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The Supreme Commander Kindle Edition

by Stephen E. Ambrose (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 962 ratings
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In this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, bestselling historian Stephen E. Ambrose examines the Allied commander’s leadership during World War II.
 
Ambrose brings Eisenhower’s experience of the Second World War to life, showing in vivid detail how the general’s skill as a diplomat and a military strategist contributed to Allied successes in North Africa and in Europe, and established him as one of the greatest military leaders in the world. Ambrose, then the Associate Editor of the General’s official papers, analyzes Eisenhower’s difficult military decisions and his often complicated relationships with powerful personalities like Churchill, de Gaulle, Roosevelt, and Patton. This is the definitive account of Eisenhower’s evolution as a military leader—from its dramatic beginnings through his time at the top post of Allied command.
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  1. Print length
    770 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Anchor
  5. Publication date
    January 17, 2012
  6. File size
    2977 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Extraordinarily fascinating. . . . General Dwight Eisenhower comes remarkably alive.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Ambrose is that rare breed: an historian with true passion for his subjects.”
—Ken Burns

“Ambrose should be assigned a special, honored place among modern historians. . . . All of us who write or read history are in his debt.”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
“A masterful historian.”
—People

From the Back Cover

The story of Ike in his finest hours as the Allies' top strategist in WWII

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004W3IEFE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Anchor (January 17, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 17, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2977 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 770 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 962 ratings

About the author

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Stephen E. Ambrose

Stephen E. Ambrose

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Dr. Stephen Ambrose was a renowned historian and acclaimed author of more than 30 books. Among his New York Times best-sellers are: Nothing Like It in the World, Citizen Soldiers, Band of Brothers, D-Day - June 6, 1944, and Undaunted Courage.He was not only a great author, but also a captivating speaker, with the unique ability to provide insight into the future by employing his profound knowledge of the past. His stories demonstrate how leaders use trust, friendship and shared experiences to work together and thrive during conflict and change. His philosophy about keeping an audience engaged is put best in his own words: "As I sit at my computer, or stand at the podium, I think of myself as sitting around the campfire after a day on the trail, telling stories that I hope will have the members of the audience, or the readers, leaning forward just a bit, wanting to know what happens next." Dr. Ambrose was a retired Boyd Professor of History at the University of New Orleans. He was the Director Emeritus of the Eisenhower Center in New Orleans, and the founder of the National D-Day Museum. He was also a contributing editor for the Quarterly Journal of Military History, a member of the board of directors for American Rivers, and a member of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council Board. His talents have not gone unnoticed by the film industry. Dr. Ambrose was the historical consultant for Steven Spielberg's movie Saving Private Ryan. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks purchased the film rights to his books Citizen Soldiers and Band of Brothers to make the 13-hour HBO mini-series Band of Brothers. He has also participated in numerous national television programs, including ones for the History Channel and National Geographic.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
962 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

T. Watson
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book on Eisenhower during WW2. A must read
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2022
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The work by Ambrose is marvelously detailed and takes the reader on the journey of Eisenhower during the war, rising from obscurity to one of the most powerful military leaders in history. While this is a very positive view of Eisenhower, there is a great deal of context in why decisions were made. The discussion of the logistical challenges is not well understood and glossed over by some authors but has enormous influence on strategy by the western allies. There is also a great deal of background on the political machinations of the allies that has to be maneuvered through, especially the influence exerted by Churchill and the BCOS. A must read for those who want to understand how victory was won.
8 people found this helpful
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Mark Vickerman
4.0 out of 5 stars an extraordinary man for extraordinary times
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2020
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There can be little doubt that Dwight Eisenhower, an ostensibly approachable, affable and humble man was the perfect choice to manage the competing egos of the Army commanders and politicians to achieve victory in such a large and destructive war. Of course he made mistakes, most apparent only with the benefit of hindsight, but surely the point is that in such extreme circumstances he made so few. Unfortunately, like his boss, FDR , he played his cards very close to his chest and we will never know what inner thoughts and objectives drove him to make the decisions he did. This book is as good an account as can be expected and is well structured and written. As a text book for management it emphases the importance of cordial and respectful relationships, patience and listening. Were an Ike available to lead us in these times.
12 people found this helpful
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Nicolás
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2024
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Good book good quality
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Mazda 6
5.0 out of 5 stars Very worthwhile reading and a tribute to the great American.
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2016
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The book seems to be a fairly written account of Eisenhower's leadership of allied forces in the second world war. Ambrose is objective and honest, neither lost in admiration nor hypercritical. He portrays the human side of Eisenhower while also giving account of his brilliance. It is not an exhaustive biography but a detailed account of his leading the allies to victory. It filled in many gaps for me from reading other histories of the war and helped me appreciate the delicate diplomacy he practiced to keep the Americans, French and Russians on track, as well as dealing with the strong personalities he had to command. It is not a detailed account of the various battles but is written from the supreme commander's position. Very worthwhile reading and a tribute to the great American.
2 people found this helpful
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Son of Clovis
5.0 out of 5 stars Latent Novelist
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2023
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Mr Ambrose thought he was writing a historical novel and worked to get every detail absolutely correct. When you read all 668 pages, you will feel as if you are reading a superb novel. However by page 667 you will realize you've not been reading some author's dream, but with with a definitive authority you have walked alongside Eisenhower in WW II. ..... With rhetorical and history majors, I could wish all history and fiction could be so enticing. ..... One of the most outstanding features finds Ambrose simply but cogently allowing us to feel the enormous pressures Ike felt from within and from above and from below. ..... A second feature dissects an admirable trait of the General. Therefore, in classes on Leadership, this would make an excellent choice for outside reading.
9 people found this helpful
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G. Sideman
4.0 out of 5 stars Ambrose brings Ike to life
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2015
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The story flows well from Ambrose's pen - he tells it in a gripping and interesting way, which is no small feat for a story so rich in fact and detail. The most interesting portions of the book - indeed the recurring theme - are the many personality clashes & interactions between the high level figures of the time, and Ike's manner of navigating through them.
Decisions are analyzed and the author presents the various points of view then prevailing, with a clear explanation as to the motives & logic behind each party's viewpoint. He also provides historical perspective regarding the long term consequences (i.e. invasion of southern France vs. the Balkans in light of the cold war that followed)
Though the book does not read as biased, and seems to give a fair airing to the various points of view, somehow Ike's viewpoint is represented more convincingly. Clearly Ambrose is in Ike's corner - but that does not take away from the value of the book. You get to see it all from the driver's seat, meaning through Ike's eyes, and it is an exhilarating ride.
It should be noted though that names of commanders, leaders, unit numbers, HQ abbreviations, towns, areas, rivers & ports abound, and the author does not bother to explain the basics or provide training wheels. A general knowledge of the history of WWII is a pre-requisite, an understanding of military hierarchy and a detailed knowledge of the geography very helpful.
The main drawback of the book - an almost complete lack of maps. As the details of the various plans, military considerations, campaigns, movement of armies, areas of responsibility, etc are described, it would have been enormously helpful to have detailed maps describing the situation at any given point. The three maps the book does include are nearly useless & never referred to. Indeed, having a military atlas of WWII next to you while reading would be very helpful (I didn't). Given the nature of the book, this omission is puzzling.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Peter Boettcher
5.0 out of 5 stars The Supreme Commander.
Reviewed in Australia on November 5, 2023
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Rather interesting book.
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book worm
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating reading
Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2014
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I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in WW II. It gives an insight of the realitites of war without necessarily going on about the the 'murder and mayhem' and the astounding effort it was to finally defeat Nazi Germany. Amazing that anyone would have to bear so much pressure, as the supreme commander, to ensure the war was won while having to satisfy politicians from 2 countries, to endure the pressures of public opinion and stroke other generals' egoes. The book was also easily accessible to a newbie like me who knows essentially nothing about the military.
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David Rowland
5.0 out of 5 stars Ambrose portrays a man of many fine personal qualities
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2014
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This fascinating, absorbing and superbly written book by one of America's foremost historians, Stephen Ambrose, tells the story of Dwight David Eisenhower whose years of high command covers the campaign in North Africa from 1942 to 1943 and the campaign in north west Europe in 1944 and 1945. Ambrose portrays a man of many fine personal qualities, warmth, sincerity and patience and great skills as a military leader who had the unenvialbe task in the last two years of the war of having to deal with notorious prima donnas like Bernard Montgomery, George Patton and Charles de Gaulle. Eisenhower comes across as a great diplomat who had the awesome responsibility of commanding the allied forces that took part in the liberation of Europe.

The book is extremely readable and it is fortunate that the allied forces had as its leader someone of his calibre who had the most difficult job in the world between June 1944 and May 1945. For me one of the most interesting aspects of the book is Ambrose's description of Eisenhower's stormy relationship with Montgomery who also had great qualities as a military leader but whose character flaws made Eisenhower's life so difficult in 1944 and 1945.

I throughly recommend this tremendous book to anyone who is interested in how the second world war was fought and how the men at the top related to each other and despite their numerous disagreements managed to lead the armed forces that succeeded in liberating Europe from the scourge of National Socialism.
4 people found this helpful
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Ann
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2020
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A great look into a amazing commander.
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Alan Parish
5.0 out of 5 stars A real insight into the problems that Eisenhower had to deal with apart from the the invasion.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2019
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This is a really fascinating read which does however demand ones full concentration. That's not to say that it's badly written; far from it, but like The Rise and fall of the Third Reich, there is a lot of detail to take on board. The main thing that comes to light here is the tremendous difficulties that 'Ike' had dealing with the 'strong' personalities of his senior Commanders, Roosevelt, Churchill and most of all De Gaulle, as well as being responsible for the planning of the invasions of Italy and France. By his own admission he wasn't a Politician or a Diplomat, but he soon learned that he had to be! This is an extremely well written book by the 'Band of Brothers' author, and if this period of History is of interest to you it's a 'must read'!
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