Category: George S. Patton

With God on his side

On By Marc NadeauIn Alex Kershaw, Battle of the Bulge, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Donald Trump, Faith, George S. Patton, History, Leadership, Penguin Random House CanadaLeave a comment

“Patton is a problem child, but he is a great fighting leader in pursuit and exploration”, said General Dwight D. Eisenhower about his unconventional subordinate. That quote is in Alex Kershaw’s last book Patton’s Prayer: A True Story of Courage, Faith, and Victory in World War II (Dutton).

I have been a longtime fan of this author’s books. I have reviewed some here. I initially wanted to publish this review before Christmas in commemoration of the start of the iconic Battle of the Bulge, “the greatest ever fought, in terms of the number of US troops involved, in US military history” and “the deadliest for the US in World War II”. However, events dictated otherwise, and I told myself I had until the end of January, when the battle officially ended, to move forward with my intention.

But then came President Donald Trump’s inauguration earlier this week, and the words pronounced by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, blessing the incoming administration. The Catholic Archbishop of New York mentioned “General George Patton’s instructions to his soldiers as they began the Battle of the Bulge eight decades ago: “Pray! Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night. Pray by day.””

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Patton was Destined for War

On By Marc NadeauIn Battle of the Bulge, Bernard Montgomery, Caliber, Erwin Rommel, George S. Patton, Martin Dugard, Military, Penguin Random House Canada, Warfare, World War IILeave a comment

“Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge”, said General George S. Patton. Within four years, the famous World War II warlord went from soul-searching about his future in the profession of arms to being one of the main pugilists who brought Nazi Germany on its knees in 1945.

The full measure of Patton’s greatness and vanity are brought to life in Martin Dugard’s last book Taking Berlin: The Bloody Race to Defeat the Third Reich (Caliber), between the covers of which the author doesn’t hide his admiration for the legendary soldier who believed he was the reincarnation of a Roman legionnaire. Full disclosure, I think we can easily forgive this inclination, because it is all too easy to admire the character, a feeling to which I willingly plead guilty.

In the same manner as in his previous book Taking Paris, the author – who collaborated with journalist Bill O’Reilly to write several books – calls upon an army of pertinent details to bring his narrative to life. I personally discovered that the meaning of the Belgian town of Spa’s name “is an acronym of the Latin Salus per Aquam, meaning “health from water” or that the word “Roger” pronounced on the radio means “received”, but is also an acronym for “Received Order Given, Expect Results”.

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One man can change the course of a battle

On By Marc NadeauIn Alex Kershaw, Caliber, General Lucian Truscott, George S. Patton, History, Military, Penguin Random House Canada, Rock of the Marne, US Army, World War IILeave a comment

“The vast majority of men receiving the Medal of Honor in World War II belonged to the infantry but the American public was fixated on marines and the glamour boys in the air corps with their nice blue uniforms”, writes acclaimed author and historian Alex Kershaw in his recent book Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War II (Caliber).

Undoubtedly, Alex Kershaw is the master of the battle narrative. His books always remind me of Sir John Keegan’s classic The Face of Battle, in detailing the reality and sacrifices of fighting soldiers. Between the covers, he details the courageous and selfless feats of Maurice “Footsie” Britt, Michael Daly, Audie Murphy and Keith Ware. All these men were part of the “[…] 3rd Division, the legendary “Rock of the Marne” outfit that had saved Paris in July 1918 by blocking the last great German offensive of World War I.” The men of that Division were sent on the first line to absorb a strong German attack along the Marne River in April 1918. The stubbornness of their defense earned them the famous nickname. Their successors in World War II would be no different.

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“Putin is clearly trying to ignite a larger conflict” – Martin Dugard

On By Marc NadeauIn Charles de Gaulle, George S. Patton, History, Joe Biden, Martin Dugard, Military, Penguin Random House Canada, Rommel, Russia, Ukraine, Winston Churchill, World War IILeave a comment
Author Martin Dugard (source: MartinDugard.com)

After the publication of my review of his excellent book Taking Paris: The Epic Battle for the City of Lights (Caliber), Martin Dugard kindly accepted to answer some questions for this blog. I feel privileged for the interview with an excellent and engaging author, who is also the coauthor of Bill O’Reilly’s Killing Series.

Here is the content of our exchange.

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Mr. Dugard, where did the idea of writing Taking Paris originate from?

The book actually started as Taking Rome but as the research expanded it became obvious that the story of Rome worked more nicely as a small section in the larger context of the 1940 fall of Paris and 1944 liberation.

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Compassion Marched With Patton

On By Marc NadeauIn Frank Sisson, George S. Patton, HarperCollins, History, Holocaust, I Marched With Patton, Military, US Army, William Morrow, World War II2 Comments

Frank Sisson never personally met with General George S. Patton, albeit seeing him fleetingly in his car, twice. Nevertheless, the legendary American warlord left a lifelong impression on the boy from Weleetka, Oklahoma who came to see him as a father figure. “He had been an invisible force that guided me through the days of danger and struggle. General Patton had embodied what our ideals of Americanism were”, writes the author of I Marched With Patton: A Firsthand Account of World War II Alongside One of the U.S. Army’s Greatest Generals.

This touching memoir recounts the harrowing days of war of an ordinary soldier who demonstrated extraordinary values of loyalty, generosity and benevolence. After his father died from appendicitis when he was fifteen and a half, Frank left home to work as a welder in a shipyard in Oakland California in order to support his family. Upon turning 18 years old, he enlisted in the US Army in 1943 and was destined to be part of George S. Patton’s Third Army in the 667th Field Artillery. “From everything I heard, this was the general to serve under.” He would not be disappointed.

On Christmas Day 1944, he crossed the Channel with his comrades and fought in the hedgerows of Normandy before taking part in the Battle of the Bulge and heading to Germany. He would end his military service as a military police inspector in Berlin in the spring of 1946. One of the most poignant episodes of the book is the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. “We were walking through hell itself”, says Sisson, who was assigned to help prisoners eating “[…] slowly and in small amount”, because the lack of nutrition for an extended period could damage their digestive system and even cause death.

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