The Commanders : The Leadership Journeys of George Patton, Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel

''Utterly fascinating.'' James Holland

''First-class... The intense rivalry of Monty and Patton is one of the great stories of the war, and has never been told better.'' Andrew Roberts

Born in the two decades prior to World War I, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery and Erwin Rommel became among the most recognized and successful military leaders of the twentieth century. However, as acclaimed military historian Lloyd Clark reveals in his penetrating and insightful chronicle of their lives, they charted very different, often interrupted, paths to their ultimate leadership positions commanding hundreds of thousands of troops during World War II.

Each faced battle for the first time in World War I, a searing experience that greatly influenced their future approach to war and leadership. When war broke out again in 1939, Montgomery and Rommel were immediately engaged, while Patton chafed until the US joined the Allies in 1942 and the three men, by then generals, collided in North Africa in 1943, and then again, climactically, in France after D-Day in 1944.

Weaving letters, diary extracts, official reports and other documents into his original narrative, recounting dramatic battles as they developed on the ground and at headquarters, Clark also explores the controversies that swirled around Patton, Montgomery and Rommel throughout their careers, sometimes threatening to derail them. Ultimately, however, their unique abilities to bridge the space between leader and led cemented their legendary reputations.