Monty: The Making of a General, 1887-1942 v. 1: Life of Montgomery of Alamein - Softcover

Despite grave character flaws (he was vain, arrogant, small-minded and vengeful) Montgomery was, according to Hamilton, the outstanding Allied battlefield commander of WW II. Hamilton ( JFK: Reckless Youth ) has condensed his three-volume official biography into this single, more accessible book for general readers, concentrating both on Montgomery's battlefield exploits and his thorny relationships with American generals Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley. Hamilton describes how and why Montgomery deliberately humiliated the latter and disparaged the former, his direct superior, almost continually accusing Eisenhower of everything from ignorance to incompetence. The biography is decidedly controversial: Hamilton argues, for instance, that Eisenhower was virtually inactive during the major German counterattack in the Ardennes and charges Bradley with concocting self-serving myths about Montgomery that would dominate postwar writing on the Western alliance. This shortened version brings into clearer focus the reasons for the high regard in which students of the military art hold Montgomery. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A condensation of Hamilton's previous three-volume biography of Montgomery -Monty: The Making of a General (LJ 9/15/81), Master of the Battlefield (LJ 1/84), and Monty: Final Years of the Field Marshal (LJ 12/86)-this latest effort will be more accessible to the average American reader. Sympathetic to Montgomery, while recognizing his personality flaws and peculiarities, this title provides a view of Montgomery that may be unfamiliar in the United States-that of a dedicated professional soldier and ally baffled by the perceived weakness and amateurism of U.S. political and military leaders during World War II. Arrogant, vain, and caustic, Montgomery remains one of the least-understood, yet most successful, Allied military figures of the war. Hamilton's book can serve to provide an alternative view to the usual Eisenhower-oriented materials and should be considered for World War II collections.---Stanley Planton, Quinn Lib, Univ.
Chillicothe
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.