Patton's Prayer: A True Story of Courage, Faith, and Victory in World War II

by Alex Kershaw

From Alex Kershaw, author of the New York Times bestseller Against All Odds, comes an epic story of courage, resilience, and faith during the Second World War

General George Patton needed a miracle. In December 1944, the Allies found themselves stuck. Rain had plagued the troops daily since September, turning roads into rivers of muck, slowing trucks and tanks to a crawl. A thick ceiling of clouds had grounded American warplanes, allowing the Germans to reinforce. The sprint to Berlin had become a muddy, bloody stalemate, costing thousands of American lives.

Patton seethed, desperate for some change, any change, in the weather. A devout Christian, he telephoned his head chaplain. “Do you have a good prayer for the weather?” he asked. The resulting prayer was soon printed and distributed to the 250,000 men under Patton’s command. “Pray when driving,” the men were told. “Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night and pray by day. Pray for the cessation of immoderate rains, for good weather for Battle. . . . Pray for victory. . . . Pray for Peace.”

Then came the Battle of the Bulge. Amid frigid temperatures and heavy snow, 200,000 German troops overwhelmed the meager American lines in Belgium’s Ardennes Forest, massacring thousands of soldiers as the attack converged on a vital crossroads town called Bastogne. There, the 101st Airborne was dug in, but the enemy were lurking, hidden in the thick blanket of fog that seemed to never dissipate. A hundred miles of frozen roads to the south, Patton needed an answer to his prayer, fast, before it was too late.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Biography, Military Fiction, Military History

Audible Audio

Published May 21, 2024

About the author

Alex Kershaw is the author of the widely acclaimed best sellers Against All Odds, The First Wave, The Bedford Boys, The Longest Winter, The Few, #TheLiberator, the basis for the Netflix drama, and Escape from the Deep, as well as biographies of Jack London, Raoul Wallenberg and Robert Capa. His latest book is Patton's Prayer, published May 2024.

Reviews

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you name your book, "Patton's Prayer," it will inherently be seen as controversial. To put a finer point on it, this title suggests General George Patton did not believe himself to be God.

I kid. MacArthur thought he was God. Patton just thought they were besties.

Alex Kershaw's new book looks mainly at Patton right before the Battle of the Bulge through the end of World War II. It is part war story but also a character study. My joke aside, Patton was a Christian who believed in the power of prayer. In fact, the book hinges on his request to a chaplain to create and distribute a prayer asking for better weather as the Allies drove towards Germany.

It would be overselling it to say this book had religion at its core. It is much more about Patton and how he continually pushed his men to accomplish their missions. If you are looking for a book which analyzes religion at war, then you will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a good narrative and some insight into Patton specifically, then you will be happy. Kershaw is known for writing great World War II stories and his streak is not broken with this one.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Dutton Books.)

[Ben Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Detailing the final events of WWII focusing on the Battle of the Bulge and General Patton’s prayer that he sent to the whole 3rd Army. The first thing I loved about this book is, unlike MANY history books, it didn’t bog itself down with details and a holier-than-thou writing style. It was quick, to the point, and effective.

The second thing is how amazing Patton, his personality, and his character shine through in this book. Some examples:

He was a caring leader who showed empathy to every single trooper. From his driver: “We drove all day long from one outfit to another. He’d stop and talk to the troops, ask them did they get Turkey? How was it and all that”

He was a servant leader. “We were stuck in snow and he(Patton) came by in a jeep. His face was awful red, and he must have been about froze, riding in that open jeep. He yelled at us to get out and push. And first I knew there was General Patton pushing right alongside me.”

His faith and thankfulness shined through. “In his diary Patton wrote ‘I am very grateful to the Lord for the great blessings he has heaped on me and the Third Army, not only in the success He has granted us, but in the weather which He is now providing.”

He was always giving credit and thanks to those who served under him. To his staff Patton said “There is probably no Army commander who did less work than I did. You did it all and the imperishable record of the Third Army is due largely to your unstinting and outstanding efforts. I thank you from the depths of my heart for all you have done.”


A fantastic General, whose personality was perfectly placed for that moment in time. What is so amazing is that, as with many cases, what made him so great also turned out to be his undoing. He was ferocious, always on the attack, and utterly relentless. Which served him perfectly as a wartime General and terribly when peace was found. Great book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fresh look at General Patton's legacy through the lens of the famous prayer printed prior to the German attack in December of 1944. The prayer was the brainchild of Patton executed by his Chaplain. Enough copies were printed so that every soldier in the 3rd Army would have a personal copy. God's answer was forthcoming and provided the kind of weather the American Air Forces needed to turn the tide and blunt the German's last gasp attack. Kershaw follows Patton's remaining time as the 3rd Army commander. Alex does a masterful job in pulling together a new look at a man who was a legend during his time and continues to receive attention from historians, too.

[Bill Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable read. Intense, bringing the war to life through words. But also didn’t bog everything down with things not crazy important. Just overall a great read that made me want to research more overall.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished:

New York: Dutton, 2024.

Bought this book simply because I don't have a book on the Battle of the Bulge and I was curious to know more about Alex Kershaw, he's a popular author.

Kershaw knows how to write an engaging narrative and popular history that keeps readers engages - just as well as an author of fiction. While I disagree with Kershaw's assertion that Patton was a devout Christian (I don't think his views on reincarnation would what they were [yes, I realize Patton might have said that to promote his own lore]).

A good read, I'd recommend this book.

[Edward Wayland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard an interview with the author and, it being Memorial Day weekend, I thought I’d listen to the tape. Was hoping for more depth than the movie, which I love. It is more in depth and covers more of his career in the war, but not a true or complete biography. Not much at all before the war or his upbringing. And the prayer angle: Patton’s religiosity is, for me, the least interesting thing about him. My impression is this book, which doesn’t cover things other books on him don’t cover, uses the prayer angle as marketing. We have to interrupt tales of military accomplishments to get quotes from Patton and others about his devotion to god or something. All, I think, so they can sell this book to “Christians” insecure about the fact that they themselves are total wimps. “Look Patton was tough and prayed a lot. So…” So nothing. But they’ll lap up sanctimonious pronouncements about Pattons religious beliefs. Oh, and that famous prayer? The movie makes it look like a miracle. In reality they had time to print it and deliver copies to hundreds of thousands of soldiers before there was any break in the weather. Sunshine in Belgium in December might not be the norm but its appearance is hardly “manna from heaven.”

[Dee Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible Credit 7 hours 49 min. Narrated by Rob Shapiro (B)

I purchased PATTON'S PRAYER soon after it was released on Audible early this year. I am a great admirer of Alex Kershaw's writing style. I knew this story centered on General Patton's leadership of the 3rd Army during the Battle of the Bulge and the fight to relieve the men of of the Screaming Eagles who were improperly provisioned, inadequately armed, and then surrounded and pinned down in Bastogne, Belgium during November and December of 19444. I saved this book to read during those months this year, but I just could not hold off a few more weeks!

This book deals with the horrible weather the American troops faced in the winter of 1944. Rain, rain, rain, muck and mire, unavoidable and rampant trenchfoot, followed by snow, more snow, plunging temperatures, ice that made tank and troop advancement dangerously slowed. Patton and his army were called upon to break the siege and relieve fellow American troops, but they were no match against the weather. General Patton needed a miracle.

Patton, a devout Episcopalian since childhood, called upon his personal chaplain Father O'Neill, a Roman catholic for a prayer for favorable weather. That night, O'Neill went back to his Catholic prayer book and diligently sought a suitable prayer to no avail and even consulted the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Knowing Patton and his earnest desire for the Almighty's intervention, O'Neal finally composed an original prayer and included a personal Christmas greeting from the general to his troops. The next day his presented the prayer to Patton. Patton was so impressed that he ordered 250, 000 copies printed and distributed to each man in his army. No mean feat under the conditions. He then ORDERED the prayer to be prayed frequently throughout each day ahead.

The weather continued to frustrate the Allied forces throughout Britain and other countries, grounding air support and reprovisioning for weeks. What would God do about Patton's prayer?
Was even the weather god-saken? Christmas neared, morale was low, the troops continued to read the prayer, and to trudge through knee-high snow on frozen ground. Tanks and artillery ground slowly over icy roads. Was God obliged to answer prayers from troops intent on killing?

On the morning of December 23, Patton awarded a bronze star to Chaplin Father James O'Neill, the only chaplin during WWII to receive a medal for writing a prayer.

Those men closest to Patton knew he had diligently studied the life of Christ and the Old Testament, especially the battles fought. He never missed attending attendance at the Episcopalian church except during war. As a general, Patton never doubted whose side God favored. He relied on prayer, not only his own but also those he knew were being prayed by folk back in America who had loved ones and friends fighting. He was a rare mixture of the profane and highly religious.

In a letter to his faithful wife, he wrote during these perilous weeks, "Perhaps God prepared me for this effort." In his diary, he wrote when he recognized the doubts of other staff, "I seem to be the ray of sunshine, and by ___, I always am. It is the enemy who must worry. Give us victory, Lord."
General Omar Bradley wrote, "He was profane but also reverent. He strutted imperiously before his men, but he knelt humbly before his God."

Kershaw has done it again and delivered a highly readable story and offered insights into the heart, the mind, and actions of arguably the greatest general in the European field of the Second World War. He is certainly one the most complex! As a Christian, I have long wondered at the apparent dichotomy between Patton's devoutly religious life and the profanity he used. He was definitely born to fulfill a place in history.

[Bonnie_blu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book about religion or Christianity. It is a book about Patton the warrior, historian, and believer. Kershaw uses Patton's request for a prayer for good weather to investigate what motivated the man.

U.S. troops were trapped in Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, which was Hitler's last attempt to force the Allies to negotiate for peace. As history records, he failed, Germany was completely defeated, and Hitler committed suicide. Unfortunately, the defenders of Bastogne were not only trapped by the Nazis, but also by the weather. 1944 was one of the worst winters recorded in Europe and the extreme fog and cloud cover prevented air support for Bastogne. Patton asked his priest (Patton was Episcopalian) to write a prayer for good weather so that the air support could be used and his tanks could reach Bastogne faster. And the next day, the weather cleared and supplies could be air dropped in Bastogne. It would still take many days for relief columns to reach the troops, but rescue in time was now almost certain.

Kershaw uses the prayer as a key to Patton's psyche. He portrays a complex man who could curse a blue streak, but who also would cry when meeting wounded soldiers and at other emotional events. He was also a devout Episcopalian, but he believed in reincarnation. Patton was a man of contradictions who loved the challenge of war and who appreciated poetry and art. Kershaw shows that Patton was an insecure man who was afraid of being forgotten and not appreciated, but he also thought he was the best commander in the war and that he had a direct connection with God.

So did God answer Patton's prayer? That question is impossible to answer for a multitude of reasons. What is clear is that Patton was a Gordian knot of a man, but one that was exactly what was needed by the Allies in WWII. He accurately predicted many actions by the Germans (thus, saving many lives), and he predicted that the Soviets would not leave eastern Europe after the war and were acting as conquerors and not liberators. Unfortunately, his lack of tact and propensity to speak the unvarnished truth made him a man out of step in a "peaceful" world. Perhaps his death at the end of the war was, is some ways, a blessing to him.

[Kevin Keating · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty good book. Not riveting. While the writing was good, the history was just not as intriguing as I thought it would be. When you drive too deep into Patton, the more he looks like a jerk. A very good leader of men, but a a jerk.

[Nelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an excellent retelling of the days before the Battle of the Bulge, the fight against Germany's last stand in Europe. Days of rain and fog had hampered the allies, as planes could not fly, and vehicles were bogged down in mud. General Patton had 250,000 prayer cards printed, to exhort the soldiers to pray that good weather would come. The prayer began, "Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains..." The prayer was answered.

General Patton was a complex man, both "deeply religious and violently profane," as one of his obituaries stated. As difficult as he was, he was definitely the man for the job.

I highly recommend this book as a very readable account of the end of the war in Europe.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding book from Alex Kershaw, my seventh with more on the list.

A highly readable book about Patton and his Third Army during approximately the final year of his life. I highly recommend.

[Keith Muehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy read about Patton, and the Battle of the Bulge. Well written. Timeline is November 1944 to his death in December of 1945.

Amazing man who many credit with shortening the war because of his constant push to give the Germans no time to do anything but fight his 3 army. He pushed himself, his men, and his equipment, at all times.

[Steven Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding book of Patton’s leadership of the third Army from the right before the Battle of Bulge in December 1944 to his death in December 1945. As expected Kershaw delivers and an engaging narrative that brings the personal perspective to the historical events and facts.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. https://bookwinked.wordpress.com/2025...

[Richard Marney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A succinct history of this controversial but undoubtedly talented fighting general.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Man, Patton was one-of-a-kind. I found myself endeared to his love and care of his troops and disappointed at how his life ended. We owe much Patton. He will always be one of my favorites.

[Jeffrey McDowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

My opinion of Patton went up dramatically after reading this account. It's very plausible that the Allies would have lost the war if not for Patton's offensive brilliance and tactical leadership.

[Ben Faustine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a character. I knew of Patton but this was a great dive into his role in WWII. Good read

[Wes Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoy Kershaw's style. This book was a unique variation on a topic -Patton- that has been discussed over and over again. The details provided were new to me on several accounts and added a lot of new perspective. Overall another excellent book and read.

[Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. Alex Kershaw just knows how to make you feel like you are there in the snow with these guys. I didn't know much about Patton before this outside of him yelling at soldiers and such. Great to learn more about him and his leadership.

[Beverly Reidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book. The author does a fine job of researching and sharing stories of Patton in a way that endears him to the reader. I learned a lot about Patton that I didn’t know.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amazing story of how George Patton won the Battle of the Bulge

Famous generals proliferate in American history. After all, ours is a story of conquest and almost unceasing warfare from the earliest days of European settlement on the North American continent well into the 21st century. The names of George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, and Dwight Eisenhower dominate critical events in our history. But few, if any, conjure up the awe and respect General George S. Patton commands even eight decades after he fought his greatest battle.

Now, in Patton’s Prayer, a new Patton biography, British historian and journalist Alex Kershaw tells the jaw-dropping story of Patton’s leadership in what history knows as the Battle of the Bulge. It was Hitler’s last gasp, probably doomed to failure even before it started. But it required superhuman effort by the man often identified as America’s most aggressive and winningest general.

Unsurpassed courage in a titanic battle

The Battle of the Bulge was a titanic affair. Patton alone commanded some 350,000 men in his Third Army. And, as Kershaw notes, “In all, the US Army suffered seventy-five thousand casualties with nineteen thousand men lost in the fighting in the Ardennes, making the battle the deadliest for the US in World War II.” Arrayed against Patton’s men were some 300,000 German troops. One hundred twenty thousand of them ended up killed, wounded, or missing during the battle.

To achieve this thousands of Patton’s troops displayed courage far beyond the call of duty, with 21 Medals of Honor awarded for conspicuous bravery during the battle. And Patton himself repeatedly risked his life to visit his troops at the front. Yet he and many of the men under his command ascribed the victory to the eponymous prayer he had distributed throughout the Third Army. That prayer called for better weather, so the Army’s 8th and 9th Air Forces could provide support from above. And the weather did in fact begin to break on Christmas Eve, the ninth day of the battle.

Did George Patton deserve his reputation?

Abbreviated or casual histories of World War II typically leave readers with two impressions of General Patton. First, that he was Ike’s winningest general, universally feared by the German generals who opposed him in battle. He was the “most feared general on all fronts,” as Kershaw reports. And, second, that he was cruel to the troops under his command, as illustrated by his having slapped two soldiers hospitalized for battle fatigue in Sicily in August 1943. In a furious response, Eisenhower sidelined him from combat until after the early stages of the Normandy invasion.

He was, indeed, the “most feared general on all fronts.”

The first of these impressions is indisputable. Patton was, without question, the most aggressive and skillful of the senior US Army generals during the war. It’s no accident that he began his drive from the beachhead of Normandy to the far reaches of Germany with 250,000 men under his command in the Third Army. He ended the war less than a year later leading a half million troops in 39 divisions. And the men he led often paid the price for his aggression.

“Patton’s Third Army had been in action for nine months and ninety-eight days,” Kershaw writes, “suffering some hundred sixty thousand casualties with more than twenty-seven thousand killed. Almost twenty thousand men were missing in action at war’s end.” But he never lost a battle. And, despite repeated attempts by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to drive into Germany ahead of Patton, he failed again and again while Patton succeeded.

Contrary to the conventional wisdom, he showed compassion and concern for hospitalized men

By contrast, the second element of Patton’s enduring reputation is misleading. It’s true, of course, that Patton refused to believe that shell shock or battle fatigue was anything but malingering, and that did indeed lead him to slap those two soldiers in the Sicily campaign. But Kershaw forcefully insists that “in fact Patton most often showed his deep compassion and concern for his men when he encountered them in hospitals.” He repeatedly risked his life to visit troops on the front lines, and his men loved him for it.

Alex Kershaw succeeds in Patton’s Prayer to convey a balanced picture of George Patton, and the book’s title suggests a long-overlooked aspect of the man’s makeup: his deep religious faith. He firmly believed that his God had favored him in response to a prayer for a break in the weather.

Patton had that prayer, drafted by the Third Army’s chief chaplain, printed and distributed to every soldier in the army. And “[e]verywhere he went,” an investigator at the end of the war noted, “he found men in Patton’s Third Army who ‘believed—firmly believed—that God’ had answered Patton’s prayer.”

Men in battle turn to religion more readily than they do in peacetime. So, doubtless, that prayer did in fact help boost morale and confidence in his troops. The upshot is that no one can truly understand George Patton without an appreciation for his faith.

About the author

British journalist and public speaker Alex Kershaw is the author of a dozen nonfiction books, ten of which are about World War II. Many, including Patton’s Prayer, have been bestsellers. Kershaw was born in York, England, in 1966 and studied politics, philosophy and economics at University College, Oxford, and taught history for a time before turning to work as a journalist at The Guardian, The Independent and The Sunday Times.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a grandson of a 101st Airborne paratrooper, I especially enjoyed the fleshed-out stories I heard handed down.
Focused and intense with good writing. A period piece I enjoyed.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations.” (p.16)

Patton’s most famous prayer was the one he ordered the Third Army chaplain Msgr. James H. O’Neill to write in early December 1944, as rains were bogging down the Army’s progress, during the Battle of The Bulge. Patton’s Third Army fought its way through to relieve the Americans desperately battling to defeat the attacking German forces at the Battle of Bastogne. The weather was atrocious and Allied air power was useless. Patton had a prayer written for good weather. The skies cleared after Patton prayed the weather prayer, and Allied air power was unleashed on the attacking Germans. Divine intervention, Patton come on. I have always wondered about General George Patton and his sometimes-puzzling spiritual journey.

Not so much a story of the famous prayer, Kershaw still makes it a point in this book enough to make it the title of the book and plays an important part, but it also is a thorough biography of Patton’s final year. It contains new material not in any other Patton book I’ve read. The idea of the famous prayer and Patton’s relationship with the chaplain corps at large run in and out of the story, but the main effort is focused on Patton’s wartime activities in the final year of his life.

I like Kershaw's theme and different approach to writing Patton's legacy in the Battle of the Bulge. He shows Patton as he was larger than life religious but not without lapses in judgement. Kershaw shows him as a hero with flaws but a General who was one of our military's greatest leaders. Many of us will argue Divine Intervention, where God becomes actively involved in changing some situation in human affairs. I am sure each one of us has used prayer sometime in our life. Prayer is a way of inviting God to join you in life's struggles, but foul mouth Patton that is hard to believe. Kershaw's Patton prayed to do his best, he prayed for solace in times of trouble, and he prayed for victory in times of war. This was a different spin on a story that had me thinking. Thanks to Alex Kershaw for putting his special touch to a story about a great American general!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 stars)

This is a fascinating, fairly short book that covers George Patton and the 3rd Army group during and after the Battle of the Bulge in late 1944. The weather was awful and favored the Germans as they attacked and eventually surrounded U.S. troops in Bastogne. Patton got so frustrated with the weather that he asked his chaplain to come up with a prayer to hand out to the whole army to pray for better weather. The chaplain did; the soldiers prayed; and good weather came. Those are the facts.

The most interesting thing about the book is Patton himself who is undoubtedly the most colorful and interesting character in all of World War II. He was deeply religious, but horribly blunt and crude in his language. He was terribly vain, and yet always spoke of the achievements of the 3rd army by giving credit to the men over himself. He was undoubtedly an excellent combat leader, but a real failure at the end of the war when he was supposed to govern a section of Germany. He often said that the perfect ending for a warrior like him would be to get killed by the last bullet on the last day of the last battle.

Indeed, his hubris and vanity are seen in his one real crucial mistake when he sent off a section of his army to free a POW camp. The Germans caught the force and ended up killing or injuring a major portion of it, and there really was no tactical benefit to the move. He seems to have done it to get the glory for doing it and his son-in-law was a prisoner there.

Patton ended up dying in the most mundane way possible, a car accident in post-war Germany in which he broke his neck and was paralyzed. He died from the injuries after a few weeks.

Anyway, Patton makes for fascinating reading and this was a fascinating book.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kershaw gives a pretty flattering account of a very controversial american general with an extraordinary role in WWII.
One question whose definitive answer we may never know is if Patton's ego and self-serving drive to destroy a retreating German army in a race to Berlin saved more lives in the end than otherwise would have been lost in a longer war.

Because of politics and deals with Stalin, Berlin (and hence most of eastern Europe) would end up spoils for the Soviets. Patton would have opted to continue the war to defeat our ally who paid the highest price in the defeat of the Nazis. Eisenhower had to fire Patton in the end.

The biggest fascination for me (and also regret) was that I have a long deceased relative who fought and suffered under Patton in France and into Germany. It would have been a wonderful experience to read the book together and retrace where he was each day as Patton's 3rd army is tasked to rescue the green US troops who are being overrun by a surprise last ditch attack by Hitler to break through the allies, reach the coast, and then negotiate a settlement.

Kershaw's rather unquestioned acceptance of Patton's 'faith' that a prayer to God to clear the skies in mid December would be answered in time to provide relief to the americans surrounded by the elite Tiger panzer groups in Bastogne France, would have inflamed my relative who disproved the cliche that there were no atheists in foxholes.

A lot of men died unnecessarily on both sides because of enormous egos.

A spoiler: Patton whose wish was to die as a soldier on the last day of the last battle instead escaped many near misses during the war only to die not too long after the war's end from non-military related injuries.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Patton was a complex man who was at the same time devout and profane. Blood and Guts - per the soldiers under his command - our blood and his guts. His boldness in war cost lives and won battles. He was both brave and foolhardy. He was vicious ( slapping a GI with battle fatigue ) and tender hearted - weeping with his injured soldiers. Although I do not believe in a god who chooses his actions in the world - with all the assassination attempts upon Hitler's life did god say I will protect him because this whole war thing will be interesting... I think not. Patton, however, did believe in prayer and had a chaplain write a prayer for the weather to clear to help him rescue the 101st Airborne and other troops trapped at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Copies were given to 3rd army. If it provided comfort to the soldiers during this horrible battle, bless them. Probably only Patton could turn an entire army 90 degrees to the north in the time he did. Montgomery was closer, but he liked glory more than battle. In some ways I wish the book had ended when Patton was triumphant and successful, as his death was ignominious and tragic. The attempt to rescue the POW's at Hammelburg was a criminal endeavour. Could it be that the presence of his son-in-law in the camp clouded his wisdom? Mr. Kershaw is an excellent author. Even though I knew all the history I was reading, the personal stories made everything very real. If you wish to read about Hitler's final blitzkrieg to win the war, I highly recommend this book. Kristi & Abby Tabby

[David Eppenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

As WWII is not a very serious interest of mine I do not go out of my way to read books covering that war unless there is a good reason. One good reason for reading a WWII history is that it is written by Alex Kershaw so when I ran across this book in my continuing search to restock my TBR shelf I bought it.

My appreciation for Kershaw's work is based on the fact that most of his books deal with war from the perspective of the frontline soldiers and sailors. His books give the reader a real feel for what these men went through like no other author that I have discovered so far. His books contain real tension, fear, horror, and sadness and bring the history alive and its impact more enduring. This book continues my regard for this author and his treatment of history even a history I don't particularly care for.

This book is about General George Patton and the Third Army in WWII from the lead up to the Battle of the Bulge until the end of WWII and Patton's untimely accidental death. As it is primarily about the battle and how it was dealt with it doesn't have as much of the GI perspective as in his other books but there is enough here to still give the reader a feel for the battle and the conditions under which it was fought. However, since it focused on Patton and the Third Army it doesn't present the full story of or the entirety of the Battle of the Bulge which may disappoint some readers but that wasn't the aim of book. I was satisfied that the author achieved what he wanted and I appreciated the story. Enjoy.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

4++ stars. Exceptionally well researched and documented history of the Third U.S. Army and a chaplain's prayer that helped win the Battle of the Bulge. As fast paced and hard hitting as Patton himself, this book looks at one of America’s greatest victories against some of the worst conditions ever. Kershaw has a way with covering the story from the foxhole up to 30,000 feet seamlessly. This is the second of his books I have read – the other being “The Liberator” – and I have enjoyed both immensely.

One important point Kershaw points out that otherwise is not widely covered in WWII histories is that many of the American divisions were so inexperienced to combat, so green as Patton described it, that they were a detriment to themselves. There is a quote in Stephen Ambrose’s book “The Victors,” which was a British officer’s observations about the American units. He noted that we were really good at forming, organizing, and equipping whole divisions from scratch but we did not stock them with combat experienced officers and NCO and did not training them for the long haul. The results were horrendous casualties and a very short life for those divisions. Kershaw’s mention is only the second time I have read about that problem.

One note: I read this in the large print edition and want to say how much I appreciate the fact that Kershaw makes these available because they are so much easier for an old soldier’s eyes to read.