Patton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer

by Michael Keane Narrated by Grover Gardner Unabridged — 6 hours, 48 minutes

Overview

Patton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer

"There is no question of personal courage in this war," Colonel Patton's commanding officer told him on the eve of battle in 1918. "It is a business proposition where every man must be in his place and performing his part."

No one in the history of warfare was less likely to follow that advice than George S. Patton Jr. His place was in front of his men, and he paid the price, when he lay bleeding to death in a bomb crater in France.

Patton's survival that day at the end of World War I was nothing short of miraculous. It confirmed the powerful sense of destiny that guided him through three decades of war and made him a military legend-"Old Blood and Guts," an impossible mixture of irascibility and courage, profanity and profound religious faith, tactical impulsiveness and strategic genius.

Blood and guts were indeed a large part of what made Patton Patton. Descended from an illustrious line of warriors, he was acutely conscious of the martial heritage in his blood. He met every challenge of his life with determination and guts. He demanded the same from his men, and he usually got it.

But as Michael Keane shows in this masterly portrait, the foundation of Patton's character was his vivid awareness of the presence and providence of God. Patton's Christian faith was idiosyncratic, even unorthodox, but his habit of prayer was as simple, trusting, and constant as a monk's.

A singular combination of virtues and flaws, Patton has been venerated and despised but rarely understood. In Patton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer, Michael Keane penetrates the fog of legend and reveals as compelling a human character as any in American history.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Kean (national security fellow, Pacific Council on International Policy) reveals the World War II general as a man of faith who believed he was favored by God for an important destiny, a soldier deeply familiar with the Bible who considered fear of death an enemy to be conquered to achieve eternal salvation. After surviving close calls in combat in both world wars as well as negative publicity as a result of having slapped a shell-shocked soldier in 1943, Patton grew increasingly confident in his sense of himself. He believed that "wars are fought with weapons but won by men" and that only through prayer would men find the courage and the strength to win on the battlefield. Keane includes passages from Patton's papers, including deeply religious poetry that he wrote. He read widely in religion, across faiths, and believed in reincarnation. VERDICT An accessible read for armchair readers of military biography, especially for those of faith.—PM

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169531473
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	11/15/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

Related Subjects

• 20th Century American History - World War II
• European Theater - World War II - Allied Command
• General & Miscellaneous Military Biography
• Military - Weapons - Tanks & Armored Cars
• United States - World War II Armed Forces
• World War II - General & Miscellaneous

Videos