Advance and Destroy: Patton as Commander in the Bulge (American Warriors Series) - Hardcover

"A book like this offers much for readers trying to understand the complexities of command in a rapidly changing environment such as occurred with Patton and his Third Army in the Bulge." -- Journal of Military History "A detailed operational history." -- Military Review "A masterpiece on Patton's operational performance throughout the entire Ardennes campaign, from the first attacks to the relief of Bastogne and beyond the spring of 1945." -- Past in Review "An informative historical study that creates a fascinating encounter between an event of great importance and a magnetic personality." -- H-Net Review "Examines [Patton's] strategy and actions during the Battle of the Bulge." -- WWII History "This is a detailed operational study of Patton's Third Army during the German counter-offensive in the Winter of 1944-45, Patton's finest hour. In this sequel to his Patton at Bay, Rickard examines Patton's decisions based on what was known at the time, force levels in action on both sides, terrain, weather, and directions from Eisenhower and Bradley." -- Library Journal " Advance and Destroy is the best book on operational command I have read. John Rickard's success at merging events, intelligence, decisions, and commanders in real time is both gripping and successful in putting the reader inside the command posts and on the field during the Battle of the Ardennes. Clearly, the best in-depth examination of Patton the Commander ever done." -- General Gordon R. Sullivan, USA (Ret.), 32nd Chief of Staff "With this new book on Patton's conduct of the Ardennes campaign, Rickard cements his reputation as one of our foremost analysts of the ground fighting in the ETO, 1944-45. This book is indespensible to student of the war in Europe." -- Robert M. Citino, author of Quest for Decisive Victory: From Stalemate to Blitzkrieg in Europe, 1899-1940 "An impressive, important work.... Without Rickard's detailed, painstaking analysis, such an appreciation of Patton in the Bulge would never have been possible." -- War in History "Apart from good history, author Rickard captures the essence of George Patton: conident, profane, and optimistic." -- Journal of America's Military Past "The author... turns his analytical skills to an assessment of Patton's effectiveness as a commander during the Battle of the Bulge in terms of command and operational technique, mission accomplishment, and cost in lives relative to the gains made by his forces." -- The Historian "A tour de force on the history of the military art...Puts paid to the idea that nothing new can be said about this campaign about which so much has been written." -- Army Magazine " Advance and Destroy bills itself as the 'first rigorous analysis' of Patton's generalship over the course of the entire Ardennes campaign. Clearly written and well researched, the volume fits that bill." -- Military Periscope "Rickard's scholarship is impeccable. His presentation and mastery of the material is equally effective." -- Carlo D'Este, author of Patton: A Genius for War

Actor George C. Scott made General George C. Patton a legendary figure to many Americans, but military historians have always known that Scott's portrayal of the general in the movie Patton (1970) was based on equal parts fact and fiction. Still, Scott's celebrated role continues to give Patton a larger-than-life quality, and many tend to revere him as a superstar rather than analyzing his effectiveness as a commander. In Patton as Military Commander in the Ardennes, John Nelson Rickard corrects the many myths and misperceptions surrounding Patton, providing the first comprehensive analysis of Patton's generalship in the Battle of the Bulge. According to Rickard, "the requirement to maneuver and fight hard, and the temporary and rough parity of the opposing sides makes the Battle of the Bulge the ultimate case study of Patton's generalship." The Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944-January 25, 1945), also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was a major German offensive, launched toward the end of the war in the region of the Ardennes Mountains in Belgium. This was Hitler's last great gasp, and he deployed 300,000 troops with the hope of neutralizing the Western Front, splitting the Allied forces, and forcing the Americans and British to settle for a separate peace independent of the Soviet Union. Many historians have argued that Allied reinforcements, including General George Patton's Third Army, were instrumental in smashing Hitler's final push and securing Allied victory. Previous work on Patton has focused on the Third Army's link up with the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne. But Rickard argues that Patton directed multiple corps operations for a full month after breaking through to Bastongne and that these operations have been overlooked. Because many historians have not carefully considered the commander's decision-making process, Rickard employs an "estimate of the situation" methodology, based on the mission, the means, the conditions, and the probable effects of various lines of action on future operations. Our second reader praises Rickard for investigating Patton's use of intelligence, specifically ULTRA, which was the designation used by the British for signals intelligence obtained by "breaking" high-level encrypted enemy radio and teleprinter communications. Thus Rickard offers not only a groundbreaking analysis of military command, but also a new look at one of America's most controversial and colorful figures. John Nelson Rickard is a Captain in the Canadian Armed Forces and has a Ph.D in military history from the University of New Brunswick. He currently serves at the Directorate of Army Training, in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of Politics of Command: Lieutenant-General A.G.L. McNaughton and the Canadian Army, 1939-1943 and Patton at Bay: The Lorraine Campaign, September to December 1944.