Books in Brief: Patton: A Study in Command

Patton: A Study in Command, by H. Essame (Scribner’s, 280 pp., $9.95). General George S. Patton is the personification of military leadership. This study diligently traces the evolution of his legend from the resurrection of II Corps in Tunisia, the race for Messina, the breakout at Normandy, and the miracle of the Ardennes. The author criticizes Eisenhower’s reluctance to exploit fully this genius whose grasp of combat far exceeded Eisenhower’s. That reluctance, Essame asserts, resulted in no fewer than five lost opportunities to end the war in 1944. He concludes that Patton’s calculated audacity forged a fighting force unequaled in the annals of warfare.

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A. L. Miller

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Patton: A Study in Command, by H. Essame (Scribner’s, 280 pp., $9.95). General George S. Patton is the personification of military leadership. This study diligently traces the evolution of his legend from the resurrection of II Corps in Tunisia, the race for Messina, the breakout at Normandy, and the miracle of the Ardennes. The author criticizes Eisenhower’s reluctance to exploit fully this genius whose grasp of combat far exceeded Eisenhower’s. That reluctance, Essame asserts, resulted in no fewer than five lost opportunities to end the war in 1944. He concludes that Patton’s calculated audacity forged a fighting force unequaled in the annals of warfare.