 "Excellent but flawed piece of work." | 2007-04-28 |
| - Reviewed By gshort3011 |
| This is a very difficult book to properly evaluate. Well researched and certainly well written, it is definitely a worthwhile read for those interested in learning about Ike and his European command (ETO). However, one should take D'Este's work with a grain of salt. As a history teacher and a Vietnam veteran, I have studied WWII for the last thirty years and I just don't agree with many of his conclusions and opinions, especially his obviously pro-British attitude. Montgomery was a good general if he happened to outnumber his enemy by ten to one in men, tanks, and aircraft like he did against Rommel in N. Africa, but he wasn't a great one and he certainly wasn't a loyal subordinate. Moreover, I don't think Bradley, Hodges, and Ike were that inapt and out of their league, unless one happens to agree with the British viewpoint. Much like today's television news media, D'Este just doesn't tell the whole story, and what he does tell is rather slanted, misinterpreted, and apologetic. |
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 "Massive and insightful biography" | 2007-03-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: AQQLWCMRNDFGI |
This massive biography of Dwight Eisenhower, focusing on his life up until World War II's end (705 pages of text), is a major investment of time--but well worth it. A major strength of this work is the nuanced analysis of Ike, both his strengths and his weaknesses. He had many flaws, but he also had certain character traits that served the nation and the allies well.
The author says of Eisenhower (page 5): "The path from the poverty of turn-of-the-century Abilene, Kansas, to supreme Allied commander was as improbable as it was spectacular." Eisenhower, in short, advanced far further in his military career than almost anyone could have guessed. This volume tries to explain that and to assess his work.
The book is divided into several parts. The first examines the background of the family, from 1741-1909. Part II focuses on "The Accidental Soldier." Ike really had no clear career goals after high school. At the advice of family friends, he worked to get into the military. He finally was admitted to West Point. His career at West Point is outlined (not distinguished, not bad).
During the years of World War I, he missed combat action. Instead, he was involved in training troops. During this time, he also became involved in the development of tanks as weapon systems. On page 137, D'Este notes that "During the rush to return soldiers to civilian life, an appeal was made to induce enough men to form the nucleus of a postwar tank corps to remain on active duty." Eisenhower was one of those.
Part IV examines the interwar years and Eisenhower's role. General Fox Connor took Ike under his wing. Over this period, he became a valued staff officer. In 1933 he (page 217), ". . .commenced what would be nearly seven years as a staff officer and principal assistant to [General Douglas] MacArthur in Washington and Manila." It was not the best of times for Eisenhower, given MacArthur's and his disagreements. He returned to the United States.
Part V focuses on the preparation for war, from 1940-1942. Ike's role was not to be what he desired--combat action. He was coveted for staff support. After seemingly improbable events, Eisenhower became the chief American army commander in North Africa (Part VI outlines his Mediterranean career). There were many frustrations--including working with a variety of prima donnas, from George Patton to Bernard Montgomery. Things started off dismally in North Africa for the American forces, although the troops grew with experience. Then, Sicily and the unfortunate showdown with Patton after his mistreatment of a soldier..
Part VII examines the invasion of Europe and the immense toll that this took on Eisenhower. Part VIII considers the breakout from Normandy to victory.
The book illustrates Ike's weaknesses--lack of command experience, poor record in a number of operations (Anzio and Arnhem, for example), having to spend much of his time trying to negotiate between different commanders with very different views and often letting politics determine the outcome (e.g., Patton versus Montgomery). On the other hand, his patience and diplomacy kept fractious generals working together.
The book makes us aware of his failings--but also his successes. He was a complex person and his record is not an unalloyed success. But he may have been the right person to lead the Allied forces in the later years of World War II in Europe.
All in all, a very strong biography.
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| "Major work on an important solider-statesman" | 2006-11-12 |
| - Reviewed By wwii-reader |
Carlo D'Este's "Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life" is a serious tome, clocking in at 848 pp. But does size matter? In this case very little of the nearly 850 pages is at all wasted or squandered. D'Este's has contributed several significant works to the Second World War genre in his career and "Eisenhower" is not exception. While this reviewer picked up "Eisenhower" with the expressed purpose of seeing what D'Este's had to say about strategic controversies in which Ike was embroiled in NW Europe, mainly those surrounding the 'broad vs. narrow front' arguments between Ike and Monty. Unfortunately D'Este's provided little new insight into or interpretation of these topics. Fortunately, this reviewer was treated to a plethora of information as regards Ike as a man, family member, husband, soldier and commander.
D'Este's breaks down his treatise into eight separate sections: I) The Eisenhowers, 1741-1909; II) The Accidental Soldier, 1910-16; III) World War I, 1917-19; IV) The Interwar Years, 1920-39; V) The United States Prepares for War, 1940-42; VI) A General's Education: The Mediterranean, 1942-43; VII) The Invasion of Europe, 1944; VIII) Crisis in Command: Normandy to the Elbe, 1944-45. As should be obvious from the title, section I discusses the familial history of Ike, and in many ways sets thee tone for the rest of the story - clearly Ike's upbringing and family 'baggage' influenced his outlook on life and war. Given what we learn about Ike and his immediate family (most notably the family lack of money and connection to allow Ike to attend college) it should not be surprising that, despite his mother's strong pacifist beliefs, that Ike chose to enter the US Armed Services in order to go to college? What was new information to this reviewer was the fact that Ike really wished to go to Annapolis rather than West Point, but attended the latter because that was the option open to him; certainly an 'accidental soldier' in more than one way! Sections III-V focus on the early military career of Ike, much of it spent in frustration at not being part of combat action, rather watching the years go by in various staff positions. What becomes clear to the reader is that these sundry of positions provided Ike with much of the necessary administrative 'schooling' that was later to pay dividends to the Allies when he took the reins as Supreme Commander. Section VI can be thought of as representing the critical turning point in Ike's illustrious career as a military commander. He got his first true taste of command of field troops and made his first set of mistakes that refined further his command style that would be employed in NW Europe (and of which he would take components to the White House). This section is also important in that it defines many of the important relationships Ike forged during the Second World War, especially those with our British allies. Sections VII and VIII represent the sections likely most familiar in content to the average WWII genre reader. Yet D'Este's provide enough flair and interpretation to these sections to make them important in their own right.
"Eisenhower" is a massive piece of work that is not for the feint of heart - if long reads are not your thing "Eisenhower" will not be high on your list. If however such things are not bothersome to you and you wish to learn more about one of the most important figures of thee Second World War (a judgment made independent of whether one believes Ike was a great leader or not) this may be a book you should track down. D'Este's is a historian of some note and this work is of similar high quality as others he has penned. Recommended for the serious and curious alike. 4.5 stars.
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| "A Revealing Picture of an American Icon" | 2006-10-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A32BI4QN49FWHW |
I am a student of World War II having read scores of books on the subject and I discovered not only many interesting facts that were new to me about this man but also that his legend may be a bit larger than his life. Although I still think Eisenhower was a great leader who was probably the best man for the job of Supreme Allied Commander in the European theater, D'Este reveals him to be someone who struggled near the edge of breakdown to meet the horrendous challenges that were continually set before him. Like many acclaimed leaders of history, he seemed to be swept along by circumstances he was typically ill-equipped to handle. D'Este portrays him as an intrinsically good and moral man whose virtuous attributes may have helped him keep his job more than anything he actually did. Even the famous, though controversial, British Field Commander Bernard Montgomery genuinely liked him, although the feelings were probably not mutual.
Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life recounts Eisenhower's life from birth to the end of WW II and gives insights to where and from whom he learned the things that would eventually aid him in his future life-defining role. D'Este's biography reads like a fast-paced novel and you find yourself disappointed at watching the unread side of the 700 plus pages dwindle. I highly recommend this book!
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| "Eisenhower's remarkable military career" | 2006-06-27 |
| - Reviewed By thuds45 |
In 1939, Dwight Eisenhower was a field grade oficer with a career stuck essentially in neutral in the interwar U.S. Army. By 1945, Eisenhower was a five star general and commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force that liberated Western Europe and in conjunction with the Armies of the Soviet Union, brought about the final defeat of Nazi Germany. Carlo D'Este's highly readable biography describes that remarkable journey.
"Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life," after a brief prologue on Eisenhower's youth, focuses entirely on Eisenhower's long career in uniform. Eisenhower's progression defies easy description. He was afforded few opportunities to command early in his career, but often excelled as a staff officer, culminating in a long tenure with Douglas MacArthur during his time as Army Chief of Staff and in the pre-war Philippines. As the Second World War approached, Eisenhower began to step through a succession of tough jobs, including time on the Army Staff, as Commander in North Africa and Sicily, and finally as Commander at SHAEF.
D'Este resists drawing large conclusions about Eisenhower's success, but it seems clear from the narrative that Eisenhower was not a classic battlefield general. Instead, he was a superbly talented organizer and manager, with the strategic depth of thought to plan the defeat of Germany and the personal and political skills to get a variety of generals and politicians to work together towards that end. Eisenhower was to a significant degree the public face of that effort, and his aw shucks public personna nicely matched that requirement. Most significantly, Eisenhower enjoyed the confidence of George Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff throughout the war.
D'Este's narrative brings out the high price Eisenhower paid for success, repeatedly worn to exhaustion by long hours and by the requirement to sublimate his ego to get the most of often more experienced, egotistical, and competitive officers. We see Ike as a person, missing his wife and son, spending long hours on the job consuming too much coffee and too many cigarettes, carefully juggling all his responsibilities.
D'Este declines to become decisively engaged in the many controversies of Eisenhower's career in Europe, whether over the broad front approach to Germany or the decision to cede the capture of Berlin to the Russians. D'Este does bring out the difficult circumstances and competing demands under which Eisenhower make those decisions.
This book is highly recommended to those interested in a highly readable book about Eisenhower's military career. |
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| "A Four Star Book About a Five Star General" | 2005-08-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3TWID142YPPUV |
Not too abusive; not too effusive. But like the middle bear's bed, just right.
D'Este credits Eisenhower with a deft political touch, one that may have been too conciliatory to the British for Bradley and Patton's sake, but when all was said and done (and won), just about perfect in the super duper mirror of historian hindsight. After all, the British did have to live with an American as Supreme Commander (best satirized in the little maxim used by the GI's to describe their British counterparts: "Underpaid, undersexed, and under Eisenhower!"). Why not throw Monty a few extra bones?
But of course everyone and his favorite presidential historian knows that Eisenhower's political skills were formidble. The icier ground for Ike has always been his strategic sense. D'Este doesn't try to gloss over Ike's failings in this arena, but he does provide some legitimate excuses. The Broad Front Strategy was politically necessary and most probably, more logistically prudent than Montgomery's beloved narrow thrust. And many of Eisenhower's failings as ground commander could be traced (or at least excused) to bad communications.
But on the whole, Eisenhower the Strategist comes across as vague and unsure, struggling to find his General's Jump Shot. I believe it was Eisenhower's supreme fear of failure that led to his hesitation. Ike rose from colonel to 4-Star General in a startling 16 months. Any rise that rapid is bound to give pause to professional doubters like Brooke and Montgomery, not to mention a young boy who grew up on the wrong side of the Abilene tracks and always felt second best to his elder brother Edgar.
It's a cliche, but Patton seemed desperate to win; Eisenhower desperate not to lose, and any Karl Malone/Utah Jazz fan can tell you there's a difference between the two.
Now off the subject and onto the writer. I had never read D'Este but found myself comparing his writing with William Manchester's, whose American Caeser I just completed. D'Este seems to thrive on war and politics, but his description of little asides (Ike's dog Telek or stories of West Point foibles) runs a bit forced and contrived.
Still, D'Este does have a knack for making you forget you're reading writing, while making you believe you're privy to a great, sprawling, living war, and that unmistakable ear for battle is what earns all great military historians their stars. |
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| "A good book on a good man" | 2005-04-30 |
| - Reviewed By lawson_holton |
| The Good Colonel has done a good job on Ike. It is a fair and balanced book on the rise of the right man, who was at the right place and time. No one else could of held the Western alliance together as well as he did.I myself think that his Patton biography was the better read but then Patton is always better copy. I just hope that he gets around to MacArthur, George Marshall or Ridgeway soon. I would buy them in a New York Minute. |
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| "A Fair and Balanced Look at Ike" | 2004-05-31 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| Dwight Eisenhower's life has been so thoroughly written about and re-written that another biography seems laughable. Nevertheless, Carlo D'Este deserves credit for this highly readable description and analysis of Ike's career through the end of WWII. D'Este highlights Eisenhower's strengths but also his weaknesses, some of which are in the eye of the beholder (the debate over the "Broad Front" strategy in late 1944-45 will likely never be settled). Some Eisenhower worshippers may be offended by D'Este's detailing of Ike's faults (both as D'Este defines them and Ike's troublesome British and American contemporaries). However, he always comes back to the one ultimate, essential point: who else could have led the coalition better? |
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| "Everything You Wanted To Know About Ike" | 2004-04-03 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| Carlo D'este has followed up his work on General Patton with a biography of General Eisenhower which cover his life through World War II. The book is 705 pages long not counting the notes, and will take some time to pioneer your way through. I found the book to be interesting, but have to admit I was glad when I finally finished it. You will learn a great deal about Eisenhower the young boy and his competitive attitude which contributed to his qualities of leadership. The responsibilities he had thrust upon him throughout his military life brought on an addictive smoking habit that would later lead to health problems. Juggling the egos of George Patton, Omar Bradley, Bernard Montgomery, and others proved to be a challenge and strain on Eisenhower as he directed the allied forces through Europe. Patience and restraint were often needed when it may have been helpful for Eisenhower to vent his frustrations. Ike's relationship with his driver, Kay Summersby, is dealt with in some detail. They were very good friends, but there is no evidence of a consummated romantic relationship. I'm not going to rehash the book in this review. Suffice it to say if you want to learn about America's man in command of World War II this book will provide you with ample information of both Eisenhower the man and the soldier. |
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| "Lengthy but extremely informative" | 2003-07-25 |
| - Reviewed By indypythons |
| This is probably one of the most thorough treatments of Eisenhower's military career out there. Despite it's exhaustive coverage, Carlo D'Este manages to keep it very readable throughout. The reader doesn't get bogged down or bored anywhere in the book. A very gripping account of a very exceptional man. |
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