The Generals: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, and the Winning of World War II

by Winston Groom

Celebrated historian Winston Groom tells the intertwined and uniquely American tales of George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, and George Marshall - from the World War I battle that shaped them to their greatest leading the allies to victory in World War II. These three remarkable men-of-arms who rose from the gruesome hell of the First World War to become the finest generals of their generation during World War II redefined America's ideas of military leadership and brought forth a new generation of American soldier. Their efforts revealed to the world the grit and determination that would become synonymous with America in the post-war years.
 
Filled with novel-worthy twists and turns, and set against the backdrop of the most dramatic moments of the twentieth century, The Generals is a powerful, action-packed book filled with marvelous surprises and insights into the lives of America's most celebrated warriors.

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

512 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 27, 2015

About the author

Winston Francis Groom Jr. was an American novelist and non-fiction writer, best known for his book Forrest Gump, which was adapted into a film in 1994. Groom was born in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Mobile, Alabama where he attended University Military School (now known as UMS-Wright Preparatory School). He attended the University of Alabama, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta and the Army ROTC, and graduated in 1965. He served in the Army from 1965 to 1969, including a tour in Vietnam. Groom devoted his time to writing history books about American wars. More recently he had lived in Point Clear, Alabama, and Long Island, New York.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, covering the lives of three of the most famous Generals of WWII, George Marshall, George Patton, and Douglas MacArthur, proves the adage that Generals are a breed apart in the US military and not simply because of higher rank. They have certain capabilities and mind-sets that enable them to take on the responsibility of the lives or deaths of the soldiers under their command. The three Generals who are the subject of the book were as different as day is to night (although MacArthur and Patton were cut from the same cloth), yet their intense and total dedication to their country was unquestionable.

The author gives some background on each man but the majority of the book is dedicated to their service during WWII which made them legends. All three came from distinguished backgrounds and knew they wanted to serve in the military at an early age. MacArthur's father had won the Congressional Medal of Honor in the Civil War; Patton's father was a cavalry man; and Marshall's family was a military presence for both the North and the South in the Civil War. Marshall graduated from VMI, and both Patton and MacArthur from West Point and their paths were set.

WWI determined those paths as it was discovered that Marshall was a splendid planner and tactician and would never become a combat commander; MacArthur and Patton were born to be in combat, a trait which carried on into WWII as they often put themselves in harms way on the battlefields.

WWII made these Generals iconic but sadly Marshall is not often mentioned in the same breath as the the other two, even though he went on eventually to create the Marshall Plan and serve as Secretary of State.But he was the planner, not the fighter and never saw combat. It was the controversial, eccentric, flamboyant, arrogant, and imperious Patton and MacArthur who immediately jump to mind for their very public personalities, although they certainly were brilliant and fearless.

There is not enough space to go into the famous WWII battles involving the three Generals (both combat and administrative/political) but if you are reading this book, you are already familiar with them. Even so, the author, who is a fine historian, makes it all seem brand new with his insight into what drove these men to make the decisions that they did. Very highly recommended.
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[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winston Groom gives excellent biographical sketches of George C. Marshall, George S. Patton, and Douglas MacArthur and shows how they cut their teeth in the First World War and used those lessons (and other gifts) to win the Second. There is much common ground between the three, but there are distinct differences, and it is an interesting comparison.

This book is similar to the author’s “The Aviators” about Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, and Charles Lindbergh in combining three similar biographical subjects into one book, and the comparison-style gives enough of a biography of each that you feel you have read that subject’s bio while getting the context and comparison with peers that shed a fuller light on each of them. I hope Groom does more books of this nature, and I hope other authors will opt to make this more of a trend in the field of biographies and memoirs.

I listened to the audio book, and it was sometimes hard to follow, because it would quickly jump from one of the subjects to the other without warning (or much of a pause) between them. That’s the only real criticism I have; the content was great, but it was just confusing at times on the audio book.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s quite a job to digest one life into a book. For public figures the volume of research is staggering. Winston Groom meets the challenge by summarizing events, noting how the 3 generals intersected and giving a compelling background on their family lives.

In the initial chapters Groom digs into their genealogies. All were born into the horse and buggy era a generation after the Civil War. George Patton’s aristocratic family was Confederate and went to California after the war. Douglas MacArthur’s family was fully Union and George Marshall’s had both blue and gray. Each had distinguished forbears with Patton claiming a link to George Washington and Marshall to the Chief Justice. MacArthur had the military service of his father and the political and judicial careers of his grandfather.

Prior to World War I, Groom shows the three gaining military experience: Patton through a succession of western military posts, most famously trailing Poncho Villa before taking a Washington assignment where he honed his polo skills while making connections for the Army; MacArthur through his father’s posting in the Philippines in the US occupation period, and several of his own postings one including a small operation at Vera Cruz for which he was decorated; and Marshall as both a student and instructor at Fort Leavenworth, focusing on the Prussian Wars and the European landscape.

Their World War I experiences set the stage for what was to come. You see Patton eagerly learning about tanks, using them and coping with repairs, operator error, combat damage and running out of gas as MacArthur employed combat strategy and leadership, getting his Rainbow Division to and through German lines while Marshall became an indispensable administrator for General Pershing.

Between the wars there are some short highlights: MacArthur leading West Point, executing a painful assignment in removing the Bonus Marchers from Washington; Marshall heading the CCC and Patton, restlessness without a war, advocating the Army’s development of tanks as a replacement for horse warfare.

Groom presents the World War II events that define the three. For Patton it is the parade of the tanks through North Africa, then Sicily and eventually through France and into Germany and being the first to discover the horrors in the Nazi camps. For MacArthur there is the story of Bataan (the leaving and returning) and the strategies of the Pacific Theater. Marshall, as Chief of Staff must sell the strategies to those who carry them out and put out public relations fires as MacArthur slams the Navy and Patton abuses wounded troops.

The war’s end was a letdown for Patton, but MacArthur and Marshall have plenty of work ahead. MacArthur’s initiatives in the Occupation are only capsulized as is Marshall’s role in the plan that bears his name. Groom summarizes the Korean War and gives a better treatment of eventual dismissal of MacArthur than he does of the damage of the Army-McCarthy hearing did to Marshall.

The black and white photos are good, some are famous (the Mighty Mo signing ceremony; Mac Arthur’s return). The maps are good, but the gray boxes hard to read. The index had what I needed. The sources are not extensive, and need not be for this “over lightly” book. For Patton, the author frequently cites Patton’s letters to wife, Beatrice and for the others makes good use of their reminiscences.

Groom, the author of "Forrest Gump", is a good story teller. For those with little knowledge of this era, this is a good smooth read. While Marshall, who is admittedly not as dazzling copy as the other two, is given short shrift, this is a good overview. For those who like to re-visit these epic events the book is satisfying as well.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winston Groom has written interwoven biographies of three great American Military leaders of the 20th Century. I have read a number of Groom’s books in the past; one of his books was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Many of his books were about leaders in the aviation field.

I have read extensively about all three of these famous generals, Patton and Marshall were two of my favorite generals. Surprisingly I found new information about all three generals, which alone make the book worth reading. The biographies of each general all touch the main highlights of each man’s career.

The three generals are all extremely interesting and have contrasting personalities so they are easy to follow. Patton the most flamboyant of the three developed the essentials of tank warfare in World War One then applied the knowledge with expertise in World War Two. Marshall is the only team player of the three men, he became type cast in World War One as a staff officer, and he was a brilliant strategic planner and also a genius at organizing logistics, personnel and supply. He was Chief of Staff in WWII and devised the Marshall Plan as Secretary of State and also served as Secretary of Defense. MacArthur was consider to be the greatest of our field generals but like Marshall his greatest achievements came after the War, in creating the groundwork for modern Japan. Groom follows each man from youth to end of career. Groom points out that each man was extremely knowledgeable in history, all were prolific readers and all wrote poetry with Patton being the most prolific poet. They grew up at a time when poetry was very popular and everyone wrote poetry.

The book is well written and meticulously researched. The author has the skills of a novelist in sense of timing and scene building. If you enjoy history this book is for you. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Robertson Dean did an excellent job narrating the book. The book is fairly long at about 16 hours.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable book on three important US Army Generals during World War Two. The three men are General George S. Patton, Douglas MacArthur, and George Marshall. Together these men played an important role for the victory of World War Two both in the Pacific and in Europe. If you want to learn about all three men in one volume this would be it and though it is over five hundred pages I still think it is reasonable if one consider how long three separate volumes on each of these men would be, given how much they have accomplished and how important they were in the war.
The book doesn’t just cover the war but really is sort of a biography of all three men beginning from their childhood, their coming of age as young men and their pursuit of military education then military service. I really like the book giving the background of what kind of family these men were born into. What makes this work interesting is that you can see the comparison and contrast between these three men. Douglas MacArthur was born to a father who was a US Army officer who had his wife and kids also with him in post that was out in the frontier of fighting Indians. George Marshall was from a Northern background and because his older brother told his mom that he shouldn’t go to Virginia Military Institute because he believed George won’t make it this made young George even more resolve to attend VMI. George Patton is a descendant of Southern genteel military family in which many of his ancestors fought for the Confederate side during the Civil War. In some sense these men were quite different yet there were similarities between them. They all had incredible resolve that made them stood out among their peers. Patton though from a rich family face the uphill battle of battling with dyslexia. Marshall as a “Yankee” was attending VMI which is a Southern military school with students and faculty harboring resentment towards Northerner. Douglas MacArthur faced hazing as a young cadet at West Point and endured them. These men also displayed their incredible giftedness as military officers during World War One when they were young military officers. MacArthur quickly climb the ranks as an officer and eventually lead the famed 42nd Infantry Division also nicknamed the “Rainbow Division.” It was a National Guard outfit that many originally saw them as less than adequate being viewed as a rough group of non-professionals in comparison to the “Regular” Army. But the unit was notorious for being combat effectiveness thanks in large part to MacArthur. Patton on the other hand during World War One led the first US tank units during the war and was a leader in tank warfare within the US Army. He fearlessly led his men in combat often walking ahead of his tanks. Marshall wanted to be in the fight but in a moment that could have been detrimental to his military career he told off General Pershing for unrealistic expectations and unfair reprimand because junior commanders faced limitations from the Army’s logistics, supplies and equipment for units’ training and combat proficiencies. Instead of relieving him General Pershing promoted Marshall and had him coordinate and plan logistics for the Army which turned out he was very gifted in doing though he wanted to be a combat commander. In some ways what these three individuals did as young men anticipate what they were like in World War Two when they were now older.
This book has so much incredible information. As a result of reading this work I appreciated each men a little more. As a kid I was the biggest fan of General Patton but reading this made me thankful for the other two men as well. I’ve grown to appreciate more of General Marshall’s balancing act in World War Two of handling various generals and their quirky personalities. He’s one of the most selfless generals of the three in my opinion. While I have always been cautious in my view of MacArthur this book did raise my esteem for him as I didn’t know that much about him and the more I learn the more I’m amazed at his brilliant career. All that I say here does not mean these men are not without flaws. On the contrary the book discusses their flaws and shortcomings. A wonderful book that I highly recommend.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Generals: Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, and the Winning of World War II by Winston Groom tells the intertwined and uniquely American tales of George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, and George Marshall - from the World War I battle that shaped them to their greatest victory: leading the allies to victory in World War II. They had often served with or under one another as their military careers advanced through the decades. These three remarkable men-of-arms became the finest generals of their generation during World War II and redefined America's ideas of military leadership. They understood each other in the way that professional soldiers and leaders do and helped each other through rough spots during their service. The author's research and way with words has produced an account of history that reads like a novel loaded with twists and turns of much that went on behind the scenes between these talented warriors that will probably let you see them with a new respect. Well done and a joy to read for any World War II buffs loaded with some of the most dramatic moments of the twentieth century, a powerful, action-packed book filled with marvelous surprises and insights into the lives of America's most celebrated warriors.

[Richard Palmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really worthwhile. There were a few interesting bits about each man, but the writing felt rather flat and unexciting, full of cliches and extra words. Why were these three Generals brought together in one volume, and why were their stories interleaved the way they were? It almost read like a high school term paper, or rather, three papers all shuffled together.

[Sweetwilliam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winston Groom is the master of making history fun. This is a great book for the nightstand and a real page turner. Learn about three of the most crucial General officers of WWII. Patton was the most interesting person and the most fun to read about. He was an Olympic heptathlete who would have medaled had it not been for a scoring error during the pistol marksmanship event. Apparently, Patton was the best marksman by far and they think he put a bullet hole in the bullseye and shot another round through the same hole. He was also the Army's expert at combat with the saber and trained with the masters of the saber in France. He would preach to the Army cavalry, "the point arrives before the edge."

The author made the point that when Patton slapped two men in an Army hospital that combat fatigue was well understood during WWII, but Patton didn't believe in it. Furthermore, Groom had this to say about the incident which nearly led to Patton's removal:

It is a court-martial offense in the U.S. Army for an officer to strike an enlisted man—let alone for a three-star star general to strike a buck private—but reporters who learned of the incident decided by mutual agreement not to reveal it. The furious Eisenhower was poised to relieve Patton of command but was dissuaded by Marshall, who told some fellow officers at the War Department, “Georgie’s in trouble again. He’s always in trouble. But I’m not getting rid of Patton. He was solely responsible for Sicily.”

Adding to Patton’s humiliation was information in the report that the first soldier Patton slapped had chronic dysentery, malaria, and a temperature of 102 degrees; the second soldier’s best friend had been bloodily wounded next to him, was on sleep medication, and even though the twenty-one-year-old boy begged the unit medical officer not to, against his wishes he had been ordered evacuated to the hospital where Patton found him. Ike’s letter closed with this admonishment: “I assure you that conduct such as described in the accompanying report will not be tolerated in this theater no matter who the offender will be.”

Patton was saved by Marshall, but Eisenhauer recognized his brilliance on the battlefield. His men also loved him.

PATTON SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME in the coming days justifying his actions even as he was personally delivering the ordered apologies to those involved and to his army, division by division. When he reached the last of the divisions, Truscott’s Third Division, the men who had captured Palermo and Messina, “Patton’s audience sensed that he was about to make a statement of apology. Before he could do so, they began a spontaneous chant, ‘No, General, no, no, no, General no, no,’ with increasing persistence.” Patton tried again to start his apology but each time he was cut off, “No, General, no, no, no,” and stood there on the stage, erect as the Washington Monument, the tears rolling down his cheeks as the chant reached its crescendo, “No, General. No, no, no!” and followed him, ringing in his ears as he turned smartly and exited the stage to his waiting car, “No, General. No, no, no!”

Eisenhower meanwhile wrote to George Marshall, without mentioning the slapping incidents, that “Patton is preeminently a combat commander … He is a one-sided individual and particularly in his handling of individual subordinates is apt at times to display exceedingly poor judgment and unjustified temper. But his outstanding qualities must not be discounted.” He added that they could not afford to lose those qualities, unless he ruins himself.


There is never a dull moment in Winston Groom's history books. This one is no different.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have previously read 1942 and The Aviators by Winstom Groom. I loved those books and I also loved this one, not sure which one is my favorite. The Generals takes the same pattern as The Aviators where it details the three men's early lives, then when they were at the height of their fame, and then the aftermath. As with The Aviators, the three generals discussed in this book crossed paths many times with each other. I knew some about General MacArthur, mostly from what I've learned about the Pacific War, but I knew hardly anything about Patton other than that my Grandpa thought he was awesome, and the only thing I knew about Marshall was that he created the Marshall Plan.

Groom talks about each man's beginnings which came not too long after the Civil War. As a side note I learned about the Confederados who were a group of Southerners who emigrated to Brazil after the Civil War. Anyway, each future general grew up wanting to be in the military, and each went to either VMI, West Point, or both. It was hard to keep track of all the different assignments they each had after graduation but the highlights were Patton in Texas chasing Pancho Villa around serving under John Pershing, MacArthur serving in the Philippines and Japan, and Marshall teaching at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Patton was the most interesting character of the book because he craved war and killing. After returning from a few missions in search of Pancho Villa without finding any enemies he would lament that they "didn't have the chance to shoot anyone." He was sad when both World Wars ended.

The book then talks about their experiences in World War I. MacArthur and Marshall rise quickly in rank with Marshall being Pershing's right hand man and major battle planner in World War I, and MacArthur commanding the famous Rainbow Division. MacArthur was known for always being in the front with his men and charging with them. Patton constantly lamented how slowly he was rising in rank and felt that his life was being wasted away by not achieving fame as a military commander. He was very depressed after the war and was ecstatic when World War 2 broke out. Between the wars MacArthur was made superintendant of West Point for a while where he really modernized the curriculum based on his World War I experiences. He changed the curriculum to include more history/humanities and less math, he replaced all the Civil War battle maps with World War I battle maps, and made a big push for officers to really get to know the enlisted men they were commanding. One thing he saw in the first war was how the freshly trained officers from the military schools could not relate at all to the enlisted men. MacArthur also returned to the Philippines, got divorced, became Chief of Staff for a while, and became quite eccentric.

World War 2 was of course where the men gained their legendary fame. A lot more time is spent in the book talking about Patton and MacArthur, but Marshall was key in his role as Chief of Staff during the war. His true skill was in organizing and planning. His personality was also quite different from the other two generals as he sounded much more calm, less abrasive, and very gentlemanly. Orson Welles said that "Marshall is the greatest man I ever met...I think he was the greatest human being who was also a great man... He was a tremendous gentleman, and old fashioned institution which isn't with us anymore." Patton and MacArthur were indispensable in their roles during World War 2. The book details Patton steamrolling through North Africa and Sicily with his tanks. He was an extremely aggressive commander who thought that the best way to win was to constantly attack. He said that if you're always attacking then the enemy has no time to recover and set up any defense. A constant frustration for him throughout the book were his superiors telling him to hold his attacks back to wait for the other allied armies to catch up. He had various foot in mouth instances which kept getting him in trouble and probably preventing him from reaching even further in promotion. He didn't seem much to care about the evils of Nazi ideology as much as he cared that the war gave him a chance to kill people and gain glory. He also seemed to be fairly anti-Semitic and one interesting thing was that he just could not understand why the people they liberated from the concentration camps couldn't assimilate and get back to normal as soon as they were rescued. The book also talks about the two slapping incidents where he smacked a couple of soldiers who were suffering from "shell-shock." When he saw that they didn't have any visible injuries he labeled them cowards and ordered them back to the front. Patton wouldn't and couldn't tolerate cowardice. Because of these controversial incidents he was not involved in the D-Day invasion directly. Instead, he was used as a ploy by Eisenhower to hide the true location of the invasion from the Germans. Once D-Day was over, Patton was again placed in charge of the Third Army in France. His group powered through France and Germany, mowing down Germans at an insane rate. He was always upset that the other Allied commanders were lagging behind on their fronts.

For MacArthur's part it talked about his return to the Philippines as they pushed the Japanese back. MacArthur was a different kind of general than Patton. His strategy was to "hit them where they ain't." He would choose islands where it seemed that there were fewer Japanese soldiers and defensive positions. He would take those islands and use them as launching points for strikes on other islands. His big frustration during the war was the policy of "Europe first" made by the Allies that often left him short of the men and supplies he needed to keep the fight going.

There are so many great stories and quotes in this book, I can't remember all of them, but here are a few quotes or parts that stood out, or were funny, etc...

"At one point in battle, a mud-spattered lieutenant stormed into headquarters wanting to know why his machine-gun company had been ordered back into the fight when it had just been relieved from the line. Marshall got him coffee, sat him down, and patiently explained that it was vital to hold Cantigny against the counterattacks and headquarters thought that his company was the best for the job. The lieutenant later remembered leaving with 'a feeling of added pride in my outfit.' When he relayed what Marshall had told him, 'it restored officers and men to top combat efficiency.'"

"Even though Pershing and his planning wizard Marshall sided with MacArthur, orders-was-orders for Pershing, and he reluctantly called a halt to the battle. MacArthur thought it was one of the great blunders of the war. 'It was an example of the inflexibility in pursuit of pre-conceived ideas,' he wrote years afterward, 'that is, unfortunately, too frequent in modern warfare. Had we seized this unexpected opportunity, we would have saves thousand of American lives lost in the dim recesses of the Argonne forest.'"

Patton had asked the chaplain to pray for good weather, but the chaplain resisted, saying "it wasn't customary among men of my profession to pray for clear weather to kill our fellow man." Patton said, "Chaplain, are you trying to teach my theology or are you the chaplain of the Third Army? I want a prayer." So the chaplain made a prayer for them to recite. It worked and the next day Patton said, "God damn! Look at that weather! That was some potent praying. Get that chaplain up here. I want to pin a medal on him."

"A British sailor whose distasteful job it was to deliver a batch of the unfortunates into the hands of the Soviet army wrote that many of them began to faint and lose their senses. Having seen many fearful things during the war, the sailor wrote that he had seen nothing like 'the fear of those people who were being returned to their native Russia.'" - Some of the POWs were Russians who had been fighting on Germany's side against the Soviets.

"You are probably wondering if my conscience hurts me for killing a man, it does not. I feel about it just as I did when I got my first sword fish, surprised at my luck." - Patton after killing some Mexicans

"There may be no war. God forbid such an eventuality." - Patton

"I have lived 19 years but amount to very little more than when I was a baby. I am fair in everything but good in nothing. It seems to be that for a person to amount to something they should be good in at least one thing. I sometimes fear that am one of these darned dreamers....who is always going to succeed but never does. It would have been far more merciful if I had died 10 years ago than to be forced to live a failure." - Patton

"Tomorrow, son, the headlines will read 'Patton Took Metz.' which you know is a goddamn lie. You and your buddies are the ones who actually took Metz." - Patton to a wounded soldier

Anyway, loved this book. It's crazy how times have changed. The world needed these men at the time they rose to prominence in order to win World War 2. Their whole lives seemed to lead up to it. Patton himself died essentially as soon as the war ended. There is no way he would be able to get away today with what he did back then, but he was the man for the job. Great book.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those worried about the times we live in, I highly recommend reading this. It is a reminder of two things: the world has been far worse than it is now and it is a reminder of the kind of great and inspiring leaders this country has produced. For me, it also gave hope that we will see such leaders again - but hopefully in peace and not in war.

A bit more drab of a review...

If you like biographies but find most too long, this is one you want to read. It combines three related biographies into one - MacArthur, Patton, and Marshal.

It's well written (though the first section is a bit slow) and quite inspiring. I'm sure some of the tales are mythological in nature but if even half the stories are true these were remarkable men.

Definitely worth a read.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good but a little wrong. Mr. Groom is a good and thorough researcher and author. He is a little too excited about the career of Douglas MacArthur for my liking. Patton was a brilliant field commander if he just could have kept his mouth shut to the press. All in all a good read.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tale tells three biographies, mixed together:

Douglas MacArthur (born Jan 1880)
George Marshall (born Dec 1880)
George Patton (born Nov 1885).

The value in combining these is it makes for easier comparisons between the generals. Also, it offers extra context of the time.

MacArthur and Patton, like George Washington before them, share a quirk of putting themselves in obvious danger on the front lines. There are several examples of each doong so. Although I cannot find proof of it now, I recall that Macarthur held a meeting in a house while bombs were falling. He didn't pause. When it ended, he send someone to check on the people in the kitchen, "That one [earlier] sounded close." In the kitchen of the same house, three lay injured and one dead.

Apparently, MacArthur was the most extreme narcissist. Who would have thought he could have had a larger head than Patton?

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I checked this out of the library I had it in mind that I had read it within the last 3-4 years, but that turns out to have not been the case; it was another book with the main title, "The Generals," by a different author.

In any case, it has now been a full century since these three military giants of the 20th century "got their spurs" in WWI, and went on to win WWII. The story was told from a very high, and very readable level. If you want to get into the detail of how they won you will need yet another book. This one gives a number of interesting combat anecdotes, some family life and relationships, and some of the political background surrounding these three.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, I really enjoyed the view of that period of time through these 3 men.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book in that I learned a few things about Marshall, Patton and MacArthur. I would have liked to read more about the Nimitz-MacArthur relationship during WWII.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done! Like The Aviators the author took 3 individuals and many years and made it easy to follow. He has a great way of keeping topics simple and easy to follow. I learned a lot especially about MacArthur and Marshall who I didn't know much of prior to this book. I recommend this book to anyone trying to get a straightforward non-political view of these men.

[Christian Arnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Generals”, by Winston Groom, is a masterpiece about three very important general officers in United States Army history. As the author expresses in the post-book acknowledgments, there is too much history about each man to include everything, but he did an incredible job including the important things.

Generals Marshall, MacArther, and Patton were all very effective leaders in very different ways, and their service to the United States spanned decades. While they were not necessarily perfect, they were some of the best we had. They saw battle evolve drastically, and they adapted to help lead the United States to victory in multiple wars. Without these men, the nation might not exist in the way it does today. I highly recommend this book to all.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many great facts on the history of these men and their contribution to our freedoms.

[David Lubin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth the time

Winston Groom has two excellent qualities in his writing. One, he thoroughly researches the topic. Two, he gets you inside the minds of the men involved. It makes for good reading as well as good learning. The Generals is well worth the time to read.

[Pat Rolston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a wizard compiling the facts and anecdotes regarding these esteemed men. He is eminently readable and this serves to make for a fun and efficient way to learn of critical historical and biographical events. I have read the main sources of attribution: D’Estes and Manchester for each man other than George Marshall. This is the best way to really understand and educate yourself as to the lives and times of Patton and MacArthur. As such it was some repetition, but I highly recommend the book for anyone who wants to get an overview of these great American hero’s in a delightful manner.

[Don Dunham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book ! If you read it you will find out why the Japanese loved MacArthur after the war and who knitted his scarfs, who hated Patton and why he carried a revolver instead on an automatic pistol and that of these three George Marshall was by far the least crazy. a must for history lovers

[William Howle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read. I have read biographies of all the men, but liked the way they were all brought together in this one volume. There were some new insights into what their strengths were. Two were great warriors, and one was a great planner that made things come together. It also points out that the press was much like they are today

[Don Crumbley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where is General Esinhower?

A good read of the events of war that occurred in the 1900s, but the lack of General Esinhower being part of this book is puzzling to me, as he was definitely closely involved with all three of The Generals. The Admirals is an example of what I thought should be discussed together., as they were integrated in all events discussed.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a quick note

Having previously read detailed biographies of all 3 men, I can say this is a good book to read for a general overview of Patton, Marshall and MacArthur. I just felt there that the author gave a little too much "hero worship" when it came to MacArthur for my tastes. But read the book for yourselves and draw your own conclusions.

[Denny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good biographies of Gererals Marshall, MacArthur and Patton.

[Maduck831 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly not what I was expecting, I thought it would be a little more in depth with more analysis. It read more like a book report on other books (I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way), which makes sense as he cites his other books for this book.

A good introduction to these three generals, but definitely need to read more and his writings contrast with the opinions of others I've read (Hastings, etc.).

There are five ranks for generals in the U.S. Army. A single-star brigadier general, in theory, leads a brigade composed of men in squads of a dozen or more. These are arranged with four squads to a platoon, which come four platoons to a company—four to as many as eight of which make up a battalion—several or more of which form a brigade of four thousand to six thousand men. A two-star major general commands a division, which is composed of several brigades. A three-star lieutenant general commands an army corps, which is composed of several divisions. A four-star general of the army commands an army consisting of several corps, and a five-star general of the armies commands more than one army, such as General Dwight D. Eisenhower did in the European theater in World War II.

In those days, the school often presented speakers at morning assembly such as the former Rebel general Jubal A. Early who, Marshall later noted, gave a speech defending the Confederacy “that seemed almost treasonous!”

It was to be the last glimmer of the old Europe and its belle époque. “In 1914,” Marshall said, “it blew up. The lights went out, and it never was the same again.”

Thus, Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II, Russia’s Czar Nicholas II, and England’s King George V were all cousins—the descendants of Queen Victoria.

“It was an example of the inflexibility in pursuit of pre-conceived ideas,” he wrote years afterward, “that is, unfortunately, too frequent in modern warfare. Had we seized this unexpected opportunity, we would have saved thousands of American lives lost in the dim recesses of the Argonne Forest.”

It was here that, when bullets or blasts frightened the Frenchmen, Patton stood on the parapet of the trench roaring, “To hell with them—they can’t hit me!”

“Offensive combat,” he insisted, “consists of FIRE and MOVEMENT. The purpose of FIRE is to permit MOVEMENT.”

The San Francisco Board of Education in 1906 had ordered Japanese children to be segregated from the whites, and West Coast workers began rioting and attacking Japanese immigrants who, they claimed, were working for “coolie wages,” thus putting them out of jobs. The California legislature passed a resolution that referred to the immigrants as “immoral, intemperate [and] quarrelsome.

“Jesus Christ, it’s that goddamn Third Army and that goddamn sonofabitch Patton again!”

“Take not the counsel of your fears,” an expression said to have originated with Stonewall Jackson.

George Patton’s method was to keep moving fast and hit hard on the theory that a slow, drawn-out battle will cause more casualties than a swift, fatal strike. MacArthur’s approach was different; he liked carefully planned, methodically executed attacks along paths of least resistance to maneuver the enemy where he could best get at him.

“The soldier, above all other people,” he said, “prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato … ‘Only the dead have seen the end of war.’

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may well be the finest writing on military history I’ve ever read. It sheds no new light on the lives of these men but it does bring together all the historical information about their lives in one place and then with great artistry intertwines those lives into a most remarkable story.

I’ve never found a book on WWI very satisfying. Too much is left out. Certain battles are described in detail but the war as whole seems to have eluded historians ability or will to tell it. Hard to blame them. It was a disgusting and shameful war.

The author of this book provides an excellent look at WWI as to its origins and stumble into trench warfare. All three generals participated in WWI and all three distinguished themselves. It many ways it prepared them for what was to come.

One thing all three shared was a fearlessness that got each reprimanded by their superiors at least once. With Patton and MacArthur it was more than once. All three had to be in the front of the battle. All three believed not to be so hindered your judgement on how to proceed. Their decisions on military tactics always stemmed from being an eyewitness to what was happening on the front lines.

The real value of the book though is in its ability to cause the reader to rethink what you thought you knew about history.

Was Eisenhower right to fire General Patton because he wanted to attack Russia while the United States had its army in full strength and battle-hardened stationed in Europe? I’ve always thought so. Now, I waver. What Russia did to all the countries it absorbed and what it did in Berlin alone should give anyone pause. What it did in our nation’s own election cycle should cause one again to think about what Patton was saying.

Patton’s view was that Russia was just as big a threat to the free world as Hitler had been. I think he was right. The decision not to take on Russia when we could have has had monumental consequences that plague us until this day.

Then comes the firing of General MacArthur for crossing the 38th Parallel and seeking to completely destroy the North Korean army. Truman had warned MacArthur not to pursue the North Koreans pass the 38th Parallel if China threatened to send in troops. Not only did China threaten to do so but Mao actually sent in 300,000 troops to fight against our army which at the time had no heavy tanks or heavy artillery.

MacArthur ignored the order and this is why.

The 300,000 Chinese troops quickly overran the American lines causing our troops to retreat but through MacArthur’s superb tactical planning and General Ridgeway’s magnificent efficiency, the Chinese front line was broken and it was soon they that were in full retreat.

MacArthur’s view was that Asia would never have peace if North Korea was allowed to exist. MacArthur loved Asia and always felt ashamed he had let it down when he fled the Philippines. He did not leave because he was afraid of capture or death. He left because Marshall convinced Roosevelt that unless he ordered him to leave he wouldn’t. Roosevelt gave the order.

What kind of world would we have today without the likes of North Korea?

The final question that comes to the reader as you near the final pages is the question. Would we have won the war without the efforts of these three generals?

The clear answer in my own mind is a simple one.

Not a chance.

[Andrew Canfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Generals is essentially three mini-biographies in one, providing readers with a crash course on a trio of United States generals. The book tells the stories of U.S. Generals George Patton, Douglas Macarthur, and George Marshall, emphasizing their wartime exploits and the methods they used to gain stature within the military. It was written by Forrest Gump author Winston Groom, who did a serviceable job telling a readable and well-researched story about these interesting men whose heroics changed the course of world history.

Each of the book's subjects cut their teeth in the first World War buzz saw, and The Generals leaves the impression that Patton and MacArthur shared more in common, personality-wise at least, with each other than with Marshall. If Patton were the blue collar (militarily-speaking) general, Marshall would have been the white collar one and MacArthur somewhere in between.

George Patton's emphasis on utilizing tanks in warfare went back to the First World War, and the book catalogued how challenging it was to keep him away from the front lines even if he could be of more service elsewhere. His bravery on European battlefields in the First and Second World Wars seemed to inspire great loyalty among his men, but he was equally ill-tempered and lacking in tact.

In contrast to Patton, George Marshall was more of an architect and strategic planner, second only to perhaps Dwight Eisenhower when it came putting together a wide ranging approach to victory in the Second World War. His World War Two contributions were more from behind a desk in Washington, D.C. than running around Italy or France like Patton or moving across Pacific islands like MacArthur. Marshall's plan to aid Europe after 1945 showed the kind of detail-oriented and visionary military leader he was.

Douglas MacArthur, like Patton, seemed to command great respect from his troops. The humiliation and embarrassment he felt when Japanese took the Philippines, and the step by step approach to strip their possessions everywhere from New Guinea back to Leyte, were recorded nicely by Groom. Unlike Marshall, however, his erratic post-World War Two behavior would earn him the enmity much of the Pentagon's top brass. Any postwar contributions Patton might have made will never be known thanks to his untimely death in a traffic accident after the European war wrapped up in 1945.

The Generals has a moderate amount of space devoted to the three generals' personal lives, but the bulk of it covers their military accomplishments. It is a fairly surface level book; Groom did due diligence on the battle portions but seemed to have written the book with a mainstream audience in mind. It is a good starting reference for anyone wanting to gain more information on Patton, MacArthur, and Marshall, but the book will likely whet appetites for further reading on these patriotic and highly decorated commanders.

-Andrew Canfield Denver, Colorado

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winston Groom’s “The Generals” offers a vibrant and accessible exploration of three of America’s most influential military leaders of the twentieth century: George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, and George Marshall. Groom, best known for his storytelling prowess in *Forrest Gump*, brings the same narrative energy to this historical account, weaving together the lives and careers of these generals into a compelling tapestry that reads more like a novel than a conventional military biography. The book is structured as a set of interwoven biographies, tracing each man’s journey from childhood through their formative years at military academies, early assignments, and ultimately their defining roles in World War II. Groom’s approach highlights their contrasting personalities—Patton’s brashness and love of combat, MacArthur’s theatrical flair and strategic genius, and Marshall’s steady, organizational brilliance. This contrast keeps the narrative lively and ensures that the reader never loses sight of the unique contributions each general made to the Allied victory. Groom’s research is thorough, drawing on personal letters, memoirs, and historical records to paint intimate portraits of his subjects. He delves into their personal lives, ambitions, and even flaws, such as Patton’s controversial behavior and MacArthur’s political ambitions, without shying away from their complexities. The book also touches on the postwar impact of these men, including Marshall’s pivotal role in the Marshall Plan and MacArthur’s influence on postwar Japan. One of the book’s greatest strengths is its readability. Groom distills complex military campaigns and political maneuverings into clear, engaging prose, making the book accessible to both history enthusiasts and general readers. The inclusion of anecdotes, vivid scenes, and even moments of humor ensures that the narrative never feels dry or academic. While some critics note that Groom’s style can be heavy on adjectives and occasionally cliché, his storytelling skill and ability to humanize historical figures more than compensate for these minor flaws. For anyone interested in World War II or the art of leadership, “The Generals” is an educational and highly enjoyable read.

[David Longo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winston Groom is a great writer. He deftly writes non-fiction and fiction. Thomas Fleming does that, but few others, at least this well. "The Generals" is Groom's latest historical work, and it's worth reading. Basically, it's a triple biography. The subjects are three of America's greatest and most compelling WWII heroes: George S. Patton, Douglas MacArthur and George C. Marshall. I found Groom's writing to be even in terms of sharing the spotlight. Marshall, arguably the least exciting of the three men, still received a fair share of the press. I found that to be commendable.

Groom likes his subjects and he treats each man favorably, if not too favorably. MacArthur, for example, was an egotistical braggart whose decisions were often self-serving. Just ask David Halberstam. He's a top tier historian who doesn't paint MacArthur in such a positive light. Halberstam sees Mac as Trumpian. Groom greatly avoided showing this side of him. Having said that, it was nice to read about MacArthur from this perspective. It was evident Groom greatly admires him.

I have read four books by Groom. I read both Forrest Gump books and "The Aviators." I favor him over many writers in both genres. "The Generals" is very reminiscent of "The Aviators" which is a triple bio on Charles Lindbergh, Jimmy Doolittle and Eddie Rickenbacker. It's a terrific read. Evidently this formula worked for Groom in the past so he repeated it, much like how Martin Dugard and Bill O'Reilly created their "Killing" book series. I enjoyed "The Aviators" a little bit more than "The Generals." Yet I still liked Groom's latest endeavor on Patton, MacArthur and Marshall a lot. I highly recommend this book.