Can someone recommend a book which will help me understand why Patton was a brilliant commander? I’ve read Killing Patton, and a few articles, but nothing tells me exactly what he did to deserve his reputation.
“but nothing tells me exactly what he did to deserve his reputation.”
Bastogne.
L
Try: Patton, Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago. It’s his definitive biography and the book the movie was based on.
Time prevents me from looking that information up for you. Sorry.
I’ll recommend two:
“War Between the Generals” and “Patton: A Genius for War”. The second is better on Patton, but the first gives a good understanding of the politics between the generals. Honestly, most of the US high command sucked donkey dicks, and the British were even worse.
He carefully studied his opponents, for one.
North Africa, Sicily, Cobra, the Ardennes, Czechoslovakia.
If you want to start earlier, the assault on Shreveport in the 1941 Louisiana maneuvers.
My understanding is that his brilliant insight was recognizing that air power was the key to winning. I believe this was also a criticism of his peers that he relied too heavily on air power. His main strategy to my understanding was to have the air power (at his disposal) also protect his flank in addition to their other attack duties. This allowed him to concentrate his forces on the main attack. I think the movie Patton hints at much of this as the beginning of the movie he has a complaint that the British Air Force was not providing proper support. Then in the middle of the movie he has the chaplain write a pray for good weather so he can get his air support back.
His anticipation of the need to move 3rd Army to help out during the battle of the bulge tipped the scales in allowing the Allies to successfully repel the attack.
Most of this is covered in Gen. Bradley's book "A Soldier's Story", Patton's autobiography "War as I Knew It", and any number of good biography's on Patton. I think the one I read was "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph" by Ladislas Farago