Synopses & Reviews
Military Book Club® Main SelectionHistory Book Club® Featured Alternate In nine months and eight days of campaigning during World War II, the Third United States Army of George S. Patton Jr. moved faster and farther, killed or captured more of the enemy, and liberated more cities, towns, and villages than any other army in World War II and, quite possibly, in the history of warfare. In Pattons Drive, acclaimed historian Alan Axelrod tells the story of how a young man who, in the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower, was born to be a soldier”who believed himself to be the incarnation and summation of great warriors pastbecame a modern American general and one of the greatest field commanders of the twentieth century.
Beginning with a dramatic account of Pattons magnificent drive across Europe during World War II, Alan Axelrod looks back to the decades before the war and traces the trajectory that revealed the commanders fighting destiny. There was the youthful lieutenant who pursued the guerrillas of Pancho Villa deep into Mexico, and the colonel who, only a year later, led Americas first tank corps against the Germans in World War I. Axelrod also details how the two decades of peace between the world wars were, for Patton, a purgatory of physical and emotional torment, relieved only by what was for him the life-giving violence of desperate global combat. For all that has been written about George S. Patton Jr., his formative years, though narrated by others, have escaped close analysis. In a refreshingly clear, colloquial voice, Axelrod leads us through the determining episodes of Pattons life and the results they produced. In doing so he weaves a story rich with new insightsa story as absorbing as a great novel, but one in which history truly comes alive.
Review
Praise for Alan Axelrod's
Patton on Leadership:
"The most powerful truth I learned from combat in WWII and Korea is that you simply cannot be a successful leader - and thus will not prevail - without 'integrity, integrity, integrity.' Leaders in Business, as well as the military, will find Patton on Leadership exceptionally helpful."--C. R. "Jack" Kopp, Chairman and CEO (Ret.), Leo Burnett Co. Inc.
"I have no doubt but that the leadership skills and personal attitude practiced by General Patton can be used effectively in both corporate and government managerial positions. Current and future leaders would do well to master those skills and to practice the vital requisites of honesty and integrity for which General Patton was noted and without which, leadership is highly suspect."--William A. Burke, Major General (Ret.) U.S. Army
"Never thought you could compare General Patton with corporate management. But this book does it and does it well."--Karl Malden, Actor, renowned for his portrayal of General Omar Bradley in the movie Patton
Praise for Alan Axelrod's Patton: A Biography: "Axelrod has cut through the politics and chaff to get to the man."--Robert K. Wilcox, best-selling author of First Blue and Wings of Fury
"Axelrod has written an excellent and compelling biography of an American aristocrat of violence . . .”--Col. Ernest Fisher (USA, ret.), former senior historian, U.S. Army Praise for Alan Axelrod's Miracle at Belleau Wood: "Axelrod is one Americas great military historians. Hes done it this time with riveting non-stop action that reads like the best of Hemingways frontline reports plus the Marine Corps novels of W.E.B. Griffin. Axelrod pushes you right into the action, onto the battlefield, and never lets up. You become a firsthand witness to one of the worlds great battles, proud and heart-pounding as the elite force, the Devil Dogs, are born in a small forest outside Paris. This is one book I wish Id written!"--Paul B. Farrell, J.D., Ph.D., syndicated columnist for Dow Jones MarketWatch. He is the author of The Lazy Persons Guide to Investing, a former investment banker with Morgan Stanley, and a former Staff Sergeant in the US Marine Corps.
Alan Axelrod has perfectly captured the embodiment of U.S. Marines and their unparalleled Esprit de Corps in his new book, 'Miracle at Belleau Wood.' As a former Marine, I find Axelrod's descriptions of the combat in that bloody battle for which the Corps became legendary -- and which is the foundation of its mythic lore -- compelling and gut-wrenching. Axelrod's re-telling of the tales -- some from the letters, diaries and personal accounting of those who fought there -- more than does justice to Marines at Bois de la Brigade de Marine, as Belleau Wood became known to honor the Devil Dogs who fought and died there. More heroes and legends grew from Belleau Wood than from any other battle in the Corps's history. The names ring out in Axelrod's book -- Daly, Blanchfield, Lee. Legends one and all. Axelrod brings it all to life for the reader. Though a historical accounting of the battle, 'Miracle at Belleau Wood' puts the reader in the front row -- 'inches of real estate were purchased with gallons of blood' -- as you witness the heroism and ups and downs endured by the Marines as they defeated the Germans at overwhelming odds. As Axelrod writes, '...created...in 1775, the United States Marine Corps was born in that French forest...in 1918.' A must read!”--Jay Kopelman, author of the best-selling From Baghdad with Love, and a former Lt. Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps
"Axelrod brings us back vividly to the shocking casualties of 'the war to end all wars,' opening up fresh insights into the nature of the fighting and the decisions that shaped a generation."--Bing West is a correspondent for The Atlantic and the award-winning author of two books on the Iraq war. He is a former Marine in Vietnam and assistant secretary of defense.
Synopsis
"Patton's Drive "tells the story of how a young man born to war--who believed himself the literal incarnation of all great warriors past--became a modern American general: in terms of enemy killed or captured, territory taken, and people liberated, the greatest field commander of World War II. It tells the story of Patton before the war that fully revealed his destiny, the youthful captain who pursued the guerrillas of Pancho Villa deep into Mexico and the still-young colonel who led America's first corps of tanks against the Germans in France during World War I. It details as well the terrible price a born warrior pays in time of peace, the two decades that separated the two world wars, an interval most inhabitants of the planet regarded as both blissful and all too brief, but that for Patton was a purgatory of physical and emotional torment. For all that has been written about George S. Patton Jr., his formative years have escaped close scrutiny. They are the subject of this book.
Synopsis
Pattons Drive tells the story of how a young man born to warwho believed himself the literal incarnation of all great warriors pastbecame a modern American general: in terms of enemy killed or captured, territory taken, and people liberated, the greatest field commander of World War II.
Synopsis
AN UNPRECEDENTED EXPLORATION OF
THE FORMATIVE YEARS OF A LEGENDARY
AMERICAN WARRIOR PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS BOOKS BY ALAN AXELROD For Patton: A Biography
Like Patton at his best: polished, precise, and persuasive.”
Kirkus Reviews Concise, incisive, and authoritative . . . a clear and entertaining biography of the famous general. . . . Axelrod has cut through the politics and chaff to get to the man.”
Robert K. Wilcox, best-selling author of First Blue and Wings of Fury
Axelrod has captured Pattons checkered legacy in a balanced biography.”
Publishers Weekly Pattons race across France has become legendary, but Mr. Axelrod reminds readers that it was the result of careful planning.”Washington Times For Miracle at Belleau Wood
Axelrod brings us back vividly to the shocking casualties of the war to end all wars, opening up fresh insights into the nature of the fighting and the decisions that shaped a generation.”
Bing West, author of No True Glory and the coauthor of the award-winning The March Up, former Assistant Secretary of Defense Alan Axelrod has perfectly captured the embodiment of U.S. Marines and their unparalleled Esprit de Corps. . . . A must read!”
Jay Kopelman, author of the best-selling From Baghdad with Love Alan Axelrod is one of Americas great military historians. . . . He pushes you right into the action, onto the battlefield, and never lets up.”
Paul B. Farrell, J.D., Ph.D., former Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps
About the Author
Alan Axelrod, who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, is the best-selling author or coauthor of more than sixty books, including Patton: A Biography, a Military Book Club Editors Choice; Patton on Leadership; Miracle at Belleau Wood (Lyons), a Main Selection of the Military Book Club; The Real History of World War II; Profiles in Audacity: Great Decisions and How They Were Made; and Blooding at Great Meadows: Young George Washington and the Battle That Shaped the Man. He has appeared on Discovery Channel documentaries and has been an NPR guest.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
Noli Me Tangere ix
Chapter 1
I Am Destined to Achieve Some Great Thing” 1
Chapter 2
A Very Timid Operation” 24
Chapter 3
Giving Cobra its Venom 39
Chapter 4
From Breakout to Breakthrough 65
Chapter 5
I Wish I Were Supreme Commander” 89
Chapter 6
Dont Be Fatuous, George!” 112
Chapter 7
I Belong to a Different Class” 139
Chapter 8
Sierra Blanca 160
Chapter 9
The Punitive Expedition 184
Chapter 10
The Dogs of War 207
Epilogue
Patton in Hell 250
A Note on Sources 272
Bibliography 273
Index 277
About the Author 288