War As I Knew It

The war/anti-war movie Patton some years ago gave us a storehouse of anecdotes and images about this larger-than-life character. Some of the conventional biographies about Patton get lost in the many contradictions between his various public and private personae. War as I Knew It, though falling in the time-hallowed military genre of "leaving one's own record", presents a fascinating set of contradictions as poignant as any cinematic fantasy about Patton. The work is quite short, and
tells a more or less chronological set of anecdotes about the Italian and German campaigns, coupled with a set of observations on war generally. The anecdotes are organized in almost despatch or diary-derived smatterings, while the general observations of war are modeled on classical war instructive material from past times. One is consistently surprised at how many "colorful myths" about Patton prove to have a basis in reality. One is also consistently aware of how Patton's world view, biases and prejudices marked him as very much a man of his own era, rather than the noble warrior from the distant past he imagined himself to be. The work contains a large amount of self-congratulation, but it can also tell very heroic stories in fairly low key. The liberation of Bastogne, during the Battle of the Bulge, is told in a fairly understated fashion. Although in the text Patton owns up to only two flaws in his military campaigns, one significant, one very minor, one still has the idea that deep down he understood not only the advantages but also the drawbacks of the "always attacking" role in which he cast himself. The racist remarks contained in portions of the book were reasonably tame in their time, but resonate very poorly today; Patton himself seems aware of the controversy, as he sometimes takes pains to couch his remarks with conciliatory statements about the bravery of those he denigrates. The reader is not bogged down with military jargon in this book, but gets a real feel for Patton's gift of rapid mobilization of armored divisions. Patton's sense of history and culture, though sometimes emphasized with a curious false modesty, are nonetheless quite notable.
I came to this book feeling that Patton was a complex character, not easily understood. Having read the work, I find him no less complex, no less disturbing, but even more mythical than the movie had led me to believe. One does not leave this book liking the man better than before reading it, or really understanding the man, but the book is nonetheless an absorbing read about a curious character indeed.

This book starts off a little slow, detailing Gen. Patton's exploits in North Africa but picks up after the invasions of Italy and France. The book details quite well the decisions and view of the war from the "top down" and why certain moves were made. Gen. Patton is, in my opinion deservedly, quite harsh when discussing Gen. Montgomery and from this book one gets the view that part of Ike's biggest headache was just keeping these two primadonnas from going at one another and forgetting their main goal, defeating the Nazis. He doesn't exactly come out and say it plainly, but it's obvious Gen. Patton thought Montgomery's Market Garden operation was stupid, and events proved him right. He's quite unapologetic when discussing the incidents of slapping soldiers suffering from battle fatigue or post-traumatic stress syndrome. Incidents that eventually resulted in his removal. He also openly advocates going after the Soviets once the Nazis had been defeated but doesn't really back it up with much logic.
Overall, if you want to understand WW II and the war in Europe this is an important and necessary book.

George S. Patton, Jr. died December 21, 1945 in Heidelberg Germany of injuries sustained in an automobile accident on December 9th of that year, a day before his scheduled return to America. His writings included a "full diary from June, 1942, until Dec. 5, 1945" and the manuscript of the book "War As I Knew It". The book was first published in 1947. "The text [of the published book] ... is ... precisely as it came from the General's swift pen with the single elimination of a criticism of one officer who, if he erred, most splendidly atoned." (xiv: Introduction by Douglas Southall Freeman)

The text lacks any detail of actual battles, other than broad movements at the level of Corps and Division. It is very much a rough overview, as the title suggests, of Patton's experience as a General in WWII. Its value derives from Patton having written it, more than for what is written within it. It is not the great book (we may imagine) he would have written later had he lived.

Army Commander that he was, Patton, at critical times would send a letter to be read to his soldiers, commending them on their battle performance. On August 22, 1943, in Sicily, following the successful completion of Operation Husky there, he ended his letter to the Seventh Army, with which he had raced to Messina, with this sentence: "Your fame shall never die." Fitting words to say to men who would see much death and destruction in the many days ahead. So, I've tampered with his statement somewhat, but I think it's fitting to apply it to him and his soldiers, given what they accomplished during WWII, and, to this day, the statement is true. His letters and methods are also a testimony to how well he cared for the men under him. The book does follow the movie quite a bit, though it is not credited as such; the diary begins in North Africa with the date of October 29, 1942. Patton encouraged all of his men to keep diaries, which this one is of the 3 U.S. operations he commanded: Operations Torch, Husky, and Overlord. At times, I would admit that his diary was not terribly interesting when he would speak of the different divisions etc. that were being shuttled here and there. I don't think he was writing to publish a New York Times best seller, just to document what actually transpired; also, I would think that should be a standard, wise habit to utilize in the midst of a major war. Most of the time, I found myself admiring Patton for his abilities to command and inspire. He took good care of his men, and I think there is ample evidence to support that.

When they were on their way to Luxembourg and Germany, he asked his chaplain to write the "weather prayer", also in the movie, because of incessant rains and flooding which were slowing them down, causing a high incidence of trench foot and hampering efforts to provide air cover. I stumbled on an article that that chaplain, Msgr. James H. O'Neill published on October 6, 1971 in the Review of the News about him and how he dealt with this predicament. From what Mr. O'Neill wrote, the footnotes and other commentaries of Colonel Paul D. Harkin's in War as I Knew It, were a little off in explaining the significance of this prayer. He writes, "Many conflicting and some untrue stories have been printed about General George S. Patton and the Third Army Prayer. Some have had the tinge of blasphemy and disrespect for the Deity." The weather prayer was printed as a Christmas card greeting and given to every single soldier, 250,000 men, underneath his command. An additional "Training Letter" went out to every chaplain, every officer under his command, a total of 3200 because Patton believed in the power of prayer. He told Mr. O'Neill, "Up to now, in the Third Army, God has been very good to us. We have never retreated; we have suffered no defeats, no famine, no epidemics. This is because a lot of people back home are praying for us. We were lucky in Africa, in Sicily, and in Italy. Simply because people prayed. But we have to pray for ourselves, too. A good soldier is not made merely by making him think and work. There is something in every soldier that goes deeper than thinking or working--it's his "guts." It is something that he has built in there: it is a world of truth and power that is higher than himself. Great living is not all output of thought and work. A man has to have intake as well. I don't know what you call it, but I call it Religion, Prayer, or God. But the time is now to intensify our faith in prayer, not alone with ourselves, but with every believing man, Protestant, Catholic, Jew, or Christian in the ranks of the Third United States Army. "Those who pray do more for the world than those who fight; and if the world goes from bad to worse, it is because there are more battles than prayers. 'Hands lifted up,' said Bosuet, 'smash more battalions than hands that strike.' " His chaplain reveals in his article how the prayers were answered: "On the 19th of December, the Third Army turned from East to North to meet the attack. As General Patton rushed his divisions north from the Saar Valley to the relief of the beleaguered Bastogne, the prayer was answered. On December 20, to the consternation of the Germans and the delight of the American forecasters who were equally surprised at the turn-about-the rains and the fogs ceased. For the better part of a week came bright clear skies and perfect flying weather. General Patton prayed for fair weather for Battle. He got it...It was late in January of 1945 when I saw the Army Commander again. This was in the city of Luxembourg. He stood directly in front of me, smiled: "Well, Padre, our prayers worked. I knew they would." Then he cracked me on the side of my steel helmet with his riding crop. That was his way of saying, "Well done."" Patton had socks sent to all the soldiers of the (now) Third army to deal with the trenchfoot problem. He loved his men and his men loved him.

From his diary, it seems that a large part of their success was how well the commanding generals worked so well together and were of the same mind. Patton felt that delays of any sort in the midst of battle were sure roads to defeat and death to be avoided at all costs. After every campaign in his diary, he shows the tallies of losses to the allies vs. the enemy. What he doesn't show, and what cannot be calculated, is the numbers of lives that were saved, soldiers and civilians, because of his swift methods. Many times he ponders, however, that if some orders had not been questioned, not only would more U.S. soldiers' lives have been lost, but we might have lost the war. Hmm.

General G. S. Patton, Jr., I give you FIVE STARS, FIVE STARS!!!

The book is composed of excerpts from the diaries of General Patton. It isn't the complete diaries but is fun and interesting. It's good to read something, in his own words, of how the general actually thought. It seems that General Patton had intended to write a book called "War as I Knew It". He didn't live long enough after the war to get it done. He does expound some about his philosophies and why he put on his war face to give the impression of being hard boiled, when in many ways he was very sentimental. He did not want to get soldiers killed needlessly. He made the "tough guy" act in order to inspire his men and psych them up for the job they had to do. His rough, hard, & extremely thorough training made his troops among the best-trained and combat ready troops in the army. The hard training was to condition and train the men to know what to expect and how to react so they would not get killed for lack of condition or not knowing what to do. General Patton's biggest problem, not controlling what he said in public, is not treated very much in this book. His war principals are outlined at the end of the book. It's a rather short read and quite entertaining.

A great book even after all those years. The reader gets a pretty good impression of Patton's personality an his way of thinking. The first part of the book covers his experiences in Northern Africa and Sicily from 1942 on. Besides the military aspects he describes how he learned to know the local cultures and we are reminded how well educated he was in some other sciences than war. The second and biggest part deals with the operations conducted by his Third Army from France to Germany, Czechoslovakia and Austria. Very informative are his views of Eisenhower, Bradley and Montgomery as well as the German side especially concerning the Battle of the Bulge. The third part is a personal view of tactics, the military generally and his career. All in all a great book for people interested in military history as well as leadership. A little drawback, as in many books covering military history, is the lack of good maps, the few maps in the book only give a very general impression of the campaigns.

Gen. George Patton may have been the most successful battlefield commander of World War II. And he had a reputation for honesty and fiercely-expressed opinions. So I was disappointed by this relatively slim volume of reminiscences about his experiences in Africa, Sicily, Italy, and western Europe during that conflict. The introduction written by Douglas Southall Freeman, the great biographer of Robert E. Lee, tells us that Patton "kept a full diary from July, 1942, until Dec. 5, 1945," four days before his fatal accident," and Southall asserts that the diary entries are "always candid, frequently critical, and occasionally caustic." I regret to report that I did not find that to be the case. The notoriously fiery Patton temper is rarely on display here, which prompts me to suspect that the diary entries were heavily sanitized for publication. (Patton's widow was the original editor this book, which raises my level of suspicion.) It is possible, however, that Patton, himself, exercised extreme discretion in deciding what to commit to writing. In either case, the result generally makes for dull reading.
Some of what Patton has to say is intriguing. Patton frequently compares the casualties of the Third U.S. Army, which he commanded in France, and those of the enemy, and German casualties are consistently much higher. Patton's nickname was Old Blood and Guts," but there is, in fact, reason to believe that he was more economical with his men's lives than the conventional wisdom occasionally suggests. Patton's competition with the British commander Field Marshal Montgomery is frequently on display. In August 1944, Patton reports that Montgomery wanted all American forces to stop their advance across France so Montgomery's could make a "dagger thrust with the Twenty-First Army Group at the heart of Germany." Patton's colleague Gen. Omar Bradley was skeptical, stating that it would be "more like a `butter-knife thrust." In November 1944, Patton was visited in the field by Averell Harriman, the United States' Ambassador to the Soviet Union, who told Patton Josef Stalin had said: "The Red Army could not have conceived and certainly could not have executed the advance made by the Third Army across France." A lengthy footnote reports that, in December 1944, Patton ordered his chaplain to prepare a "prayer for good weather" because the general was "tired of these soldiers having to fight mud and floods as well as Germans." When the chaplain attempted to demur by saying, "Sir, it's going to take a pretty thick rug for that kind of praying," Patton replied: "I don't care if it takes the flying carpet, I want the praying done." According to Patton, when he saw Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, the Allies Supreme Commander, shortly after the Battle of the Bulge, Eisenhower never mentioned the efforts of the Third Army, and Patton clearly was hurt. (In March 1945, Patton clearly was pleased when Eisenhower attended a Third Army briefing and was "most complimentary.") And Patton shows no remorse for the notorious incident when he slapped a soldier in a hospital who clearly was suffering from a psychiatric disorder.
But the chapter on the Battle of the Bulge is more typical. It contains some useful detail about one of Patton's most successful operations, but it is almost complete devoid of color and personality. For instance, one passage states: "On [Dec. 31, 1944], the Germans made seventeen counter-attacks against us, all of which were repulsed." Is that all Patton had to say? A couple of pages later, he adds: "At midnight on the night of December 31, all guns in the Third Army fired rapid fire for twenty minutes on the Germans as a New Year's greeting. When the firing ceased, our forward observers stated that they could hear the Germans screaming in the woods." Now that's interesting!
Patton's account of his campaigns during World War II is an important document. I only regret that more of Patton's personality did not come through here. One other interesting historical note: The footnotes, which are very helpful, were prepared by Col. Paul D. Harkins, who served as Patton's Deputy Chief of Staff. After his promotion to general, Harkins commanded the United States's forces in Vietnam in the early 1960s. Harkins clearly was a better staff officer than a commander.

While I found this book to be an interesting personal history I will confine my remarks to the section of the book titled "Battle Tricks". Despite appearing to be dated by the advances in technology this section of the book is relevant now as the principles of fire and maneuver laid down by Patton are the same as those used today. It is simply a matter of the reader taking into account the improvements in modern day weaponry as verses that of WWII.

I spent two months out in the field at Ft. Irwin years ago. I was limited on what I could take with me. Out of all my books on military science and art I decided that this book would be the most useful. This turned out to be the case. Not only did I make use of the paperback, but it went through a number of hands in the unit to the point that the cover is scarred up from the rough environment it was exposed to. That was a small price to pay for the enlighten people who came to pass from exposure to the book.

Every man who goes through an officer/NCO school should be required to read this book and pass a test upon the completion of the training. In a limited amount of space Patton has distilled the essence of combat arms.

This book gives the reader an excellent insight into the mind of one of the most colorful and reknowned military leaders in history. The book is his war diary, so it is filled with dates and facts about the war, but is also meshed with the thoughts of General Patton on the course of the war. As a fan of Patton's, I found the book to be incredibly enlightening, especially the end sections on his views of the principles of military operations.

I do have to say that if a reader is not a big fan of Patton, they may find this book to be a rather boring read. Part of the allure of this book is Patton's interpretation of events, so if you aren't into his views...well, there is no shortage of his opinions within!

Whereas we've all heard the weak-kneed, faint-hearted, army deserter types condemn Patton as bloodthirsty, this book reveals Patton the intellectual, the man who believes deeply in his mission and destiny, and one who is prepared to sacrifice life and limb in order to to honor his role in the history of the world.
I found this book to be highly insightful, educational, entertaining, and motivating. I learned about strategy and received an interesting and unique glimpse into the mind of a truly great man. Patton was the cream of the crop - well educated, strong, courageous, and determined, and he had the intelligence and wisdom to back his decisions up. Would that we had a fearless leader like this today.

General Patton was one of the more interesting figures history has produced. As a military history expert, I always prefer to read memoirs by the 'actors' themselves. Read this one. Rent Patton. Read Ladislas Farago's book (on which the movie was based). Then read this book. When you're done, tell me (whether you like the man or not) that you aren't at least impressed with the man's skill as well as knowledge of the enemy (specifically, the Soviet Union near the end of the war).

You will not be disappointed.

Well documented in the second world war, I knew before the readsing of this book that Patton was a general devoted to the armored weapon, advocating the offensive. This was far too short.

George S. Patton wrote the newspaper's fighting from October 29, 1942 to December 5, 1945, just a few days before his accidental death in Germany. This newspaper is an important document for the understanding of history.

What a great general! Soon the reader realizes that the author is a great man, not only because he is a military emergency, but because he is cultivated, sensitive and an outstanding leader of men.

the state of ignorance by the United States of France, especially of Morocco, led Patton to amend two articles of capitulation which had been delivered by Roosevelt (a hard version, a softer version). Patton understood immediately that Morocco unlike Algeria, was a French protectorate and not French a department. It was then necessary to maintain the prestige of the French army to prevent the explosion of the country and consequently the mobilization of tens of thousands of American soldiers that Patton had not.

Patton was a brilliant strategist. Francophile, speaking in French, he became friendly with General Giraud and much appreciated the high distinction of Catroux, representative of the free French (General De Gaulle). Patton had commanded a regiment in France during World War I, he loved France.

Patton participated in the liberation of North Africa (including Tunisia), Sicily and landed in Normandy in August 1944. He quickly shoved the enemy, stalking into the reduced Brittany. Proving once again that he understood the importance of the symbol, as the head of the III rd Army, authorized General Leclerc (Scnd DB), then under his command, to liberate Paris. Advocating the offensive, thoughtful, quick, decisive, he bitterly regretted that the High Command emphasize support to the British General Montgomery (whom he held in low esteem, as the English troops this general commanded). Patton indeed thought to end the war before winter 1944 to 1945. Repeating its lightning success campaigns for his thesis.

The hunting scene of the American III rd Army is exceptional:

While he regrets the loss of 21,441 soldiers killed in front, the enemy lost 144,500, 386,000 injured (cons 99,224) and 1,486,700 prisoners!

The victory over the material is also evident. 308 light tanks lost cons 1529 destroyed, 949 medium tanks against 858 Panther and Tiger, 175 guns cons 3454.

Patton was a great general. The front cover of this book shows him with his pistol butt to ivory legacy of a past that he knew, that the end of western, particularly in the Mexican War where he was involved with the Army.

Two important quotes:

"In war, the only sure defense is offensive, and efficiency of the offense depends on the warlike souls of Those conducting it."

"Do not take counsel of your fears."

This man is a warlord, a noble legacy no doubt of his southerner's education. Obvious symbol of American pride, he is also naturally much appreciated by French citizens for his decisive action in the liberation of France.

Thank you "Blood 'n guts"!

The bulk of this book is a compilation from Patton's day to day diary, 1942-1945. It's very dry and full of a lot of foreign names and places. There is an addendum to the book that contains outlines or bulletins that Patton passed on about strategies and tactics to employ in battle. That short addendum is the most interesting and informative part of this book's many pages.

I concur with other reviewers who could not finish the book even though I too enjoy reading history. I granted it 2 stars instead of 1 because the book no doubt makes a contribution to the subject. It's just a contribution I could not wade through until victory. I malingered and could have used a good slap to keep going no doubt.

I found it not really scholarly tight enough to be drawn to this work as an objective historical recounting of the war, and not really dramatic enough in presentation to be a page turner. It is after all a jumble of censored letters and post war analysis drawn from diaries. All of it seemingly cobbled together without his guiding hand to influence while he was alive. None of this review is meant to detract from his contribution to winning the war in Europe. It's just that the book was written by an already dead man and it shows.

Patton' memoir of his role in WWII. Written shortly before his death in Dec 1945 and published by his wife. Patton example of leadership is applicable to all leaders and all leaders would benefit by reading this book. Appended to this book are copies of Patton's general orders for the conduct of the 3rd Army in Europe which includes some very good practical advice for the fighting soldier and commander.

Having read Patton - a genius for war, I bought this book with great expectations. I believe the description of the war in Europe to be both accurate and enlightening. I find it hard to believe that in War as I knew it, there was very little on both Africa and Sicely. The fact that there was no refence to the death of Dick Jenson and the profound sadness Patton felt, surprised me. I also felt that there being no reference to his relief of Lloyd Freedendall, an officer Patton obviously disliked left the book short. However, as an admirer of Patton, I enjoyed the book overall. I recommend the book, but take it as it comes and don't expect what may not be there. Regards Tom Rawlings, Victoria, Australia.

Unfortunately, Patton doesn't describe the battle planning to the degree I had hoped. Too much high level discussions of this Battalion and that Regiment. But some good insight into his relationship with Monty and Ike.

I was quite disappointed with this book. Given its title, I was not prepared to spend endless pages reading about his non-military activities. Often it was basically travelogue and who was present at formal luncheons. Much of the coverage of the various campaigns was more listing of the order of battle with little description of the tactics, strategy and events of the battles. The last 85 pages, however, made my purchase seem more worthwhile but I would recommend checking it out at a library.

I read this book translated to portuguese, here in Brazil.In this book, you could see the General Patton's histories and informations.The best part of this book is, when Patton tells about war tatics.Patton doesn't talks only about war and weapons.Patton tells about Islam.He loved the Kuran, but he writes that, Islam put moslens under fearful, fatalistic apathy.Patton also writes against black americans at war.Under no doubts, Gal. Patton was a (not fanatic) racist.Some believes in Patton's times were correct then, but now are outdated.To exemple, Patton claims that M-1 Garand rifle is the best rifle for war.After 60 years later, M-1 rifle, is a museum or colection rifle.Patton also doesn't tells us , that M-1 Garand was designed by a canadian, not an american.Patton was an american patriot and a very capable World War II general.

a Very chilling and precise account of the unbelievably complex plot to murder Patton. Involving Americans such as OSS head working with head of Soviet Intellegence to take care of what many in senior posts thought was a looe cannon ( Patton) VERY WELL DONE .I recommend everyone reads this though some wil be rightfully disturbed by the actions of senior American generald involved in Pattons Murder.

I went into the book with trepidation, thinking it would be dry but informative. I was very pleasantly surprised by how engaging it is from the beginning. And yes, very informative and great insight into a generals responsibilities.

I think it a must read for students of WWII.