Last Days of Patton [Hardcover]

Ladislas Farago (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1981

The end of WW II found him at the height of his glory, his tanks poised for more of the lightning thrusts that made him a legend.

A year later America's greatest military hero was gone...his victories downplayed by the top brass, his life closed in an accident that is still a subject of controversy today.

Ladislas Farago is Patton's supreme biographer. He wrote the classic on which George C. Scott based his film portrayal.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

7 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill; First edition (January 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007019940X
• ISBN-13: 978-0070199408
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,638,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just suppose ........., December 4, 2005

By 

John Hancock (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Last Days of Patton (Hardcover)

Just suppose Patton's life was a long, extended learning process and it took him that long, and his own WWII experience, to come to the right conclusions?

However controversial that may be.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Last Days!, September 27, 2004

By 

Melvin Hunt (Cleveland,, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Days of Patton (Hardcover)

This book did not give you the flattering outlook on General
George Patton that the movie did.In the movie General Patton
was portrayed as being heroic. In this book General Patton was
given an unflattering potrayal.His commanders did not like him
because of his grandstanding.Therefor he had trouble finding
another command.He was finally give the administrative command of Bavaria.He also disliked the Jews.He had a deep hatred of the
Russians and did not trust them as allies.He was accused of plotting war against Russia.This was a very contreversial book
about General Patton.It gives you a totally opposite spin from
the hit movie.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Downfall Of A Hero, March 19, 2003

By 

Edward M. Erdelac (Valley Village, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Days of Patton (Hardcover)

Farago's biography of the events immediately following the end of World War II and leading up to the auto accident which ultimately claimed the life of General George S. Patton Jr. is a sad read. Those familiar with the blustery general as he has been protrayed in the film and in most historical works (where he is in his prime) will possibly be disheartened by this. Yes, Patton comes off as anti-Semitic and pro-German in points, but there is a telling incident in which he answers the letters of several Jewish fathers whose sons died under his command which I think points to the heart of the man - that he was not at his core a bigot, but that he was manipulated by lesser persons around him into for a time assuming that wretched mantle (just as he was directed into administrational tasks unsuited for him by the military). Patton was obstinately not a politician, some will say to his detriment. Yes it brought about his downfall, but in the end, he was his own man - and that is the legacy which is to be admired. He was an individual who recognized his place in the greater scheme of history, did all he could to fulfill it, and then found himself bewildered after the dream was over (like many of history's great personalities). His singlemindedness and sense of purpose are characteristics which are admirable to this day, but we must remember that he was just a man and prone to the failings of men. The fact is, the greatest warrior of the 20th century didn't know how to deal with peace. An interesting book, but very sad.