About the Book
From an acclaimed military historian, the interlocking lives of three of the most important and consequential generals in World War II
Born in the two decades prior to World War I, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and Erwin Rommel became among the most recognized and successful military leaders of the 20th century. However, as acclaimed military historian Lloyd Clark reveals in his penetrating and insightful braided chronicle of their lives, they charted very different, often interrupted, paths to their ultimate leadership positions commanding hundreds of thousands of troops during World War II and celebrated as heroes in the United States, Britain, and Germany.
Patton was born into a military family and from an early age felt he was destined for glory; following a disjointed childhood, Montgomery found purpose and direction in a military academy; Rommel's father was a former officer, so his pursuit of a military career was logical. Having ascended to the middle ranks, each faced battle for the first time in World War I, a searing experience that greatly influenced their future approach to war and leadership. When war broke out again in 1939, Montgomery and Rommel were immediately engaged, while Patton chafed until the U.S. joined the Allies in 1942 and the three men, by then generals, collided in North Africa in 1943, and then again, climactically, in France after D-Day in 1944.
Weaving letters, diary extracts, official reports, and other documents into his original narrative, recounting dramatic battles as they developed on the ground and at headquarters, Clark also explores the controversies that swirled around Patton, Montgomery, and Rommel throughout their careers, sometimes threatening to derail them. Ultimately, however, their unique abilities to bridge the space between leader and led cemented their legendary reputations.
About the Author :
LLOYD CLARK is co-founder of the Centre for Army Leadership, British Army, at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and Professor of Modern War Studies, Humanities Research Institute, University of Buckingham. One of the U.K.'s leading military historians, he is the author of several books including Blitzkrieg, The Battle of the Tanks, Crossing the Rhine, and Anzio.
Review :
Praise for The Commanders:
"In The Commanders, Mr. Clark fixes his focus on the intersection of personality and military leadership through the prism of three individualists. Details such as teaching styles, sense of theater and interactions with soldiers create wonderful three-dimensional models of the war's iconic leaders."--Jonathan W. Jordan, Wall Street Journal
"A fascinating group portrait of three of WWII's most innovative and illustrious generals . . . Brimming with incisive character sketches and strategic analysis, this is a captivating study of leadership in action."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Engaging . . . Military history buffs and those wanting to learn about leadership and management styles from three important men of the 20th century will likely eagerly consume this tremendous work."--Library Journal (starred review)
"A veteran military historian delves into the leadership qualities of three iconic World War II commanders . . . Astute and entertaining."--Kirkus Reviews
"Utterly fascinating. Lloyd Clark demonstrates his deep and wide-ranging knowledge in this compelling new look at three of the most iconic commanders of World War II. With genuinely fresh insights, immense wisdom and thought-provoking analysis, this is a superb account of these three men, divided by different nationalities but with uncanny similarities in ambition, character and motivation."--James Holland, author of Normandy '44 and Brothers in Arms
"Lloyd Clark continues his run of first-class military history with this insightful investigation of the best three generals from each of the major armies on the Western Front in the Second World War. This treble-biography highlights both the interaction of these commanders with each other, and where they stood in the constantly shifting command structure of their own sides. It's intensely readable, well-researched and stuffed full of leadership lessons for the modern day, plus the intense rivalry of Monty and Patton is one of the great stories of the war, and has never been told better."--Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny
"Lloyd Clark is a skillful raconteur weaving together the military biographies of three of WWII's crucial commanders. Through new scholarship and expert analysis, Clark provides a fresh look at these men and their leadership that changed history. Fast-paced, vivid, and compelling, the book belongs in the hands of anyone interested in the importance of leadership in the midst of conflict."--Patrick K. O'Donnell, bestselling author of Dog Company and The Indispensables
Praise for Blitzkreig:
"Provides a good battlefield view of a crucial phase of World War II . . . More than earlier studies, like Alistair Horne's To Lose a Battle, Clark focuses not on generals and premiers but on the voices and experiences of the soldiers involved."--New York Times Book Review
"A particularly successful synergy of correspondence and interviews, archival material from four countries, and the massive body of published literature . . . Lloyd Clark-a prolific military historian and a master of sources-makes a strong case for an alternative perspective . . . Emphasizes operational and tactical evidence to persuasively argue that the 1940 campaign was decided not by tanks and dive-bombers alone, but through an updating of German military experience infused, but not dominated, by technology."--World War II Magazine
"Paints a very different look at the German victory . . . Clark does an excellent job of describing the first critical five days of the campaign . . . A well-balanced narrative that highlights the knife-edge victory of the German forces."--New York Journal of Books
"A masterly account teeming with vivid personalities and the usual mixture of heroism, incompetence, and luck . . . Clark provides plenty of juicy details and a mildly controversial reinterpretation."--Kirkus Reviews
"This genuinely revisionist account of the Battle of France in 1940 proves a deeply shocking fact--we are essentially still in thrall to the view of Blitzkrieg tactics that Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels wanted us to have, even over three-quarters of a century later . . . Clark is excellent at showing the interaction between decisions taken by staffs and the terrifying reality on the ground, and elevates the vital contributions of a number of German generals . . . Above all, this fine military historian satisfactorily answers for the first time the key question: Why did Blitzkrieg tactics work so effectively in May 1940 when the Allies had already seen the way they'd ripped through Poland's defences a full nine months earlier?"--Andrew Roberts, New York Times bestselling author of The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War and Napoleon: A Life
"A breakthrough book, bringing the drama of Hitler's May 1940 offensive in France vividly to life--alongside a major re-appraisal of the campaign's significance. Excellent."--Michael Jones, author of After Hitler and Total War
"A lucid, intelligent and thought-provoking re-appraisal of a campaign never satisfactorily covered since Alastair Horne's To Lose a Battle in 1969. His groundbreaking detailed research will make it the seminal work on the fall of France in 1940. The story of the break-through unfolds at a fascinating and cracking pace. His revisionist re-interpretation of an oft studied campaign skillfully interweaves tensions at staff with the brutal realities their decisions had on the ground. Blitzkrieg is a remarkable book that will reshape many of the traditional assertions made about this battle."--Robert Kershaw, author of 24 Hours at the Somme, 24 Hours at Waterloo, and It Never Snows in September
