Portrait of Patton (1955) Harry Hodges Semmes First Edition Book. Originally a library book. Condition is good, but no jacket.
"Old Blood and Guts," as General George S. Patton, Jr, was affectionately known halfway round the world during the tumultuous days of World War II, earned his nickname between wars when he was still a hell-for-leather riding cavalryman. To his friends and family who knew him well and loved him, he was Georgie. A flamboyant individualist who was feared by the men he battled, and idolized by the men he commanded, Patton was in every sense a fighting man: a man who played as he fought - to win. He was also, as this intimate biography demonstrates in straight narrative and vivid, nostalgic anecdotes, an idealist, a strange mixture of a profane and a deeply religious man.
Patton's historic dash across France, the Siege of Metz, and the bloody Battle of the Bulge are recalled in stirring detail, as is his service at St. Mihiel and the Argonne during World War I, and his first military experience in punitive expeditions against Mexico. The author, who served under Patton in both World Wars, traces the Patton story from his childhood in California through his education at West Point, his meeting with Beatrice Aver and marriage. He gives eyewitness accounts of the landing on the Lyautey beachhead at Mehedya, the occupation of Morocco, and reveals Patton not only as a strict disciplinarian, and dynamic leader, but as a bold and great military tactician as well.
Filled with stories of Patton's growing years; his carefree polo-playing days; his activities and studies between wars; his happy home life with his wife and children, this is the full-size picture of a forceful but complex man - one of the most colorful and inspiring leaders in America's military history.
Condition: Pre-Owned Good