals), for instance, are dealt with tastefully. The best biography of Patton to date, this will most likely become the definitive work on his life. Not only should it appeal to a wide audience, it should also serve to correct certain popular misconceptions that the film Patton encouraged. 16 pages of b&w photos; 8 maps. (Aug.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Many readers will find their impression of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. influenced by George C. Scott's Oscar-winning portrayal of the mercurial and flamboyant World War II soldier in the 1970 film Patton. The movie was in turn influenced by Ladislas Farago's 1964 Patton: Ordeal and Triumph. Since that time, two other major biographical works have appeared: Martin Blumenson's Patton: The Man Behind the Legend, 1885-1945 and Carlo D'Este's massive Patton: A Genius for War. Now Hirshson (history, Queens Coll.), author of the 1997 The White Tecumseh: A Biography of General William T. Sherman, has produced another 800-page doorstopper about the illustrious and cantankerous general. After hundreds of pages of biographical musings, what more could possibly be said? Hirshson argues that his contribution helps to round out the unknown familial aspects of Patton's life and provides an essential context for understanding the enigmatic commander. To his credit, Hirshson has done impressive spadework in previously neglected sources, especially those relating to Patton's family background. Moreover, the book's section on the controversy over Patton's diary and unpublished memoirs also yields some new insights for scholars. Those interested in Patton will find Hirshson's book valuable reading, although for most readers the earlier books will probably suffice. Recommended for larger collections. Ed Goedeken, Iowa State Univ. Lib., Ames
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 864 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060009837
• ISBN-13: 978-0060009830
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #425,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hirshson's Appetizer to D'Este's Main Course, August 23, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: General Patton: A Soldier's Life (Hardcover)

Books written on the life of the great American general, George S. Patton, prove the maxim that history is not objective, but interpretive. Certainly Hirshson's work is a new interpretation of mostly familiar facts, but does the reader accept Hirshson's version? After reading this book, I came to the conclusion that, while it is an admirable attempt by Hirshson, I still must consider D'Este's work THE Patton masterpiece. Hirshson does use new sources previously unused in other Patton biographies and his examination of the events occurring after Patton's death concerning his diary are intriguing. However, he lightly skims over, in my opinion, very significant moments in Patton's career and private life. Most disturbing to me is the emphasis on blaming Patton's "Blood and Guts" pre-battle speeches as the cause of atrocities committed by American troops in Sicily. I find that to be a real stretch on the author's part. However, the book is a good beginning for anyone discovering Patton, but I think it will leave them wanting more which, in that case, they should then feast on D'Este's deeply engossing magnum opus. I found the main difference in the two authors to be this: D'Este admires his subject; Hirshson does not.

50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Review (General Patton: A Soldier's Life), September 9, 2002

By 

Michael D. Kenealy (Chino Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: General Patton: A Soldier's Life (Hardcover)

Stanley P. Hirshson's "General Patton: A Soldier's Life" is an average book. Leveraging the preface, Mr. Hirshson seems to offer an apology and justification to prepare the reader for the journey he is about to embark. Mr. Hirshson writes, "I take issue with the way previous biographies of Patton have been researched. Incomplete research has, in my opinion, led to interpretations that are at best dubious." Published within a few years of Carlo D'Este's single volume biography of General Patton, Mr. Hirshson seems to rely not on his ability to present a compelling biography, but rather on his determination to find fault or deficiencies in the efforts of previous authors.

Mr. Hirshson does present new and previously unmentioned events and anecdotes regarding the General. However, he goes out of his way to put a different spin on a number of well-known and universally accepted facts surrounding the Man. With 60 years of research and scrutiny relative to General Patton, it is difficult to believe that Mr. Hirshson is accurate in each of his claims. These claims come across as a desperate attempt by the author to separate his book from previous works. Several of the claims are, when viewed in context of the whole, unimportant. The single exception to this is the author's account of the atrocities committed in Sicily. Mr. Hirshson makes the absurd argument that these atrocities were the result of Patton's fire breathing and warlike speeches to his men. Mr. Hirshson ends the chapter by doing something that is unusual for a book of this type. After spending several pages walking the reader through his interpretation of the atrocities, Mr. Hirshson concludes by offering a half-hearted justification for even including this information. Mr. Hirshson writes, "Of what earthly value is uncovering and writing about such events sixty years after they occurred? The twentieth century might well be labeled the century of bold talk leading to holocausts and ethnic cleansing. The more such tragedies are discussed, perhaps the rarer they will become."

Love him or hate him, General Patton is a larger than life figure. Thus, even under the pen of Mr. Hirshson, the General still manages to leap off the page. For the individual who has studied General Patton, Mr. Hirshson's effort at chronicling his life will undoubtedly add to the fascination of the man. For the first time reader of General Patton, the book is bound to leave more questions than answers. The book does not sufficiently provide the background or circumstances necessary to place Patton's decisions, methods, successes, and failures in context. The book spends little time in describing Patton's formative years, his close relationship with his father, his West Point years, and other significant events such as his courtship of his future wife, his service during World War I, or his work in creating the first American tank corps. In bouncing over these important junctures of the General's life, the author misses the opportunity to capture the reader. More importantly, the lack of this detail makes it difficult to follow the General through his own development as a soldier and a Leader.

Ultimately, "Patton: A General's Life" falls short in defining the complex, prejudiced, and brilliant General Patton.

While socially acceptable behavior may change from generation to generation, the dimensions of the human spirit remain constant. It is with this in mind that one should examine the life of General George S. Patton, Jr.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite as advertised, April 6, 2003

By 

"arothe23" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: General Patton: A Soldier's Life (Hardcover)

Despite what Hirshson claims in his preface (over 12 yrs of archival research!), this book does not break new ground in Patton historiography. While he does uncover (or actually use) some new materials such as letters and diaries of John Wood, the 4th Armored div commander, most of his primary source is the same used by earlier biographers of Patton from D'Este all the way back to Farago. Unfortunately, his interpretations of the same materials are, to be kind, adventurous and certainly open to criticisms. One ex. is Hirshson uses Liddell Hart's claim that Patton didn't think mobile exploitation was possible in Normandy. From this bit (and as Mearsheimer showed, Liddell Hart was not above self-serving revisionist history), Hirshson claims that Patton was not nearly the armored warfare visionary his previous biographers claimed (a tough proposition to sell no doubt). He conveniently forgets the fact that Patton was talking about the terrain immediately after the beachhead (namely the bocage country) and the two month long struggle validated Patton's prediction.

Another disturbing part of the book is Hirshson's claim that Patton's war speeches were responsible for American atrocities. This is just inane. Any serious reader of Patton's own works understands that Patton more than anyone else realized the difficulty of converting democratic citizenry into fighting men against an experienced Wehrmacht. Even more disturbing is Hirshson's focus on Patton's anti-Semitic views. While his views were deplorable and unjustifiable, they're hardly unrepresentative of his social peers (namely top American military generals). Considerable amount of this focus is present in his concluding chapter without really connecting how his views impacted his military conduct. He attempts to connect this to Patton's military governorship of Bavaria, but most Patton biographers and military historians would agree that it was Patton's political naivete and ignorance (after all, his political views were conservative to say the least) situated in a position where he was least suited.

His work sheds some new light on John Wood, a Patton friend and his first 4th Armored commander. However, in the overall Patton historiography (despite Wood's accomplishments), Wood's importance is a minor one. Overall, a disappointing work that does not come close to superceding Blumenson's annotated Patton Papers or D'Este's monumental biography. However, I do believe there are plenty of Montgomery admirers in UK who would love to scoop up this book.