The Fighting Pattons

What was it like to fight against one of the most hard-driving generals in history? He is remembered as an officer with few equals, a leader who attained legendary status while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. Nicknamed 'Old Blood and Guts,' he was also well known for his hard attitude, eccentricities, and controversial outspokenness. But no matter the image or label attached to his name, few will dispute General George S. Patton Jr.'s place as a truly timeless figure in the annals of military history. In Fighting Patton, U.S. international affairs analyst Harry Yeide is the first to examine this legendary leader through the eyes of his enemies: the opposing German commanders of WWII. Featuring hundreds of unpublished unit reports, officer accounts, and telephone transcripts all uncovered during Yeide's extensive exploration of German wartime records - Fighting Patton exposes the German perspective on how and why they lost their battles with Patton's forces. This truly unique narrative follows Patton's rise through the ranks in the Mexican Expedition and World War I as well as his many campaigns throughout World War II, from Tunisia, Sicily, and Normandy to Lorraine, the Bulge, and the heart of Germany. The result is a fresh, fascinating, and beautifully illustrated take on one of the most storied figures of twentieth-century warfare.

The father was a legendary hero whose fame had a profound influence over his son, who was determined to make a mark on his own terms. The Fighting Pattons is their story. The elder Patton gained renown during World War II as a fearless commander devoted to his men. A complex figure driven by his knowledge of history and warfare, he was a professional soldier who loved the art of war and hated war itself. The younger Patton also lived an eventful life; he participated in the Berlin Airlift, served in Korea, and proved his valor during three tours of duty in Vietnam. A wealth of previously unpublished information, plus interviews with family, friends, and figures such as Richard Nixon and General William Westmoreland, make a fascinating history of an American military family.

Many German officers would later say Patton was the most important weapon in the American arsenal. A complex man driven by his knowledge of history and warfare, the elder Patton was compassionate and easily moved to tears. He was a professional soldier who loved the art of war and hated war itself. The younger Patton has also lived a most exciting life, having been acquainted with many of the famous names in political and military history. Together, father and son logged.

These words may seem to have been written by an advance infantry unit or a combat brigade, carrying out an assault against entrenched enemy troops. Instead, this hair-raising narrative comes from the diary of “B” Company of the 1303rd Engineer General Service Regiment, a “non-combat” unit attached to Patton’s Third Army during his epic pursuit of the retreating German forces across France during August, 1944. Though the 1303rd (called “the thirteen-third” by its soldiers) was supposed to perform its duties outside the zone of armed conflict, these men found themselves acting as the southern flank of Patton’s rapid advance. More than once, they had to re-build bridges the Germans had hastily destroyed in order to permit the continued advance of American troops—often doing so under enemy fire. Twice they were called upon to deploy as infantry in holding back German attacks. Careful editing and annotation by military historian Joseph C. Fitzharris corrects occasional lapses in the diary, clarifies references, and provides important context for following the movements and understanding the importance of Company B, the 1303rd, and its sister regiments. Patton’s Fighting Bridge Builders rewards its readers with a new understanding of both the messiness and the bravery of the Second World War.

“An engaging and often frightening story” of a member of the 305th Engineering Battalion of the 80th Infantry Division (Andrew Z. Adkins III, coauthor of You Can’t Get Much Closer Than This). A Combat Engineer with Patton’sArmy is the untold story of Frank Lembo, one of George Patton’s men who helped move the American command in the battle of Argentan in the Normandy Campaign, in the high-speed pursuit of the German Wehrmacht eastward across France, and in the brutal battles waged during the Battle of the Bulge and during the final combats along the borders of the collapsing Reich. Throughout his time in Europe, Lembo maintained a running commentary of his experiences with Betty Craig, his fiancée and future wife. This extensive correspondence provides a unique eyewitness view of the life and work of a combat engineer under wartime conditions. As a squad (and later platoon) leader, Frank and his comrades cleared mines, conducted reconnaissance behind enemy lines, built bridges, and performed other tasks necessary to support the movement of the 317th, 318th, and 319th Infantry Regiments of the Blue Ridge Division—Patton’s workhorses, if not his glamour boys. Frank’s letters go beyond his direct combat experiences to include the camaraderie among the GIs, living conditions, weather, and the hijinks that helped keep the constant threat of death at bay. His letters also worked to reassure Betty with hopeful dreams for their future together. Including dozens of previously unpublished photographs, A Combat Engineer with Patton’s Army offers the rare perspective of what day-to-day warfare at the ground-level looked like in the European Theater through the eyes of one of the men spearheading the advance.

The personal and candid account of General Patton's celebrated, relentless crusade across western Europe during World War II First published in 1947, War as I Knew It is an absorbing narrative that draws from Patton's vivid memories of battle and his detailed diaries, covering the moment the Third Army exploded onto the Brittany Peninsula to the final Allied casualty report. The result is not only a grueling, human account of daily combat and heroic feats--including a riveting look at the Battle of the Bulge--but a valuable chronicle by one of the most brilliant military strategists in history. Patton's letters from earlier military campaigns in North Africa and Sicily, complemented by a powerful retrospective of his guiding philosophies, further reveal a man of uncompromising will and uncommon character, which made "Georgie" a household name in mid-century America.

DIVIn Fighting Patton, noted historian Harry Yeide is the first to examine legendary U.S. General George S. Patton Jr. through the eyes of his enemies: the opposing German commanders of WWII./div

A stirring World War II combat story of how the legendary George Patton reinvigorated a defeated and demoralized army corps, and how his men claimed victory over Germany’s most-feared general, Erwin Rommel “Moore brings you to the battlefield and into the mind of a fearless military genius.”—Brian Kilmeade, bestselling author of The President and the Freedom Fighter • “Essential reading.”—Kevin Maurer, #1 NYT bestselling coauthor of No Easy Day • “[Moore] has a smooth prose style and a firm grasp of detail.”—The Wall Street Journal In March 1943, in their first fight with the Germans, American soldiers in North Africa were pushed back fifty miles by Rommel’s Afrika Korps and nearly annihilated. Only the German decision not to pursue them allowed the Americans to maintain a foothold in the area. General Eisenhower, the supreme commander, knew he needed a new leader on the ground, one who could raise the severely damaged morale of his troops. He handed the job to a new man: Lieutenant General George Patton. Charismatic, irreverent, impulsive, and inspiring, Patton possessed a massive ego and the ambition to match. But he could motivate men to fight. He had just ten days to whip his dispirited troops into shape, then throw them into battle against the Wehrmacht’s terrifying Panzers, the speedy and powerful German tanks that U.S. forces had never defeated. Patton, who believed he had fought as a Roman legionnaire in a previous life, relished the challenge to turn the tide of America’s fledgling war against Hitler—and the chance to earn a fourth star.