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Who were some great generals?

This book is a great read that goes into the lives of World War II three greatest genereals.

Terry Brighton

Description:
In Patton, Montgomery, Rommel, one of Britain's most accomplished military scholars presents an unprecedented study of the land war in the North African and European theaters, as well as their chief commanders—three men who also happened to be the most compelling dramatis personae of World War II.

Beyond spellbinding depictions of pivotal confrontations at El Alamein, Monte Cassino, and the Ardennes forest, author-scholar Terry Brighton illuminates the personal motivations and historical events that propelled the three men's careers: how Patton's, Montgomery's, and Rommel's Great War experiences helped to mold their style of command—and how, exactly, they managed to apply their arguably megalomaniacal personalities (and hitherto unrecognized political acumen and tact) to advance their careers and strategic vision.

Opening new avenues of inquiry into the lives and careers of three men widely profiled by scholars and popular historians alike, Brighton definitively answers numerous lingering and controversial questions: Was Patton really as vainglorious in real life as he was portrayed to be on the silver screen?—and how did his tireless advocacy of "mechanized cavalry" forever change the face of war? Was Monty's dogged publicity-seeking driven by his own need for recognition or by his desire to claim for Britain a leadership role in postwar global order?—and how did this prickly "commoner" manage to earn affection and esteem from enlisted men and nobility alike? How might the war have ended if Rommel had had more tanks?—and what fundamental philosophical difference between him and Hitler made such an outcome virtually impossible?

Abetted by new primary source material and animated by Terry Brighton's incomparable storytelling gifts, Patton, Montgomery, Rommel offers critical new interpretations of the Second World War as it was experienced by its three most flamboyant, controversial, and influential commanders—and augments our understanding of each of their perceptions of war and leadership

One of my favorite German generals during World War II.

David Fraser

Description:
An in-depth biography of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, written with the cooperation of Rommel's son, by a renowned military analyst and historian. Fraser examines Rommel's military career in both WWI and WWII, and explores Rommel's possible involvement in the plot against Hitler that lead to Rommel's forced suicide. 16-page photo insert; 10 maps

A book on Patton's Account during World War II.



Description:
First published in 1947, War As I Knew It is the captivating memoir of George S. Patton, Jr., the legendary American general, incendiary warrior, and unparalleled military tactician of World War II. Drawing on his vivid memories of battle and detailed diaries, Patton dramatically recounts his celebrated Third Army's sweeping campaign across Western Europe right up to the final Allied casualty report. The result is a remarkable frontline view of daily strategies and heroic drives—including the rescue of the Battle of the Bulge from Allied infamy and the triumphant Palatinate Campaign—revealing a fascinating portrait of the full-of-vinegar, controversial commander. With selected prefatory letters from Patton's earlier ventures in North Africa and Sicily and a powerful concluding retrospective, War As I Knew It is a classic of American military history.

Please post about your favorite general. They can be from any time period.

Julius Caesar once won a battle which ended with 430,000 Germans dead with the Romans having a few injured. Although the Germans were men, women and children the German calvary did attempt to harrass the Romans. The Empire required safe frontiers and this sort of thing went a log way insuring that.

Thanks for posting Paul. Is there any books that you could recommend about Ceasar? If there is could you please post them with cover and author.

Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician
Cicero public life story in intertwined with Caesar's. This book is a very instructive book of the Roman Republic. It also is quite telling of how Caesar manuvered his way to Council of Rome.

Is it a book on Roman conquest, or is it geared more towards the political background.

It is mostly politics, but reading it before I read Ceasar's Civil War, I enjoyed the Civil War more, it set the stage. The Civil War is all strategy, fighting, etc.

I don't know much about generals, but some I already read about are really interesting, such as Rommel and Kutuzov.

Silvana, a couple of suggestion regarding generals of WWII:
The Supreme Commander: The War Years Of General Dwight D. Eisenhower by Stephen Ambrose, Patton: A Genius For War by Carlo D'Este.

Dr. Michael do you believe Rommel played a serious part in the attempted assasination of Hitler on July 20? There has been many doubts on how much Rommel actually knew of the plot.

According to David Fraser in his book Knight's Cross: A Life Of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Rommel was aware of the Stauffenberg plot but had no active part in it and made no athorities aware of the plot.
There is no mention of Rommel's involvement in Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager's book Valkyrie. von Boeselager was one of the plotters.

Yes, that is what I thought. I know after the war Rommel was believed to be one of the plotters. But it was never proved. I know Rommel's wife and son, Manfred attempted to clear his name after the war.

I also found this in Pierre Galante's book Operation Valkyrie that Rommel had been sympathetic towards the conspiracy but refused to declare himself until after Hitler's death.

Yes, he was suppose to take control after the assasination of Hitler.

Actually, I really like George Washington. I think he did a lot considering what he he had to work with.

Certainly the Civil War produced some great generals.

Your question makes me want to know more about generals (in general?). I am intrigued with Rommel and would like to know more about him. Your suggestion in post 2 looks like a good place to start.

Diane,
It is a very good book that gives you the background of Rommel, Patton, and Montgomery. I recommed it if you would like to learn more about those three generals.

Thanks Martin. I will try to get to that one in the next few months. After every few war books I read I usually have to stick in something light from another genre. I find that I get depressed if I don't. I may suggest the above book to my future history teacher son-in-law. He loves reading about Rommel.