Rating: 
Summary: Revisionist History
Review: Professor Hirshson spent eleven years writing this thinly veiled character assassination of a great field commander. Hirshson makes the wild claim that Patton's fiery speeches directly resulted in atrocities in the Italian campaign. This is pure speculation and impossible to support given the other well documented instances of spontaneous atrocities on the battlefield by the allies, in particular the British, Canadians and Russians. Furthermore, the author describes a civilian riot put down by allied fire as an atrocity. Hirshson also liberally quotes from sources with known animosity toward Patton. Wood, Devers, etc. were self-serving in their comments and Hughes was the worst of the lot. The most disappointing aspect of this book is what's missing. I had expected that Hirshson, as a biographer of General W.T. Sherman, would have spent some time drawing an analogy between their careers al la Victor Davis Hanson's book The Soul of Battle. Sherman and Patton were both great generals who cut wide swaths through the enemy with their armies. Both men were considered crazy by many of their peers. Both men's careers were jeopardized because of political naivete. In summary, this book is an hysterical portrayal of Patton and should be read only after more balanced accounts.
Rating:
Summary: Revisionist History
Review: Quite frankly, this is a dreadful book. It begins with an unbelievably self-serving and pompous introduction, in which the author strives to awe the reader with his credentials and the extent of his research, which sound most impressive, then proceeds to create a "biography" of dismaying shallowness and superficiality. While Hirshson repeatedly empahsizes the "freshness" and "newness" of his book, in truth the text lacks the personal insights and details of Ladislas Farago's "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph," while at the same time falling far short of the military analysis--both in the area of strategy and tactics as well as the realities of military life--that are the hallmarks of Carlo D'Este's "Patton: A Genius for War." Both are immeasurably superior to Hirschson's work. The reader is left with the distinct impression that the only times Hirschson went to any great lengths to analyze and interpret the wealth of material he allegedly accessed were in those passages where he sought to portray Patton as a proto-fascist or as the instigator of wartime atrocities. At the same time, some of the most significant events in Patton's career, particularly in his service in the ETO, are either given short shrift or ignored altogether by Hirschson. In doing so he has done a great disservice to the profession of historian. Equally disturbing is his prediliction for giving credence and lending authority to the military opinions of officers who never served at the command level that Patton did, but who felt themselves "qualified" to pass judgment on Patton's fitness for command and the decisions he made as commander of the Seventh and later Third Armies. Hirschson also makes a great song-and-dance over Patton's dismissal from command of the Fifteenth Army, building a myth that Patton's dismissal has been fraudulently presented to the American public as having been done in response to his anti-Soviet sentiments rather than his refusal to comply with Allied de-Nazification decrees. ... The [money] that would be spent on this book would be better spent on Farago and/or D'Este.
Rating:
Summary: A Disgrace to the Profession of Historian
Review: Quite frankly, this is a dreadful book. It begins with an unbelievably self-serving and pompous introduction, in which the author strives to awe the reader with his credentials and the extent of his research, which sound most impressive, then proceeds to create a "biography" of dismaying shallowness and superficiality. While Hirshson repeatedly empahsizes the "freshness" and "newness" of his book, in truth the text lacks the personal insights and details of Ladislas Farago's "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph," while at the same time falling far short of the military analysis--both in the area of strategy and tactics as well as the realities of military life--that are the hallmarks of Carlo D'Este's "Patton: A Genius for War." Both are immeasurably superior to Hirschson's work. The reader is left with the distinct impression that the only times Hirschson went to any great lengths to analyze and interpret the wealth of material he allegedly accessed were in those passages where he sought to portray Patton as a proto-fascist or as the instigator of wartime atrocities. At the same time, some of the most significant events in Patton's career, particularly in his service in the ETO, are either given short shrift or ignored altogether by Hirschson. In doing so he has done a great disservice to the profession of historian. Equally disturbing is his prediliction for giving credence and lending authority to the military opinions of officers who never served at the command level that Patton did, but who felt themselves "qualified" to pass judgment on Patton's fitness for command and the decisions he made as commander of the Seventh and later Third Armies. Hirschson also makes a great song-and-dance over Patton's dismissal from command of the Fifteenth Army, building a myth that Patton's dismissal has been fraudulently presented to the American public as having been done in response to his anti-Soviet sentiments rather than his refusal to comply with Allied de-Nazification decrees. ... The [money] that would be spent on this book would be better spent on Farago and/or D'Este.
Rating: 
Summary: Review (General Patton: A Soldier's Life)
Review: Stanley P. Hirshson's "General Patton: A Soldier's Life" is an average book. Leveraging the preface, Mr. Hirshson seems to offer an apology and justification to prepare the reader for the journey he is about to embark. Mr. Hirshson writes, "I take issue with the way previous biographies of Patton have been researched. Incomplete research has, in my opinion, led to interpretations that are at best dubious." Published within a few years of Carlo D'Este's single volume biography of General Patton, Mr. Hirshson seems to rely not on his ability to present a compelling biography, but rather on his determination to find fault or deficiencies in the efforts of previous authors.Mr. Hirshson does present new and previously unmentioned events and anecdotes regarding the General. However, he goes out of his way to put a different spin on a number of well-known and universally accepted facts surrounding the Man. With 60 years of research and scrutiny relative to General Patton, it is difficult to believe that Mr. Hirshson is accurate in each of his claims. These claims come across as a desperate attempt by the author to separate his book from previous works. Several of the claims are, when viewed in context of the whole, unimportant. The single exception to this is the author's account of the atrocities committed in Sicily. Mr. Hirshson makes the absurd argument that these atrocities were the result of Patton's fire breathing and warlike speeches to his men. Mr. Hirshson ends the chapter by doing something that is unusual for a book of this type. After spending several pages walking the reader through his interpretation of the atrocities, Mr. Hirshson concludes by offering a half-hearted justification for even including this information. Mr. Hirshson writes, "Of what earthly value is uncovering and writing about such events sixty years after they occurred? The twentieth century might well be labeled the century of bold talk leading to holocausts and ethnic cleansing. The more such tragedies are discussed, perhaps the rarer they will become." Love him or hate him, General Patton is a larger than life figure. Thus, even under the pen of Mr. Hirshson, the General still manages to leap off the page. For the individual who has studied General Patton, Mr. Hirshson's effort at chronicling his life will undoubtedly add to the fascination of the man. For the first time reader of General Patton, the book is bound to leave more questions than answers. The book does not sufficiently provide the background or circumstances necessary to place Patton's decisions, methods, successes, and failures in context. The book spends little time in describing Patton's formative years, his close relationship with his father, his West Point years, and other significant events such as his courtship of his future wife, his service during World War I, or his work in creating the first American tank corps. In bouncing over these important junctures of the General's life, the author misses the opportunity to capture the reader. More importantly, the lack of this detail makes it difficult to follow the General through his own development as a soldier and a Leader. Ultimately, "Patton: A General's Life" falls short in defining the complex, prejudiced, and brilliant General Patton. While socially acceptable behavior may change from generation to generation, the dimensions of the human spirit remain constant. It is with this in mind that one should examine the life of General George S. Patton, Jr.
Rating:
Summary: Good as an introduction or overview to the subject .
Review: The author did an unusual amount of research for this book. It took 12 years to research and write the book. I think it must have been researched as well as it could have been but then the author simply makes a dry listing of facts. The book comes out very large, with maybe a few minor details that were not common knowledge before. It is much less interesting than it should be. I think the author should have spent the extra time in the writing instead of pure research. The few personal ideas the author puts out are questionable in my opinion. For instance, he claims that the two massacres attributed to American troops in Italy were caused by Patton’s fiery speeches before battles. Personally, I don’t believe that would be sufficient cause for such an event. It’s apparent that the author doesn’t like Patton. Maybe I don’t either, but he was the right man for the job he had in the war. I don’t think combat generals should be required to be likable. Patton’s use of tanks in the lightning fast attacks reminiscent of German blitzkrieg was a necessary tactic and only a few American generals realized that need. I thought that a few of the other generals looked worse than Patton in this listing and less competent. Even in this book, Patton is recognized as a tactical genius.
Rating: 
Summary: Revisionism at its best
Review: They called him the best general since stonewall jackson. But in many ways, like the historical fate of Ariel Sharon(another brash military genious), Patton has been attacked. Accused of not obbeying orders in Sicily(which he didnt), accused of doing little more in North Africa then let the Germans surrender(the British sopposedly having already beaten them) and accused of stealing gas tor ace across France while the British and american infantry did most of the work. Well lets analyze this more closely. THis book is a revisionist account. Well researched but badly presented. it starts from the beggining. it does not give Patton the credit he deserves for his genious in the Lousiana Manuevers. Then the author(due to his agenda) must disparige Patton in North Africa. Of course the reality is that the American army was a disaster in N. Africa prior to Patton, he energized the troops(who had been shattered in their first encounters with veteran German units).
Then the author must repeat the accusation the Patton was a failure in Sicily. Lets get this straigt. Patton and his men went three times as far as the British units and crushed twice the opposition, eventually capturing the two biggest cities on the island, and thats a failure. Its only a failure in the eyes of someone who wants everyone tof ollow orders no matter how irrational. patton was unorthodox like Stonewall, thats what wins wars, not textbooks. Patton 'Genious for War' is the superior account. Written by veteran historian Carlo D'Este it presents a balanced and good portrait of this military genious, a true character, a lot better then General Wesly Clark(Ashley Wilkes).
Rating:
Summary: Revisionism at its best
Review: They called him the best general since stonewall jackson. But in many ways, like the historical fate of Ariel Sharon(another brash military genious), Patton has been attacked. Accused of not obbeying orders in Sicily(which he didnt), accused of doing little more in North Africa then let the Germans surrender(the British sopposedly having already beaten them) and accused of stealing gas tor ace across France while the British and american infantry did most of the work. Well lets analyze this more closely. THis book is a revisionist account. Well researched but badly presented. it starts from the beggining. it does not give Patton the credit he deserves for his genious in the Lousiana Manuevers. Then the author(due to his agenda) must disparige Patton in North Africa. Of course the reality is that the American army was a disaster in N. Africa prior to Patton, he energized the troops(who had been shattered in their first encounters with veteran German units).
Then the author must repeat the accusation the Patton was a failure in Sicily. Lets get this straigt. Patton and his men went three times as far as the British units and crushed twice the opposition, eventually capturing the two biggest cities on the island, and thats a failure. Its only a failure in the eyes of someone who wants everyone tof ollow orders no matter how irrational. patton was unorthodox like Stonewall, thats what wins wars, not textbooks. Patton 'Genious for War' is the superior account. Written by veteran historian Carlo D'Este it presents a balanced and good portrait of this military genious, a true character, a lot better then General Wesly Clark(Ashley Wilkes).
Rating:
Summary: GOOD BOOK-BUT NOT GREAT
Review: This biography is splendidly researched, and that counts for a lot in a book that covers as much time and as many events as this one does. But, it is also rather bland. The writing is mechanical, merely an effort to get all the facts in place for the reader. There is never any fire to the words, no sparkle in the sentences.
If you have never read a biography of Patton, this book will do. But, if you happened to have read the wonderful "Genius For War" that came out a few years ago, this work concerning George Patton's life will bore you. There is really no new information here, just a few different interpretations of that info.
I had hoped, when I opened this book, that I would find a brand new take on the life of this fascinating general. However, it wasn't so, and that is not necessarily the fault of Stanley Hirshson. Patton was Patton. He was vibrantly, emphatically "Patton", and he didn't leave a lot of room for anyone to reinterpret his life.
Rating:
Summary: Yep, Revisionist History is right
Review: This book is quite bad with the analysis, and if you want to read a book about Patton's life, D'Este's work is the one to go to. Some of the conclusions are simply lunacy, unfounded in anything but the writers opinion, as mentioned before of Patton's fiery speeches. Did these cause atrocities? Do not even kid me with this. I've read too much to be suckered in by this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Well Researched
Review: This is not a ra-ra book a la "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt". It gives the firm notion that the author didn't approve of many of his actions. It seems that other generals got demoted or sent back for less offense. But this book provides balance to the ra-ra books, and is so well researched, reasoned, and written, that it's engaging. In this it deserves the same number of stars as the General.
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