Overview

They fought a series of extraordinary battles across several theaters of war that established them as two of the greatest generals of their age. Born four years apart, their lives were remarkably similar--from their shared provincial upbringings to each nearly dying in but emerging from the first World War with glowing war records. They would begin to fight each other as divisional commanders in 1940 and as they came to prominence, first in North Africa, then at the Normandy D-Day allied invasion. Caddick-Adams tracks and compares their military talents and personalities in battle. Monty and Rommel explores how each general was raised to power by their war leaders, Churchill and Hitler, and how the innovative military strategy and thought of both permeate down to today's armies.

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9781590207253

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Behind-the-scenes descriptions that place the reader directly in the action of World War II, the character analysis, and the biographical context are sure to satisfy all curious readers in military biography or World War II history. --- Library Journal Peter Caddick-Adams''s book brilliantly captures the lives and the personalities of these two extraordinary men. In short, Monty and Rommel is not only a first-class work of military history, but one of those books that makes you stop and think, and connect the dots from the past to the present. The author is masterful at bringing alive these two very different (and very difficult) personalities, and has scads of good stories about them . . . Never mind, this is a terrific book, and well worth reading carefully. Unlike most military history it has a certain novelistic depth, and its two major characters are unfailingly interesting. ----The Daily Beast Bernard Law Montgomery and Erwin Rommel are ideal subjects for a comparative military biography. Without choosing between them, Caddick-Adams compares Rommel to a bold 'modernist painter' and Montgomery to a painstaking 'seventeenth-century minimalist.' It is a striking, appropriate conclusion to an excellent book. --- Publishers Weekly Peter Caddick-Adams's book brilliantly captures the lives and the personalities of these two extraordinary men. In short, Monty and Rommel is not only a first-class work of military history, but one of those books that makes you stop and think, and connect the dots from the past to the present. The author is masterful at bringing alive these two very different (and very difficult) personalities, and has scads of good stories about them . . . Never mind, this is a terrific book, and well worth reading carefully. Unlike most military history it has a certain novelistic depth, and its two major characters are unfailingly interesting. ----The Daily Beast [A] highly engaging which is stronger on war storytelling than on political analysis, but perhaps wiser than its subjects in recognizing that. --- New Yorker Two consummate military men who led their respective countries to victories receive the full-on character treatment by a British military historian. An accessible, well-honed study of two fascinating characters. Kirkus Reviews Bernard Law Montgomery and Erwin Rommel are ideal subjects for a comparative military biography. Without choosing between them, Caddick-Adams compares Rommel to a bold 'modernist painter' and Montgomery to a painstaking 'seventeenth-century minimalist.' It is a striking, appropriate conclusion to an excellent book. Publishers Weekly Behind-the-scenes descriptions that place the reader directly in the action of World War II, the character analysis, and the biographical context are sure to satisfy all curious readers in military biography or World War II history. Library Journal Peter Caddick-Adams's book brilliantly captures the lives and the personalities of these two extraordinary men. In short, Monty and Rommel is not only a first-class work of military history, but one of those books that makes you stop and think, and connect the dots from the past to the present. The author is masterful at bringing alive these two very different (and very difficult) personalities, and has scads of good stories about them . . . Never mind, this is a terrific book, and well worth reading carefully. Unlike most military history it has a certain novelistic depth, and its two major characters are unfailingly interesting. The Daily Beast [A] highly engaging which is stronger on war storytelling than on political analysis, but perhaps wiser than its subjects in recognizing that. New Yorker

Two consummate military men who led their respective countries to victories receive the full-on character treatment by a British military historian. An accessible, well-honed study of two fascinating characters. Kirkus Reviews Bernard Law Montgomery and Erwin Rommel are ideal subjects for a comparative military biography. Without choosing between them, Caddick-Adams compares Rommel to a bold 'modernist painter' and Montgomery to a painstaking 'seventeenth-century minimalist.' It is a striking, appropriate conclusion to an excellent book. Publishers Weekly Behind-the-scenes descriptions that place the reader directly in the action of World War II, the character analysis, and the biographical context are sure to satisfy all curious readers in military biography or World War II history. Library Journal Peter Caddick-Adams's book brilliantly captures the lives and the personalities of these two extraordinary men. In short, Monty and Rommel is not only a first-class work of military history, but one of those books that makes you stop and think, and connect the dots from the past to the present. The author is masterful at bringing alive these two very different (and very difficult) personalities, and has scads of good stories about them . . . Never mind, this is a terrific book, and well worth reading carefully. Unlike most military history it has a certain novelistic depth, and its two major characters are unfailingly interesting. The Daily Beast [A] highly engaging which is stronger on war storytelling than on political analysis, but perhaps wiser than its subjects in recognizing that. New Yorker

Author Information

PETER CADDICK-ADAMS lectures at American military colleges, leads tours of the Revolutionary War and Civil War battlefields, and appears on U.S. television to discuss current military matters. He holds the rank of major in the British Territorial Army and has served with U.S. forces in three war zones: Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

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