from Tovy on Rickard, 'Advance and Destroy: Patton as Commander in the Bulge'
A review by Ta Tovy on H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online.
From a historiographical point of view, the book finds its place within three contexts. The first is in providing further research on the battle in the Ardennes, especially regarding the American reaction and counteroffensive. No doubt the last word has yet to been written on this issue. The second is an additional study of Patton's military prowess and activities in the most important battle of his life. "'Perhaps God saved me for this effort,'" wrote Patton to his wife Beatrice.
The third historiographical context is even more important. Historians have extensively debated the tactical efficiency of the American army during the Second World War, especially vis-à-vis the German army. On the one hand, one approach claims that the United States was victorious in the Second World War in general and in the Battle of the Bulge in particular, thanks to its military might; in other words, it was its absolute material advantage against both Germany and Japan that gave it the decisive victory.
In the analysis of Patton's military capabilities in the Battle of the Bulge, there is evidence not only of the material power that enabled the Third Army to block the advance of the German army and push them back eastward, but also of the battle efficiency of ordinary soldiers and junior officers. Rickard's book opens up another field of research within this school of thought, which is a comparison between the battle and command efficiency of the American field officers and their German counterparts.
Rickard's claims are well based due to the variety of primary sources and especially of the archival material that he used. It is an important book that makes an additional contribution to our understanding of the Battle of the Bulge and of General Patton, and any future research either on the battle (especially the counteroffensive stage) or on the man will be obliged to take this research into account.
