Lucky Forward The History Of Patton S Third U S Army

A fascinating, intelligent, often humorous memoir of World War II by a remarkable soldier, a scout working behind enemy lines for Patton's famed Third Army on the move.

The WWII diary of a US soldier and Soviet spy who worked closely with General Patton is presented in this fully annotated edition. Robert S. Allen is one of the more controversial figures of the Second World War. After serving in France during World War I, he left the military to start a career as a syndicated columnist, eventually becoming the Washington, DC, bureau chief for the Christian Science Monitor. In that time, he also developed a sideline as a paid informant for the KGB. When American entered World War II, Allen rejoined the army to serve as General Patton's chief of situation and executive officer for operations. He was considered such an authority on Patton after the war that Twentieth Century-Fox asked him to develop a film script about the general. In Forward with Patton, John Nelson Rickard presents a complete, annotated edition of Colonel Allen's World War II diary for 1944-1945. The entries reflect Allen's private thoughts on the Third Army and provide an invaluable perspective on Patton, whom Allen deeply admired.

Patton’s Way is a unique approach to the legend of General George S. Patton Jr. and his development and application of modern warfare. Rather than a biography, Patton’s Way argues that popular representations of Patton are built on misconceptions and incomplete understandings about his approach to battle. Morningstar addresses the contradiction between the historiographical criticism of Patton’s methods and popular appreciation for his successes. The author identifies several schools of thought offering explanations yet, he notes, they all fail to fully comprehend the real Patton. The secret to Patton’s success was a radical and purposely-crafted doctrine developed over several decades. The author identifies four core principles in Patton’s creed: targeting the enemy’s morale through shock; utilizing highly practiced combined arms mechanized columns; relying on mission tactics and flexible command and control; and employing multi-layered and synthesized intelligence systems to identify enemy capabilities and weak spots. These precepts directly contradicted official U.S. Army doctrine and created misunderstandings that led commanders to truncate Patton’s operations in Tunisia, Sicily, and France. Morningstar details how Patton developed and applied each principle and uses the breakout from Normandy as a case study to illustrate Patton’s Way in application. This book discusses the “death and resurrection” of Patton’s ideas in the U.S. Army directly following World War II to the present and comments on the status of Patton’ ideas in the Army today.