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Dwight D. Eisenhower

Crusade in Europe Paperback – July 2, 1997

by Dwight David Eisenhower (Author)

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Five-star General Dwight D. Eisenhower was arguably the single most important military figure of World War II. For many historians, his memoirs of this eventful period of U.S. history have become the single most important record of the war. Crusade in Europe tells the complete story of the war as Eisenhower planned and lived it. Through his eyes, the enormous scope and drama of the war―strategy, battles, moments of fateful decision―become fully illuminated in all their fateful glory.

Yet this is also a warm and richly human account. Ike recalls the long months of waiting, planning, and working toward victory in Europe. His personal record of the tense first hours after he had issued the order to attack―and there was no turning back―leaves no doubt of Eisenhower's travail and reveals this great man in ways that no biographer has ever surpassed.

Print length

608 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date

July 2, 1997
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.41 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

080185668X
ISBN-13

978-0801856686
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lifting examples or trying to quote from this brilliant account is almost like tearing threads from the Bayeaux tapestry in order to analzyze its beauty... Rich in lessons and satisfaction for soldiers, statesman, and plain citizens of every country."

(Commonweal)

"This non-ghost-written book is as simple and as forthright as the innumerable admirers of its author have every right to expect it would be."

(New York Herald Tribune Weekly Book Review)

"Eisenhower gives the reader true insight into the most difficult part of a commander's life."

(New York Times)

"[A]n orderly, objective, well-documented account of the war in Western Europe."

(Saturday Review of Literature)

Book Description

Now in paperback―the definitive insider's account of America's military role in World War II from the man who was perhaps its most important figure.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Johns Hopkins University Press; Reprint edition (July 2, 1997)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 608 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 080185668X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0801856686
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.6 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.41 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #919,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9,790 in World War II History (Books)
- #48,961 in United States History (Books)
- #103,228 in Biographies

Customer Reviews:
274 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		78%
4 star		13%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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James Palmer

After all these years, I finally read Ike's view of the war.

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2017

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I've read a ton of WWII history, and particularly enjoyed Rick Atkinson's "Liberation Trilogy" of three books "An Army at Dawn," "The Day of Battle," and "The Guns at Last Light," which provided much more detailed analysis. If that's what you are looking for, then Ike's book isn't for you.

But, I did enjoy reading Ike's book at long last, recognizing that it was one of the earliest descriptions of the war in Europe, and his problems and solutions in waging it. I do think he went a bit light on the causes of the huge loss of American lives at Omaha Beach, Monty's shortcomings in his "Market Garden" campaign, and the way the Battle of the Bulge was allowed to happen (Ike does have one sentence about that, which places the blame on himself). Still, this was good insight from his point of view.

Having read so many other books (including Atkinson's ones above) which portrayed British Field Marshall Montgomery as a general pain who was always carping and criticizing, grasping for overall command, and clearly making Ike's job harder, I admired Ike's restraint in hardly mentioning any of that, and not making more than a passing issue of Monty's sometimes over-caution, and other failures. In fact he was generous with his credit to Monty in several cases. I thought it was a pretty darned good book from a man who was not a professional writer, and had many other issues on his mind after the war.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lincoln Admirer

Raw history told by a maker

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2020

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Overall, a very interesting book.

Plus factors
+ It was fascinating to hear about WWII in Europe as recounted by the America and Britain's Supreme Commander in that theater.
+ From a personal development and management perspective, I learned something about prioritization, effective execution, relationship building and organizational skills.
+ It was interesting to read about Ike's interactions with historical figures such as Churchill, FDR and General Zhukov - probably the greatest general in WWII.
+ Ike's insight is enduring, such as when he writes: "The democracies must learn that the world is now too small for the rigid concepts of national sovereignty that developed in a time when the nations were self-sufficient and self-dependent for their own well-being and safety. None of them today can stand alone. No radical surrender of national sovereignty is required—only a firm agreement that in disputes between nations a central and joint agency, after examination of the facts, shall decide the justice of the case by majority vote and thereafter shall have the power and the means to enforce its decision. This is a slight restriction indeed on nationalism and a small price to pay if thereby the peoples who stand for human liberty are better fitted to settle dissension within their own ranks or to meet attack from without."
+ All of these so far outweigh the significant flaws below that I still give the book five stars.

Minus factors
- Ike is brilliant but not a great writer. This book could have used a good editor. It contained too much jargon and didn't develop the character of the generals. In terms of writing quality, Max Hastings' "Infero" is superior and a better introduction for those who have not read about WWII.
- The book was too long. It contained lots of detail without an apparent point other than to recount historical facts.
- Ike didn't acknowledge any serious faults or mistakes. He sounded defensive about the Battle of the Bulge and letting Monty pursue his failed Market Garden campaign.
- Ike's political ability to build strong relationships and maintain alliances was a weakness in this book. At times Ike's praise of people was over the top and he sounded like a politician sucking up. Ike was insufficiently critical of weak generals like Montgomery, apparently not wanting to offend the British. Ike also did not give enough credit to Patton, the one and only US general the Germans feared. Instead, Ike spent too many pages in making Patton sound unbalanced and not enough pages on Patton's accomplishments in turning things around in North Africa, breaking out of Normandy, and coming to the rescue in the Battle of the Bulge.
- Ike omitted how much more sacrifice the Russians made in bearing the brunt of the war. For the most part, Ike did not mention the incredible numbers in terms of Russian casualties, deaths etc.
- Ike did not give the German army its due in terms of its effectiveness, putting aside how evil Germany was. Ike's bragging about the two Germans to one American loss ratio as the Allies overran Germany omitted that the overall balance of the loss ratio during the war was well in Germany's favor.
- Ike should have spent more time on the Holocaust and camps.

Helpful

Chachy

Pass me the rose-tinted glasses

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2020

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"If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything." A nice standard for being thought amiable and tactful, a terrible standard when applied to history. Ike has little or nothing bad to say about anyone. This was first published in 1948, a period in American culture when citizens believed in every "truth" uttered by their government and everything was put in the best possible light. From the dozens of other books about WWII that I have read, there should have been plenty to criticize in an honest treatise.
Nonetheless, this is a book worth reading. I am thrilled when I am able to learn something I did not know about WWII. Ike provides insight to the options considered and the prevailing rationale for strategic and tactical decisions. This is most enlightening and helpful in putting the pieces of the WWII jigsaw puzzle in context and explaining the apparently perplexing.
Notwithstanding this, there are deficiencies. First, again, his tendency to be too nice to be truthful, e.g., the well-documented shortcomings of Montgomery's feckless leadership and egomania are consistently rationalized, as are the well-known arrogant behaviors of De Gaulle. Maps do not always contain the cities/towns discussed in the adjoining pages. Because this is written from a very high strategic level, the most egregious tactical failures and atrocities are glossed over, such as Omaha Beach, Operation Market Garden, and German massacres of American prisoners during the Battle of the Bulge. Given the scope of perspective it is understandable, but juxtaposed with many of the minor anecdotes he does include, I found this off-putting.
So go in to this understanding its merits and deficiencies and you will probably be the wiser therefore.

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Top reviews from other countries

Philip Mayo

An excellent first hand account of an epic time

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2013

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Published in 1948 this book is so close to the events in time, and also in the person of the actual author, that one could be forgiven for suspecting that perhaps the passage of time and the treatment of the subject by others further removed, might produce a better, or more accurate, history. Well, perhaps that is a fair observation, but I have read many books on WW2 and this one stands as my joint favourite, along with Churchill's magnificent "The Second World War", again a history bound to be somewhat slanted by the author's personal involvement with the momentous events described. The two books taken together very much show, in certain instances, how each man viewed the same events and decisions from quite different perspectives.

This book, "Crusade in Europe", deals almost exclusively with the European campaign and Eisenhower's own involvement in it. I found it to very lucidly present the progression of the war from the North African campaign (Operation Torch) through Sicily, Italy and finally the incredible undertaking of the Normandy landings (Overlord), through to Germany's unconditional surrender on 07/05/1945 - effective from midnight on the 8th. A myriad of background military and political facts are included along with ongoing observations and recollections of personalities involved and of how decisions regarding strategy and tactics were reached. It is undoubtedly an extraordinary achievement that such a virtually flawless level of cooperation and cohesion was arrived at between the British Empire and her US allies under the overall leadership in the European theatre of one man - Eisenhower. That this unity was achieved is clearly a reflection on his exceptional abilities to deal with a multitude of competing high-ego personalities in a way which allowed all involved to ultimately defer to his authority with respect and confidence. Success in building this relationship must also be credited to the political leaders involved, Churchill and Roosevelt, particularly Churchill who had to eat some pie (not too humbly!) on a number of occasions when his own strong feelings regarding strategy were overruled by the Commander in Chief. And Eisenhower had the ability to personally and solely take some decisions, in the face of opposing advice, in relation to mind numbingly frightening options, not the least of which was his final "go" for Overlord to begin. Had he been wrong the consequences would have been too horrific for most men to even contemplate. He was the right man for the time and his account is mandatory reading for all who are interested in the history of those extraordinary times.

Incidentally, I read the Kindle edition, which I found excellent, but I used Google maps in conjunction with it to keep track of where everything was happening. I feel sure I would do the same even with the print edition as a side by side map with the book really brings the entire story alive.

4 people found this helpful

M. Lee

A must read to understand WWII

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2019

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I am well-acquainted with the history of WWII, but in all these years of study I had never read Eisenhower’s viewpoint. It is a fascinating read, explaining the military, political and human conditions which he and his staff faced. This book has given me a much more balanced view of that war, and I will encourage my children & grandchildren to read it.

RogerP

A different spin

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2015

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Reading this book, as opposed to many others on military campaigns by those involved, one gets a graphic picture of a man in control, acting in an way as a Conductor and subordinating everything to the achievement of the overall objective - which was absolutely clear. An example is the Battle of the Bulge which, in many texts, comes over as a major threat to the campaign, but in his book, Eisenhower considered the exposure as an acceptable risk and an opportunity to cause major damage to the enemy. I thought the book was a tour de force.

2 people found this helpful

Andy Q

A good read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2018

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Good read but not an easy read for me personally. Written in a style of still issuing orders. Full of respect for the guy for holding the allies together and for what he achieved in his life.

Thomas A. Regelski

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2017

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A classic, though in many places a self-serving one.