The War Between the Generals

New York: Congdon & Lattes, Inc, 1981. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing. Hardcover. Very good/Good. J. P. Tremblay (Endpaper map). [10], 446 pages. Illustrations. Endpaper maps. Archival Sources. Index. Sight wear to rear DJ. DJ is price clipped. David John Cawdell Irving (born 24 March 1938) is an English author who has written on the military and political history of World War II, with a focus on Nazi Germany. His works include The Destruction of Dresden (1963), Hitler's War (1977), Churchill's War (1987) and Goebbels: Mastermind of the Third Reich (1996). He was recognized for his knowledge of Nazi Germany and his ability to unearth new historical documents. By 1962 he was engaged in writing a series of 37 articles on the Allied bombing campaign, Und Deutschlands Städte starben nicht ("And Germany's Cities Did Not Die"), for the German journal Neue Illustrierte. These were the basis for his first book, The Destruction of Dresden (1963), in which he examined the Allied bombing of Dresden in February 1945. By the 1960s, a debate about the morality of the carpet bombing of German cities and civilian population had already begun, especially in the United Kingdom. There was consequently considerable interest in Irving's book, which was illustrated with graphic pictures, and it became a best-seller. In the first edition, Irving's estimates for deaths in Dresden were between 100,000 and 250,000. These figures became widely accepted in many standard reference works. In 1981, he published The War Between the Generals, in which Irving offered an account of the Allied High Command on the Western Front in 1944-45, detailing the heated conflicts Irving alleges occurred between the various generals of the various countries. This is one of the great untold stories of our time - that of the little band of generals entrusted with a historic task: invading and liberating Nazi-occupied Europe. They were supposed to be fighting the Germans, but some of their fiercest battles were fought against each other. At the center was the Supreme Commander himself, Dwight D. Eisenhower - sincere, indecisive, desperate to hold the Alliance together. Against him was Field-Marshal Bernard Montgomery, who strove ceaselessly to gain authority. Cavilling against them both were the others - the outrageous Patton, the dogged Bradley, the bomber barons like Spaatz, Vandenberg, and Butcher Harris, and Trafford Leigh-Mallory. Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, Montgomery, De Gaulle are just some of the characters in his book. This book is a social history of command. It shows how the ambitions and personalities of the men at the top affected the course of the war and the lives of the ordinary mortals in the field. After the war, there was a cover-up. Not until David Irving began his research did the full truth emerge. Among his unexpected discoveries was the wickedly candid diary of the obscure general who was Eisenhower's eyes and ears . Through this and other private accounts we see the war as the generals lived it - squabbling over perks and preferences, taking their mistresses with them on to the battlefield, and there are revelations about General Patton that will amaze. There are other surprises - General de Gaulle's use of torture upon his fellow Frenchmen is one, and a clear attempt by the Allies to get rid of him is another.