Bradley

Great Generals

by Alan Axelrod, Wesley K. Clark (Foreword)

Dubbed by the World War II press as "The GI General" because of his close identification with his men, Omar Bradley rose to command the U. S. 12th Army Group in the European Campaign. By the spring of 1945, this group contained 1,300,000 men--the largest exclusively American field command in U.S. history. Mild mannered, General Bradley was a dedicated mentor, the creator of the Officer Candidate School system, and a methodical tactician who served through World War II. Then, as a five-star general, he lifted the Veterans Administration from corruption and inefficiency to a model government agency, served as U.S. Army chief of staff, first chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and head of NATO. Alan Axelrod applies his signature insight and compelling prose to the life, strategy and legacy of the general who remains the model for all commanders today as the man who revolutionized the National Guard, shaped the US army’s focus on the individual soldier, and emphasized cooperation and coordination among the military services--a cornerstone of modern U.S. military doctrine.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, American History, World War II, Military History, Audiobook

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 26, 2007

About the author

Alan Axelrod, Ph.D., is a prolific author of history, business and management books. As of October 2018, he had written more than 150 books, as noted in an online introduction by Lynn Ware Peek before an interview with Axelrod on the National Public Radio station KPCW. Axelrod resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps Bradley is one of the most overlooked military figures in US history. This short bio does justice to the man who was called "the GI General." Unpretentious and certainly not as colorful as George S. Patton, yet "Brad" represented the characteristics of American military leadership: selflessness, humility, and adaptability with integrity and respect that reflected the democracy he served.

[Al Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent short biography on General Bradley.

Interesting that he didn’t serve overseas during World War 1, ( fought the IWW labor unrest) and thus didn’t adopt the static doctrines of Trench Warfare. Lead him to be more aggressive during WW2.

[Ray Shin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome and well balanced warrior. Very admirable.

[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under-rated general that played a pivotal role in WWII. It is good to see the interplay between the giants-Patton, Eisenhower, Marshall, Montgomery, et.al. Did you know Gen Bradley spent a significant portion of his career teaching at various schools? His strategic role did not manifest until WWII. Or did you know that he conceptualized the OCS model? Great read about a great leader.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

For all of the WWII movies and books that I've read, there has been relatively little about General Omar Bradley. So, I thought this would be a good chance to learn his story and how he effected the outcome of WWII. My expectations were that this would be a deep biography of Bradley; I was disappointed in this it was a relatively high-level story of his major accomplishments. My lesson, if you want a biography, read a biography. Still I can tell you that I did learn about about Bradley that I did not know. This was a relatively short book and worth the time to gain the historical knowledge.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Axelrod creates an excellent picture of a soldier's general. A leader passionate about his men. Knew that! War correspondent Ernie Pyle gave him that nickname. The book is a lot about his early life ,USMA '15 as well as middle life between WWI and WWII. Then, he finally gets a command and it's the middle of WWII. The book spins a lot of wheels around his commands and movement between confusing Army commands in WWII. For example, what's an Army Group? It's a group of Armies. i though that the US Army is an Army? Not so. Anyway, confusing to us non Army folks. At the end, author spent very little time, a sentence or two about his post WWII time, as the VA chief, first NATO General and the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs--two significant achievements glossed over. No words at all about his retirement. The book just ended.

[Richard Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-balanced and informative biography of Bradley. The book is a sensible length but remains jam-packed with info and, most importantly, lessons to be learned. Treat this as an introductory book as there are plenty of other tombs out there if you want to go into loads of detail. I would also recommend reading this book alongside Axelrod's biography of Patton as not only did the two greats work together lots before and during WW2 but they are also diametrically opposite in style and character. The comparison is fascinating.

It gets top marks from me.

[David Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok but not as good as A Soldier's Story or Jim DeFelice's bio on Bradley. Not for a more established reader on WW 2 or Bradley.

[Barry Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise biography of Omar Bradley's pre-WWII, WWII, and post-WWII life.

[Pmuldary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bradley the General

Excellent review of Bradley, his capability and his lasting impact of the United States military of today. Highly recommended reading.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent introduction to the life of a humble and often overlooked military leader. His influence is still present in modern leadership. Bradley and Nimitz were both advanced far past their contemporaries to provide leadership to meet the needs of the time.

[Jeffrey Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well written and a very good summary of A General's Life, but that was all it accomplished. Now this in itself is a feat as Bradley's works (both of them including a Soldier's Story) are very lengthy and contain a lot of detail; however, the author only cites several sources. Furthermore, the author did very little extra-research and includes no rarer writings or library archives. Also, my own issue and critique of all previous Bradley biographies is that they end around 1951, but the General lived until 1981!

[Darrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omar Bradley was the GI general. He was known for his relationship with the enlisted men. He was also key to the planning and command of D-Day. Although, MacArthur, Patton, Eisenhower and British Field Marshal Montgomery were better known, Bradley was instrumental in North Africa and Europe for the Allied victory.

Axelrod gives a good view of the man behind the stars. He starts with his humble beginning, how Bradley almost didn't go to West Point and finally, his post WWII years. It is a good read and recommended to all people interested in the military leadership during WWII.

[Frank Thun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, i am just a fan of George C. Marshall. Why? I admire his considerate, humble leadership style, his eye for persons, organizational abilities and job design.

I attributed the same strength to Bradley - and this book proved me right. Guess i Need to read a book about Dwight D. Eisenhower next...

What i really like about those american Generals - including Ulysses Grant - is that they rose by merit alone. There is always chance and opportunity involved, naturally, but the base is ability which took them from humble origins to being great leaders.

Good, solid book.

[Zac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stereotypical military history too focused on what army went where and not on what Bradley was doing, thinking, and feeling. Could only loosely be described as biographical. Also not enough attention devoted to his role in the early Cold War.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, short quick read on General Omar Bradley.

[Renee' · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredible man! I hope somewhere there are still people out there with this much honor and character! We were lucky to have him lead us when he did!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good short audiobook about Omar Bradley. A lot of this information shows up in other books about other leaders, but this focuses on Bradley.

[Scott Loughridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great read. Just very quick read, a more in-depth book would be nice.

[Carl Bailey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dull.

[Nick]

One of the less compelling entries in this series I think because he himself is a less compelling leader. Well worth reading, as are all the entries in this series that I have read.