Bradley: A Biography by Alan Axelrod

Bradley: A Biography Reviews

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  Al Berry

  A decent short biography on General Bradley.
  
  Interesting that he didn’t serve overseas during World War 1, ( fought the IWW labor unrest) and thus didn’t adopt the static doctrines of Trench Warfare. Lead him to be more aggressive during WW2.
  
  
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  Ray Shin

  Awesome and well balanced warrior. Very admirable.
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  Gregg

  Under-rated general that played a pivotal role in WWII. It is good to see the interplay between the giants-Patton, Eisenhower, Marshall, Montgomery, et.al. Did you know Gen Bradley spent a significant portion of his career teaching at various schools? His strategic role did not manifest until WWII. Or did you know that he conceptualized the OCS model? Great read about a great leader.
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  Jim

  For all of the WWII movies and books that I've read, there has been relatively little about General Omar Bradley. So, I thought this would be a good chance to learn his story and how he effected the outcome of WWII. My expectations were that this would be a deep biography of Bradley; I was disappointed in this it was a relatively high-level story of his major accomplishments. My lesson, if you want a biography, read a biography. Still I can tell you that I did learn about about Bradley that I did not know. This was a relatively short book and worth the time to gain the historical knowledge.
• 
  George

  Axelrod creates an excellent picture of a soldier's general. A leader passionate about his men. Knew that! War correspondent Ernie Pyle gave him that nickname. The book is a lot about his early life ,USMA '15 as well as middle life between WWI and WWII. Then, he finally gets a command and it's the middle of WWII. The book spins a lot of wheels around his commands and movement between confusing Army commands in WWII. For example, what's an Army Group? It's a group of Armies. i though that the US Army is an Army? Not so. Anyway, confusing to us non Army folks. At the end, author spent very little time, a sentence or two about his post WWII time, as the VA chief, first NATO General and the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs--two significant achievements glossed over. No words at all about his retirement. The book just ended.
  
• 
  Richard Day

  This is a well-balanced and informative biography of Bradley. The book is a sensible length but remains jam-packed with info and, most importantly, lessons to be learned. Treat this as an introductory book as there are plenty of other tombs out there if you want to go into loads of detail. I would also recommend reading this book alongside Axelrod's biography of Patton as not only did the two greats work together lots before and during WW2 but they are also diametrically opposite in style and character. The comparison is fascinating.
  
  It gets top marks from me.
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  David Shaffer

  Ok but not as good as A Soldier's Story or Jim DeFelice's bio on Bradley. Not for a more established reader on WW 2 or Bradley.
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  Jeffrey Lavoie

  This book was well written and a very good summary of A General's Life, but that was all it accomplished. Now this in itself is a feat as Bradley's works (both of them including a Soldier's Story) are very lengthy and contain a lot of detail; however, the author only cites several sources. Furthermore, the author did very little extra-research and includes no rarer writings or library archives. Also, my own issue and critique of all previous Bradley biographies is that they end around 1951, but the General lived until 1981!
• 
  Darrell

  Omar Bradley was the GI general. He was known for his relationship with the enlisted men. He was also key to the planning and command of D-Day. Although, MacArthur, Patton, Eisenhower and British Field Marshal Montgomery were better known, Bradley was instrumental in North Africa and Europe for the Allied victory.
  
  Axelrod gives a good view of the man behind the stars. He starts with his humble beginning, how Bradley almost didn't go to West Point and finally, his post WWII years. It is a good read and recommended to all people interested in the military leadership during WWII.
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  Frank Thun

  Well, i am just a fan of George C. Marshall. Why? I admire his considerate, humble leadership style, his eye for persons, organizational abilities and job design.
  
  I attributed the same strength to Bradley - and this book proved me right. Guess i Need to read a book about Dwight D. Eisenhower next...
  
  What i really like about those american Generals - including Ulysses Grant - is that they rose by merit alone. There is always chance and opportunity involved, naturally, but the base is ability which took them from humble origins to being great leaders.
  
  Good, solid book.
• 
  Jim

  Perhaps Bradley is one of the most overlooked military figures in US history. This short bio does justice to the man who was called "the GI General." Unpretentious and certainly not as colorful as George S. Patton, yet "Brad" represented the characteristics of American military leadership: selflessness, humility, and adaptability with integrity and respect that reflected the democracy he served.
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  Zac

  Stereotypical military history too focused on what army went where and not on what Bradley was doing, thinking, and feeling. Could only loosely be described as biographical. Also not enough attention devoted to his role in the early Cold War.
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  David

  Nice, short quick read on General Omar Bradley.
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  Renee'

  Incredible man! I hope somewhere there are still people out there with this much honor and character! We were lucky to have him lead us when he did!
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  Chris

  Good short audiobook about Omar Bradley. A lot of this information shows up in other books about other leaders, but this focuses on Bradley.
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  Scott Loughridge

  Great read. Just very quick read, a more in-depth book would be nice.
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  Nick

  One of the less compelling entries in this series I think because he himself is a less compelling leader. Well worth reading, as are all the entries in this series that I have read.