Book Review: Killing Patton by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard (2014)
Synopsis: General George S. Patton's legacy was one of military success and controversy, playing an instrumental role in the Allied victory over Nazi Germany during World War II but also angering his superiors with his tendency to go rogue and anger American allies with his statements to the press. Soon after being relieved of command for the latter, Patton infamously was killed in a car accident. However, this non-fiction book challenges the official cause and suggests it might instead have been an assassination.
Review: I came across Killing Patton at a bookstore last weekend and while I didn't purchase it, I was intrigued enough to check it out from the library that following Monday. I finished reading it this morning and it turned out to be a good choice.
George Patton is one of my favorite Americans from history but, to be honest, I didn't really know a whole lot more about him than what I learned watching the 1970 movie named after him. And frankly, I never even once questioned his official (and a bit ironic) cause of death until reading this book.
Let me start out by saying the argument O'Reilly and Dugard make is far from conclusive. As their book itself admits, there is no way to prove the assassination theory decades after the fact because Patton's wife wouldn't allow an autopsy and a lot of other evidence no longer exists, either by choice or just lost as the result of time.
That said, the argument they make is compelling, especially with Patton contemplating a resignation from the United States Army so he was free to state his mind and opinion, potentially damaging the political career of Dwight Eisenhower, and with him already angering people up the chain of the American command as well as in Russia. The fact there were apparently assassination plans in place at the time of his death and Patton himself reportedly suggesting he wouldn't return from Europe alive, added to that, as did the immediate aftermath (and lack of urgency) following his fatal accident.
Even without the assassination theory, the book turned out to be worth reading just from a history perspective. The authors share information that isn't found in a lot of other World War II books, including stories about the public extra-marital affairs of some of the top commanding officers, Adolf Hitler's health issues and how Joseph Stalin played the Allies in an attempt to gain more territory at the end of the war.
Being a bit old school when it comes to non-fiction books, I would have liked to see more specific source citing, especially when it comes to some of the more controversial revelations and information that clearly was second-hand (not from Patton's diary) and maybe tweaked a bit for entertainment purposes. However, the authors do at least give a basic overview of where the material came from so at least I can add to my reading list.
Final Opinion: It was an interesting book I found difficult to put down once I started reading it. If you're a fan of World War II history, it's worth taking the time to read.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other books about World War II:
Book Review: I Marched with Patton by Frank Sisson with Robert L. Wise (2020)
Book Review: Brothers in Arms by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anthony Walton (2004)
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