Patton's War: An American General's Combat Leadership, Volume 2: AugustDecember 1944 (Volume 2) (American Military Experience)

This second of three volumes of Pattons War picks up where the first one left off, examining General George S. Pattons leadership of the U.S. Third Army. The book follows Pattons contributions to both the Normandy and Brittany campaignsthe closing of the Falaise Pocket in Normandy, and racing to the port cities in Brittany. It ends with Patton and his corps rescuing the besieged town of Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge. As he did in the preceding volume, Hymel relies not only on Pattons diaries and letters, but countless veteran interviews, surveys, and memoirs. He also provides a unique insight missed by previous Patton scholars. Instead of using Pattons transcribed diaries, which were heavily edited and embellished, he consults Pattons original, hand-written diaries to uncover previously unknown information about the general. This second volume of Hymels groundbreaking work shows Patton at the height of his generalship, successfully leading his army without the mistakes and caustic behavior that almost got him sent home earliereven if we also see a Patton still guided at times by racism and antisemitism.