by Kevin M. Hymel (Author)
This second of three volumes of Patton's War picks up where the first one left off, examining General George S. Patton's leadership of the U.S. Third Army. The book follows Patton's contributions to both the Normandy and Brittany campaigns--the closing of the Falaise Pocket in Normandy, and racing to the port cities in Brittany. It ends with Patton and his corps rescuing the besieged town of Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge.
As he did in the preceding volume, Hymel relies not only on Patton's diaries and letters, but countless veteran interviews, surveys, and memoirs. He also provides a unique insight missed by previous Patton scholars. Instead of using Patton's transcribed diaries, which were heavily edited and embellished, he consults Patton's original, hand-written diaries to uncover previously unknown information about the general. This second volume of Hymel's groundbreaking work shows Patton at the height of his generalship, successfully leading his army without the mistakes and caustic behavior that almost got him sent home earlier--even if we also see a Patton still guided at times by racism and antisemitism.Author Biography
Kevin M. Hymel (pronounced Heemel) is a contract historian at Arlington National Cemetery and a Historian/Tour Guide of Ambrose Historical Tours, leading the "In Patton's Footsteps" tour. For fifteen years he was the research director of and regular contributor to WWII History and WWII Quarterly. He is the author of four books, including Patton's Photographs: War as He Saw It. His article "Fighting a Two-Front War," in WWII History is being made into the Netflix movie "6888," written and directed by Tyler Perry. Mr. Hymel served as a technical advisor to the film.