Patton Reconsidered

This provocative reassessment challenges the myth of Patton and reveals the man—and general—behind the legend. In MacArthur Reconsidered, which bestselling historian John C. McManus called “a well-written, informed, lucidly argued critique,” James Ellman offered a provocative new look at General Douglas MacArthur. Now he turns his attention to another celebrated World War II commander, George S. Patton, stripping away the polished helmet, the ivory-handled pistols, the bespoke riding boots, and the practiced “war face” to reassess the controversial general’s leadership and performance on the battlefield. In keeping with his flair for the dramatic, Patton’s successes in World War II tended toward the flashy. He rejuvenated American forces after the disaster at Kasserine Pass in North Africa, captured Palermo and won the race to Messina on Sicily, pursued the German Army across France after the Normandy campaign, relieved the 101st Airborne at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and raced into Germany at war’s end. Quite a record – but how does it stand up? According to Ellman, Patton was a very good tactician who nevertheless often benefited from facing a German Army largely in disarray. He was excellent on the offensive against an outnumbered, undersupplied foe but only average when confronting a prepared, dug-in foe. Other successful army commanders – such as Courtney Hodges, William Smith, and Alexander Patch – performed at least as well and did so without Patton’s personal and strategic shortcomings. He was a flawed man on and off the battlefield, from the slapping of soldiers in Sicily to delusions of reincarnation, and his flaws limited his range as a commander. Meanwhile, his political beliefs, including a weak commitment to postwar denazification in Germany and vehement anticommunism, undermined United States policy, risked war with the Soviet Union, and made Patton a strategic liability. And so after war’s end, General Eisenhower – who had tolerated Patton’s missteps for so long and indeed valued his battlefield presence – finally relieved Patton of high command. Sure to spark debate, Patton Reconsidered separates myth from reality and offers a much-needed corrective to the long-held image of George S. Patton as a military genius who won World War II in Europe.