| A General's Life - an autobiography
(1983)
|
| Front Cover |
Book Details |
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| Genre |
Biography; Non-Fiction |
| Subject |
Bradley, Omar Nelson, 1893-1981; Generals - United States - Biography; United States - History, Military - 20th Century; United States. Army - Biography |
| Publication Date |
February 1983 |
| Format |
Hardcover (9.3
x
6.3
mm)
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| Publisher |
Simon & Schuster |
| Language |
English |
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|
| Description |
| Draws on Bradley's diaries and papers to recount his experiences as American commander at Normandy, as ground-war strategist in Europe, and as first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| Personal Details |
| Acquire Date |
6/10/2010 |
| Condition |
Very Good/Good |
| Rating |
0 |
| Links |
Library of Congress
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|
| Product Details |
| LoC Classification |
E745 .B693 1983 |
| Dewey |
940.54210924 |
| ISBN |
9780671410230 |
| Cover Price |
$22.95 |
| No. of Pages |
752 |
| First Edition |
No |
| Rare |
No |
|
| Notes/Review |
This is a not-quite whole-life biography of Omar Bradley, who rose in rank to 4-star general and led the largest fighting force in US history. He also served as the head of the Veterans Administration, as Army Chief of Staff, and as the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His story ends with his stepping down from the JCS, leaving nearly three decades to be covered in five or six pages.
I'm calling this a biography rather than a memoir. It arose from a memoir Bradley started in 1971 but this book was fundamentally written by Clay Blair. I'd say he was more than a ghostwriter but less than the author.
I found the book to be quite fair and balanced. I've read quite a bit about Eisenhower, Patton, Montgomery, Marshall, and MacArthur, who are the main characters in the story. Bradley reinforces the views I'd derived from this reading: that Ike wasn't a great battlefield leader but more of a politician, that Patton was deeply flawed, that Monty and MacArthur were among the most egotistical figures of the mid-20th century, that Marshall was indespensable. Through all that reading, Bradley was often mentioned but never really fleshed out, so I'm happy to finally get a good understanding of the man.
Bradley did publish an earlier memoir, concentrating on the World War II years. I haven't read it, and after reading this one have decided it would serve no purpose. WW II is covered here in pretty good detail, and it includes some declassified material that he couldn't include in the earlier book.
Anyone who has a good grasp of the fighting in North Africa, Sicily, and after Normandy may find a lot of the material here a bit redundant. But there is some interesting information: he doesn't just cover the "what happened" but also the "why it was this way" and the debates about strategy.
Many years ago, my father asked me who I thought was the best US General in WWII. He made the case for Marshall. Giving the question more thought, now many years later, I've decided it isn't a good question. There are all sorts of Generals. Marshall and Ike weren't battlefield Generals. And there's a significant difference between the leader of a single division and the leader of an Army Group. I don't know that I have a better answer to the question than way back then, but I'd have to put Bradley near the top of the list of battlefield Generals in the US Army during WWII. |
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