Blood and Guts: The True Story of General George S. Patton, USA

by John Devaney

A biography of the controversial commander of the Third Army in World War II.

95 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Samuel Lindgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since George Patton was a kid he craved action in war, but there was one thing that might prevent him from getting that. That one thing, was being a coward. George feared that he might be a coward and that this might stop him from doing what he wanted. His dad, a veteran himself, told George that he wasn't a coward and that he would be ok. After school he went to the Virginia Military Institute for college. George desperately wanted to go to West Point but feared that his grades at VMI were not good enough. Luckily his father was a well known attorney and convinced a congressman that he knew, to appoint George to West Point. George finally graduated as a second lieutenant. He chose to serve in the U.S cavalry and ended up being stationed near El-Paso. While he was there a group of Mexican rebels crossed the border and killed 17 Americans. Patton rode with his cavalry unit into Mexico to kill the leader of that group. When they encountered the leader, the men started to shoot, Patton took out his revolver and shot the leader. Years later Patton went to Europe during World War 1 as one of America’s very first tank tank battalion commanders. He led his tanks into Germany and was promoted even higher after the war. After the war, Patton felt as though the action that he craved, was gone and he would live the rest of his days in peace. He got another chance during World War 2. Patton took charge of the American forces in North Africa and pushed the Germans out. He then sped through Sicily in a campaign to take that island, along with the British. He was then sidelined from action for slapping a soldier. Luckily he got a break weeks after D-Day. He became the commander of the U.S Third Army. Patton lead that army through France and helped defend the American line against the Nazis in the Battle of the Bulge. After defending that, he rolled into Germany and helped end the war in Europe. Tragically, he died in Germany, months after the war. He died in a hospital a few days after he was involved in a car crash while riding in his limousine.

This book did a very good job at showing the road to being a high ranking officer. It really showed the struggle that is endured by those people to get there. It emphasized that it takes a lot of stamina and bravery. To rank that high you need to be brave in battle and accept the fact that in serving for your country, you might have to give up your life. This book also shows the extreme importance of having a good and inspiring leader. Patton was a great example of this because he would lead his soldiers though the battle field and urge them to keep moving. When a soldier would see him walking bravely through battle, they would be inspired and follow him. This book appealed to me in a logical way. It appealed to me this way because I am very interested in history and World War 2 specifically. This book really helped me learn new things and strengthen ideas that I already knew. This book is definitely not for everyone. Many people would find this book boring because all it has are facts and a chronological order of events. For people to find this book interesting, they would need to be interested in war and history.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine book if you’re looking to learn more about General George Patton.