Post a review when you finish the book I would be interested to see if its a rehash of all the conspiracy theories out there on this tragic accident.
Dave
Finally finished this book over the Christmas holidays.
As a Brit I was not all that au fait with the author O'Reilly or indeed his politics- however, I was well versed on the subject matter which had prompted me to purchase the book in the first place. George Patton was a dynamic and incorrigible controversialist much like the other General George of Little Big Horn infamy and I have always found these soldiers much more interesting to read about than say Eisenhower or Sherman.
Killing Patton is a thoroughly entertaining and informative book. Its well crafted narrative made it a page turner for me. Extremely well researched and expansive footnotes at the bottom of several pages were in some cases enlightening without interrupting the flow of the book.
For those not familiar with Patton and his Third Army exploits and the significant battles during the final nine months of the war in Europe this book will certainly give the reader a definite taste for the subject. Patton's ambition to get to Berlin before the Soviet forces which was thwarted by Ike; the Schadenfreude between Patton and Monty; the Battle of the Bulge; the debacle of both Fort Driant and the Falaise Pocket and the uneasy peace with the Communists are all extremely well covered and thoroughly explained in what I consider to be an unbiased opinion. However, what is glaringly absent and avoided is Patton's repellent anti Semitism which if anyone who has read Patton's letters to his wife and his friends will be fully aware of.
When FDR died Patton realised he was not going to get on with Truman. And the new president had no intention of engaging with Patton-they were in fact polar opposites. All Truman saw was a braggart strutting around like a peacock in a showy uniform, polished helmet and bloused riding pants. This picture of the Berlin Flag raising ceremony, which appears with many other illustrations within the book, perfectly illustrates this clash between Truman and Patton.
Following the ceremony Truman even took the time to covertly count the number of stars adorning Patton's uniform-and was appalled to find them adding up to twenty-eight.With the war over President Truman had little need for a fighting general who believed it his birth right to speak his mind especially when it creates international discord.Truman would later write "I fail to see how a country can produce such men as Robert E Lee, John J Pershing, Eisenhower and Bradley and at the same time produce Custers, Pattons and MacArthurs. A little unfair I think for although all three were certainly mavericks they were also darn good fighting generals.
The conspiracy theories of Patton's death are all covered within the book but certainly not dwelt upon-the unexplained reason that the "deuce and a half truck" suddenly and for no reason veered across the road and fender bent the Patton's Cadillac remains an unexplained tragic accident. What I did not know though was that his wife Beatrice although realising her husband would be paralysed firmly believed he would survive. Following Patton's death she hired several private detectives to look into husband's death. Each of these investigations was unsuccessful in finding hard evidence of an assassination. I personally have no doubt about the fact that there was a great number of people who were darn glad that Patton died in 1945 but one is left with the conclusion that verifies- sometimes the truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
Dave I hope you find the above of some interest as you did ask me to review the book and although I have not read O'Reilly's
Killing Lincoln I can assure you that
Killing Patton certainly didn't read like a middle school book to me.
Bob
