Benton General's War Memoirs

Author: Patton
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: Whenever General Patton is mentioned, an image of a heroic, stern, fiery, and battle-savvy American commander immediately comes to mind. He is known as "a genius in commanding large armies," particularly skilled in offensive, pursuit, and armored operations. Patton's War is a memoir he wrote shortly after the war based on his diaries from his time fighting in North Africa and Western Europe during World War II. It is also his only continuous record of the war. General George S. Patton (1885–1945) was a U.S. Army four-star general. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1909. During World War I, he served as a first lieutenant aide to General John J. Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces. In 1917, he participated in the formation of the U.S. 1st Armored Tank Brigade and fought alongside it. In 1932, he graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff School. He held successive positions as commander of the Armored Tank Brigade, division commander, and corps commander. During World War II, he served as the commander of the U.S. Third Army. After the Fascist Germany surrendered, he became the military governor of Bavaria in Germany and the commander of the U.S. Fifteenth Army. After being relieved of his post, he led a group tasked with summarizing war experiences. On December 9, 1945, Patton was injured in a car accident and died on December 22, 1945, at the age of 60. During World War II, he commanded his forces in major battles fought by the Western Allies in North Africa, Italy, and the second front in Europe, until the complete defeat of Fascist Germany and Italy. In combat, Patton emphasized the role of tanks, and his forces achieved the most glorious among all units of the Western Allies. He is known as "a genius in commanding large armies," particularly skilled in offensive, pursuit, and armored operations, and is regarded as a daring, brave, and skilled warrior. The original title of this book is What I Saw in the War, which is actually a collection of diaries written by General Patton during the war, when he was fighting in North Africa, Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, in the gaps between battles. It was hastily compiled in May 1945, shortly after the war. After General Patton's unfortunate death in December, it was edited and published by his wife and Colonel Harkins, who served as his deputy chief of staff throughout World War II. This is the only continuous record of General Patton's experiences during World War II, making it highly valuable both historically and academically. From this book, readers can learn about General Patton's campaign and tactical thinking, operational principles, and command artistry; the strategic and operational situation at the time, as well as the strategic and tactical intentions of both sides in the conflict; and many interesting anecdotes about the upper echelons of the opposing forces. It serves as an important reference material for studying and understanding the history of World War II.