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The Patton Papers
The Patton Papers: 1885-1940
Book 2 of 2
568 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1972
7 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
Martin Blumenson
64 books13 followersMartin Blumenson was a soldier in the US army, and a military historian, and a recognised authority on the life of Gen. George S. Patton Jr.
Blumenson received a Bachelors and Masters degree from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. He received a second master's degree in history from Harvard University. He also was an exellent pianist, performing at Carnegie Hall as a young man.
He served as a U.S. Army officer in northwestern Europe during World War II.
After the war he lived in France for a number of years, where he met his wife of 55 years, Genevieve Adelbert Blumenson, who died in 2000.
Blumenson again served with the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and later worked in the Office of the Chief of Military History until 1967. After this he became an adviser on civil disorders for the Johnson administration.
Blumenson received a Bachelors and Masters degree from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. He received a second master's degree in history from Harvard University. He also was an exellent pianist, performing at Carnegie Hall as a young man.
He served as a U.S. Army officer in northwestern Europe during World War II.
After the war he lived in France for a number of years, where he met his wife of 55 years, Genevieve Adelbert Blumenson, who died in 2000.
Blumenson again served with the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and later worked in the Office of the Chief of Military History until 1967. After this he became an adviser on civil disorders for the Johnson administration.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 28, 2009
Without this aristocratic, rich, and vain man, we would be wearing SS uniforms and seiging heil.
War is not a game, not fun.....and when it is necessary, you want a Rommel or a Patton up front.
There are sentiments in this book that will curl your blood. But we must understand this man, in order to understand war.
War is not a game, not fun.....and when it is necessary, you want a Rommel or a Patton up front.
There are sentiments in this book that will curl your blood. But we must understand this man, in order to understand war.
November 2, 2015
Patton is a character. It's interesting to watch his writing mature over time. The youthful Patton is so brash. Although we see the Patton of the Second World War as brash character, it is a more mature man the one that went with Pershing to Mexico. It's noteworthy to see his ongoing efforts to improve the profession. Patton was a man constantly trying to improve the men, equipment, and doctrine of the army. You also get to see a lot of the development of his thinking. I think it's well worth the effort of this book, particularly for the professional.
July 1, 2021
Volume I (962 pages) of two volumes, this book is filled with letters, diary entries, documents from the first 55 years of Patton's life. It does describe his childhood, his father and mother, his life in California, and Army years through his experiences in Mexico and World War I, and the years leading up to Pearl Harbor. It is a very detailed look at General Patton, at his formation as a personality, at his failures, which included having to do the freshman year in college three times! He is a late developer in terms of intellect, but it is clear that he is a man of great intelligence, and one who took advantage of both his birth right, and the opportunities provided. I truly enjoyed the history, and it did lead to reading Volume II.
October 12, 2015
Martin Blumenson, noted military historian, does a superb job of sifting and sorting through personal letters, articles, published papers, reports and military records to paint a detailed picture of General George S. Patton, Jr.'s first fifty-five years. As with any collection of "papers," there is some tedium to be endured. But the daily details of life at West Point, the social and military aspects of everyday military life on posts great and small, the preparations for battle, the thoughts on a broad range of topics provide insights gleaned nowhere else. Patton was a genius, of that there can be little doubt. but he was arrogant, egotistical, brazen, loving, tender-hearted, aggressive, meticulous and a horrible speller all at once. A tremendously complex individual, and Blumenson is able to bring all this out without judging the man.
May 27, 2016
A great and illuminating collection of personal and official letters, and diary entries, from the pen of the inimitable General George S. Patton, ably edited and annotated by Martin Blumenson, who served on Patton's Third Army headquarters staff.
A Christmas 1974 gift from my grandmother!
A Christmas 1974 gift from my grandmother!
October 9, 2011
Not much to say about this book, except that another generation should be exposed to it, for their own good
October 9, 2011
This book although about WWII is not as exciting as the earlier years. I found the earlier one fasinating and a much better read
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews