Killing Patton: The Strange Death Of World War II's Most Audacious General (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a 'strange' aberration in reference to O'Reilly's other books; while it does have accuracy with many historical facts - some well known, some not-so-well known - he offers 'little' compelling data to substantiate his hypothesis about a 'possible' assassination attempt. But using hearsay and subjective reasoning, he purports that, due to Patton being 'Audacious' [a 'well known' aspect of Patton's personality, especially to him] that there were 'sinister' factions that wanted his demise - foreign and American. Many of the individuals that Mr. O'Reilly [and his co-author] maligned are no longer able to 'bring him to task' for his hypothesis. That the US Army 'screwed the pooch' with their 'investigation' has been a given since 1945. At that time, the emphasis of the forces in Germany was vested in a) going home, b) keeping the defeated German population in line, and c) re-establishing the basic infrastructure that five years of bombing and six years of war had destroyed. If you know 'nothing' about George S. Patton [the WW2 General, son and grandson are also GSP and generals], this would be a 'good' starting point for 'basic' information and the events surrounding his death. But other books 'have' to have better, less 'sensational' information, which is why only "3 Stars". The Killing series books started out with a good success in Killing Lincoln, but have gone downhill from there. The newest effort, Killing Patton, hits bottom. This effort attempts to resurrect the suspicious death of the heroic George Patton at the end of World War II. Was it an assassination by parties unknown to stop Patton from getting World War III started with the Soviets ("Give me six weeks and I can be in Moscow," Patton is quoted as once saying) or a simple car accident as reported in the press at the time? So, if he was killed, who did it? How was it done? This book is short on details. Let me recommend a much more thoroughly researched book, still a bit far-fetched, but well historically presented, in Target: Patton, by Wilcox. Mr. Wilcox actually interviewed those with a first person involvement at the time. One in the OSS who tried to stop the assassination when he got advance warning of the plot from his undercover sources, and a second who admitted his own involvement in the killing. Did I say far fetched ? A lot is based on statements of actors four plus decades after the events themselves, and well, certainly every reach is made to prove the point. The conclusion certainly is well established that an historical re investigation is merited. Who did it? Wilcox names names and spells out a plausible step by step scenario of how a car accident was really the cover for a political killing of a preeminently successful, victorious American general speaking loudly about the threat the Russians posed to Europe at the time. A choice between the two books? Go with Wilcox.
What do You think about Killing Patton: The Strange Death Of World War II's Most Audacious General (2014)?
A lot of history is covered and written in a very interesting format.
—kim
Good, but not as good as Killing Lincoln or Kennedy.
—sara
