Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life Hardcover – June 4, 2002

Carlo D’Este’s “Eisenhower” is nothing less than a tour de force. It reminded me of reading the first volume of Edmond Morris’s masterful TR trilogy. The only downside is that D’Este’s ends rather abruptly with Ike accepting Nazi Germany’s surrender in May 1945 and he has not written a sequel, so you will have to look elsewhere to learn about Ike’s presidency and the fate of the fascinating people around him. However, reading this only child brings many rewards, including a unique perspective on Ike’s life, deep insights into World War II, scrupulous objectivity, and fascinating details missing from shorter biographies.I opted for the long version of Ike’s life for several reasons. I don’t remember ever discussing politics with my maternal grandparents, so imagine my surprise when I opened a box of pins I inherited and the only ones of a political nature declared, “I like Ike!” I was also interested in Ike’s family background because it is similar to my own. Like Ike’s father, both of my grandfathers’ ancestors immigrated to America from Germany in the mid-1700s and settled in Pennsylvania before moving West in the 1800s. Eisenhower (the original spelling was Eisenhauer, which means “ironcutter”) is the second of three German-Americans to become president. Sadly, the other two, Hoover (Huber) and Trump (Drumpf), are two of the worst presidents America has ever had…I was also curious as to how someone raised by pacifist parents could become, as one of his five brothers put it, “a professional killer.” Reading “Eisenhower,” I learned of a second great irony: Ike’s father still spoke German (in my family it died out one or two generations earlier), which made Ike’s visceral hatred of his ancestral homeland all the more fascinating. The Brits were very much aware of Ike’s origins, calling the area near one of his homes in London “Eisenhower Platz.”Ike’s childhood was much like Harry Truman’s. Both were the sons of poor farmers who tried and failed to go into business. Neither family could afford to send their bright and hard-working sons to college, so Ike chose West Point. Ironically, Truman was in combat in World War I while Ike was never even sent, possibly due to a bad knee. Not only did Ike never see combat, he never led troops into action--his troop commands were brief and stateside. I had no idea you could still become a general, much less a four-star general.D’Este is the first professional soldier turned presidential historian that I have read, so he provides a unique perspective and window on Ike’s military career. I have given lectures at American military bases around the world, but I had no idea what it was like to live on one, much less attend a service academy or advanced training program.The second half of D’Este’s 700 pages of main text focuses on Ike’s role in World War II. Having published several books on the European theater and a biography of Patton, D’Este is ideally suited to telling this story. It is heavy on battles, but D’Este is adept at intertwining the military engagements with Ike’s personal life, including his roller coaster marriage with Mamie Dowd, frigid relationship with his father and only surviving son, emotional entanglement with his Irish driver, Kay Summersby (there is no evidence of a physical relationship), never-ending clashes with his “prima donna” generals and the antics of one very cute little black Scottie.I came away being less impressed with Ike than I thought I would be. No doubt, Ike had great ability, charisma and commitment. He faced brutally difficult decisons (like D-Day) and daunting alliance management issues. For example, Churchill was an “irresistible force” that required an “immovable object” like Ike. I think my disappointment is because D’Este does not shy away from discussing Ike’s personal shortcomings (like a raging temper) or many military failures. Our heroes are indeed all too human. At one point Ike meets with Marshall wondering if he still has a job, only to find out he is getting another star. This would not be the first or last example D’Este cites of a general being promoted for failure.Like Morris’s TR trilogy, this is a two-bookmark book as many of the footnotes are fascinating. A plea to publishers: Why can’t you put them on the actual page where they appear rather than as endnotes??? D’Este does not use obscure words like Morris, but his use of military terminology and acronyms sure would benefit from a couple of explanatory pages at the outset (quick-- Which has more soldiers, a brigade or a regiment?). A collection of short bios would also be a huge help. One final nit-pick: There are a number of minor errors, including the first map, which mixes up Morocco and Algeria.In many ways, D’Este’s tome is the perfect follow-up to French’s “FDR” and McCullough’s “Truman.” World War II looks completely different from the perspective of a war fighter than a president. I also had no idea of the complexities involved in managing the alliance with the Brits. Ike spent much more time with Churchill than FDR and Truman combined. They each had a handfull of meetings; Ike and Winnie met weekly for a year and at least every few weeks for two more years. George Marshall (a high school bears his name a few miles from my house) also comes across very differently as Ike’s boss than as one of FDR and Truman’s most trusted advisors. On the other hand, Douglas MacArthur comes across just as badly as he did in “Truman.” I think I will give away my copy of “American Caesar.”So what comes next? I plan to read Ambrose’s “Eisenhower” for the period 1945-1960 and then Newton’s “Eisenhower: The White House Years.” Sometimes, you gotta make your own trilogy.

A great read about a great a General. Must have for WWII history lovers.

Through the lens of history, Dwight David Eisenhower, General of the Army, Supreme Allied Commander, President, is often seen as the affable embodiment of all that it is to be American. Of course, the truth is actually much more interesting. In Carlo D'Este's superb biography we are introduced to an Eisenhower who is full of contradictions and failings, but one who ultimately takes on a greater, and certainly more real, stature as a result of them.As with his likewise excellent biography of Patton, D'Este sets the stage for Eisenhower's life by exploring the origins and beliefs of his forebears. As a result, the reader is introduced to perhaps the greatest irony of Eisenhower's life: his parents were staunch pacifists, and while proud of their son's accomplishments, were never particularly comfortable with his chosen career path. It is also worth noting that Eisenhower's life was utterly different from George Patton's, whose career became intertwined with his own. Unlike Patton's privileged upbringing, Eisenhower was dirt poor for pretty much his entire life, and yet the two men were close friends for decades before the pressures of war drove them irretrievably apart.What is perhaps most interesting about Eisenhower, is that America's most well known soldier never actually directly commanded men in combat. His proficiency as a trainer kept him out of the trenches of WWI, and his skill as a staff officer meant that thereafter, he was always the brain behind the throne for a string of officers including such luminaries as MacArthur and Marshall. Yet, it was this perceived deficit in his resume that actually proved to be his greatest strength.Above all, Eisenhower was a master administrator; he could take a long view of the situation, and insomuch as he was able, build a consensus out of the egos of his generals. It is perhaps the greatest strength of D'Este's research that he can paint a portrait of Eisenhower beset on all sides by prima donnas like Montgomery, Bradley and Patton, who is still able to maintain control over the long term progress of the war. D'Este is particularly scathing of Bradley, who is clearly the most overrated general of World War II, but even with Montgomery and Patton, who were undoubtedly Eisenhower's superiors in matters of operational art, he correctly recognizes that they lacked the fundamental character traits that made Eisenhower so successful as Supreme Commander. Traits like patience, affability, and the ability to place the good of the Allies above his own feelings meant that he could guide a supremely fractious coalition to victory.That's not to say that D'Este is an unabashed admirer of Eisenhower. He correctly recognizes that, particularly early in the war, Eisenhower was far too tentative in his command. Moreover, he had a tendency to place personal loyalty above competency, and tolerated far too many laggards on his staff for political reasons. Moreover, as an infantryman, Eisenhower never completely grasped the need for maneuver and speed in his operations, a failing that lay at the root of his problems with Patton. That said, Eisenhower is often unduly criticized for not capturing Berlin. Military considerations and possibilities aside, any captured territory behind that designated in the Yalta agreements would have been turned over to the Soviets at the conclusion of hostilities anyway.Finally, a few complaints about what is overall an excellent work. First, D'Este all too frequently digresses into long descriptions of the operational situation and then fails to link it back to Eisenhower. It is perhaps inevitable in that Eisenhower was in a position where he was frequently just an overseer. Still, I would argue that there are plenty of fine operational histories of WWII, and that the narrative could have been greatly improved by more effectively tying Eisenhower to the action on the ground. Secondly, while I applaud the use of primary sources, D'Este's use of the them is oddly stilted. For example, he will insert the text of a letter from Mamie Eisenhower to Ike, but then fail to link it to the overall flow of the narrative. Such non sequitors can be very disruptive, and more than once I had to flip back a page to pick up the point D'Este was trying to convey. Lastly, I was rather disappointed that D'Este didn't include Eisenhower's illustrious post-war career. While 1945 is certainly a logical stopping point, and D'Este can hardly be blamed for not tackling the monumental task of researching the post-war years, I finished this work feeling that I didn't have a complete picture of either Eisenhower the soldier, or the man.Those complaints aside, I would like to reiterate that this is a superb biography. As was the case with "Patton: A Genius" for war, D'Este reveals his admiration when appropriate but is never unbalanced as a result. He gives a fair evaluation of Eisenhower's triumphs, and likewise considers his tragedies, and his miscues. Throughout, he offers a fascinating, thoroughly real portrait of a remarkable man. Perhaps the best compliment I can pay to this book is to state that it is my sincere hope that D'Este will follow it up with a second volume covering 1945 to the end of Eisenhower's life.Jake Mohlman

I am still reading this wonderful book. Carlo D'Este did a great job telling the story of Dwight D. Eisenhower's parents marriage and struggles as their family grew, childhood, and his life as a West Point Cadet, Officer in the Army and service as the Supreme Allied Commander.D'Este included facts that I have not read elsewhere.This is a must read book for armchair historians the persons who want to learn more about Dwight D. Eisenhower.

I left 2022 and lived among giants, leaders whose love of country still amazes. Great leaders are not perfect. But they strive to help everyone.

Purchased as a gift to one of my ROTC Cadets to begin their professional library. As part of a class assignment I asked each cadet what book would they no-kidding read, military or not, related to their academic major or not. After I compiled the list of books for the class I went online and ordered all the books from Amazon. I placed them at their seats prior to class and allowed them to enter the room w/o me being present for the first five minutes. It was, and still is, one of the good teaching moments of our time together. Thanks for helping me fulfill a need in their soon-to-be military career.

Very accessible and well written. Timeless.

After his wonderful biography on General Patton it was natural that D'este move on to Dwight Eisenhower. He begins with Eisenhower's childhood in Abilene and ends with the German surrender in May 1945. The descriptions of Eisenhower during the war, dealing with issues both political and military with his subordinates are top notch. My only criticism would be that it did not cover Eisenhower's life after the war, but overall it is a great book on General Eisenhower.

This book is rather more successful than D'Este's Warlord which struggles to convince the reader that the subject was in fact a warlord.Eisenhower's rise prior to and during WWII was remarkable and he certainly appears to have been the best man for the job. Certainly not a great tactical general, leading troups in the field but someone who could cope with the enormous pressures involved in leading the Anglo-American alliance and able to deal with a range of difficult characters (political leaders and generals alike) with conflicting interests.Eisenhower nearly was undone by his broad front strategy to finish Germany but recognised the early German counterattack for what it was (i.e. the opening shots of the Battle of the Bulge) and was able to respond appropriately.The book greatly benefits from the author's previous works on D-Day and Patton.My only complaint is that I now still need to read another book on Eisenhower's later career (which will be HItchcock's book which is thankfully also available on Kindle).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Meticulously researched and written in a very precise way which kept me interested throughout. I can honestly say that it is one of the finest books I have read on the subject,and I have read many. Highly recommended.

Excellent, comprehensive account of Eisenhower's life up until the end of WW2.

reading of the rise from humble beginnings to become not only a five star general but also president of the united statesfor those of you who like reading about these very successful people who over come just about everything, and made it, I really admire anyone who has done this,a really good read, and this book came well wrapped, delivered on time and again the price was good too,.

Excellent all round