I Marched with Patton audiobook

My wife got me this book because she knows I enjoy the history of WWII plus my father was a paratrooper in WWII. Here you have a man from that generation giving us his story about what his life was like in rural Oklahoma during the depression and then the reasons for his enlisting into the Army. Each person’s story was different man or woman for joining, enlisting and his were probably like many others at that time. When he arrives D-Day was happening and you follow along when he steps onto France and a Sargent yells for him to fix the traffic jam with all of the vehicles ahead. Achieving that goal his next would be going ahead of the unit with wire for communication, sometimes going behind enemy lines for that would be the high ground. They would also sight in the changes with artillery when needed. You see the banter between the other men he was with but also when it was time to do the job it would get done. Sadly he would not keep in touch with these men. My father had kept in touch with his buddies from the 82nd and Korea. I also liked the part where he talks about his time staying over in Germany after the surrender. My father did the same thing and this gave me a new look into things that were going on at that time. The entire book was a good read and kept me going to where I sat down and read it in one evening, I was surprised at how focused I was to his story. An excellent book and I am grateful he took the time to write it, so many of this generation did not and we lost not only stories but the people that lived them. Very much worth the read. I received this book from Netgalley.com Follow us as www.1rad-readerreviews.com

This book was exactly what i wanted: no complexity, no political perspective, no historic context of big decisions and complex operations. Simply and directly a personal testimony of someone that was there, that lived it and thought about things that were happening and being done. I simple truth story about a good man involved in a terrible war.

Here is another read that not only informed me about WWII fought in Europe, but gave me a very personal account of the author’s experience. The author gave not only an account on the struggles on the ground during the conflict but on his relationships with the soldiers he fought with, and with family and friends. There were three things most interesting to me. First was that Frank Sisson carried a copy of Psalm 91 in his pocket through the duration of his military service and pulled it out in the most difficult encounters. He expressed how passages from the psalm enabled him to press on. When in France in 1945 and the war in Europe was essentially over Frank Sisson reflected this:“I reached in my chest pocket, and that piece of paper was still there. Psalm 91 had carried me through the worst of times. The verse that I has seldom referenced when I read these lines during the fighting had become strangely appropriate: ‘I will see how the wicked are punished.’ Now fulfilled today! The first verse had promised, ‘Though a thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand are dying around me, the evil will not touch me.’ So it had been.”Secondly, Sisson expressed how he and the men he fought with admired General George Patton. Here is a testimony in response to news of the general’s death:“General Patton’s death really cut. I found myself walking around virtually talking to myself. Other soldiers appeared to be in the same fog. I admired his skills and loved him as a person. Having lost my own father, I had come to see Patton as a sort of father figure. I just couldn’t get away from thinking about it. He had been an invisible force that guided me through the days of danger and struggle. General Patton had embodied what our ideals of Americanism were.” Thirdly, there was something I was aware of about the ruthlessness of the conquering Russians, but Sisson showed how the Russian soldiers persecuted the very people that they freed with clear detail. I will not describe the atrocities here because they are so brutal.And there were other revelations discovered: the liberation of Dachau, Sisson’s personal relationships with men and women in quiet times revealing his character, his commitment to the “girl he left behind” and her response upon his return, and much more…The author’s thoughts on war were summarized upon his return:“Something happens to you when you fight a war and are gone for a couple of years. You forget those values that everybody had when you lived in small-town America. People tried to kill you, and you tried to kill them. You ate dirt when bombs went off, and you tried not to cry when your friends got killed. Stuffing the grotesque down as far as you could didn’t stop the horrors from coming up again. After a while, you felt like you were twenty going on fifty. It was strange: part of you felt like an ancient warrior, and part of you wanted to cry like a baby because of the gruesome images that lingered in your mind.”Finally, I found this read was good for a history and wartime geography learning opportunity. I am certainly not young but figure when you stop learning you are gone. So, I opened other books as I read Frank Sisson’s account—a WWII history book, a biography of Patton, and a book of maps to mention a few. You get the idea; oh, so much to read and so little time. All enjoyable to me…and so it goes…

This book offers a unique prospective of WWII from an American soldier who served in Europe. The things he did and saw were things many other soldiers did and saw and he gives voice to all of them while giving the distinctive insights and tidbits that are uniquely his. We owe a lot to all who have served and I am grateful to have read his account.

I came across this book while perusing for another title at the bookstore, and decided to give it a read. I enjoyed reading this work, it is not the best memoir I have read on World War II, then again not the worst either. Some of Sission’s recollections in his dealings with officers are a little far fetched, however, they could have occurred the way he remembers. Recommended by anyone interested in World War II...SLT

This was a good story that Mr. Sisson related to the readers. First hand account of what it was like to be assigned a unit working closely with George Patton's Third Army unit. His account of the horror's of war (the weather, the dead soldiers, the concentration camps and the war's aftermath on the citizens of Germany and the dreaded Russians) made this a page turning story for any reader picking up this book.

I listened to this book on mp3 in my car.This is one of the better WWII memoirs I have read. The author is personable and honest in his recounting. Sisson was in the Battle of the Bulge, the march through Germany, the liberation of Dachau, and then became a military policeman in the American sector of Berlin. He does not shy away from describing the gruesome scenes of death he encountered. Like many GI's, when he returned, he was not anxious to talk about the war.He does a good job discussing how George Patton was viewed by his men. He does not shy away from the controversies surrounding Patton. He discusses the slapping episodes and Patton's dislike of Russia.Sisson initially only hears from other GI's about the Russian atrocities, in particular raping women, as they make their way across Germany. When he serves in Berlin, he is shot at by the Russians at one point. He discusses his camaraderie with the members of his unit, which strung wire for communications on the battlefield. He progresses to Sergeant. These recollections ring true and so become a mirror to a different time in American life. He encounters a Jewish soldier, which is the first time he has met anyone of this faith. He is shocked to hear about the Nazi abuses of Jews. But then he sees Dachau. Later in the book there is a surprise revelation after his daughter researches their genealogy. His close ties to a German woman while serving in Berlin made me sad that this did not come to a romantic climax. But I credit Sisson for acting honorably throughout his time in Berlin.There also are good segments about his life prior to the war in Oklahoma. When his Dad dies of appendicitis, he is forced to go to Oakland to become a welder to support his family.I am glad that these memories have been preserved for history. It is always helpful to have first-hand accounts of war experiences by the men who fought so bravely for the U.S. to rid the world of the Nazis, a truly terrible human aberration.

This is an interesting and quick read but it is important to know that the title is misleading. Frank Sisson served in Patton's Third Army as an artillery specialist and had a few brief run-ins with Patton, however, the title makes it seem like he had a closer relationship with him. If you are reading this book hoping for a detailed account of Patton then this is not for you. Likewise, if you want an easy-reading war tale of someone who fought in Europe during WWII then it is a very good read. There are times when Sisson tries a little too hard to make connections to Patton but other than that it is a good firsthand account of someone fighting in the war. I feel the best part of this book was his description of his time in Berlin after the occupation of Germany. He added a lot of great detail about what it was like serving as an MP in Berlin while dealing with the Russians, a war-torn city, and a local population who had suffered death and destruction during the war.Overall, it is a very quick read that offers an interesting account of a soldier's experience fighting through Europe and his time serving as an MP in occupied Berlin. There are occasional periods where it feels fluffed up (like the talk about Patton) but it is still an enjoyable read. Thank you to Sergeant Sisson for his service!

Wow! What a great account by Author Frank Sisson's time associated with the 3rd Armor under the command of General Patton. It provides background first but most of the book details Frank's arrival in Saint Lo' France to post WWII in Berlin. He talks about battles along the way. Including the Battle of the Bulge and the freezing temperatures that occurred. The movement by Patton's command moving to provide relief to the encircled group at Bastogne. Multiple encounters along the way. Specifically, his groups task was running communications along the between the HQ's and artillery batteries. The reader learns that along the way, his little command of six men had no losses throughout the entirety of the war. Something that seems unheard of. He gives a very intense description of arriving at Dachau and feeding the individuals they liberated. He touches on several of the things that Patton got in trouble for along the way and finally Patton's death after the war. He closes the book with return home to find life as he left had changed. Raised a Christian in the Epilogue his daughter in doing a genealogy research on his family discovers that family had a Jewish background from near Dachau. This he said touched him as someone he liberated could have been family.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I have read over 55 books on World War II. Each book has given me more perspective and the reality of war. This book gave me a very personal view of one American soldier though others were involved. It was a first person account of a teenager who became a man serving in the ETO. He held nothing back in his recollection of his childhood, serving in the war, and returning home. All the time showing his faith in Psalms 91 and keeping his promises even when it was difficult.He was not a perfect man but none of us are perfect. He as many of the soldiers in the Third Army had a deep respect for General Patton though fully understanding the General had rough edges. Sgt. Frank Sisson was able to come home knowing he had done his best for his country while in the Army.

I Marched with PattonA Firsthand Account of World War II Alongside One of the U.S. Army's Greatest Generalsby Frank Sisson; Robert L. WiseHarperCollins Publishers You Like Them You Are Auto-ApprovedWilliam MorrowBiographies & Memoirs | HistoryPub Date 20 Oct 2020 | Archive Date 15 Dec 2020We have several readers in our library that enjoy Biographies and Memoirs. This book would be a good match for them. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC. 4 star

First hand account of Frank Sisson who was drafted at age 18 after welding ships at an Oakland CA shipyard starting at age 15 to make money for his fatherless family in Oklahoma. Frank rose from Private to Sergeant in less than 1 year of service in the 667th Field Artillery (155mm Howitzer) which was part of General George Patton's Third Army.The account is open and contains many details of what fighting in WWII was like from St. Lo France, to Bastogne, to crossing the Rhine River and conquering the German Army.

The Third Army I read this book so that I could better understand what my dad went through in Patton's army. Mr. Sisson did different work than my dad, but he was in the Battle of the bulge and liberated Buchenwald and Dachau like my dad. I knew it was cold that last winter and that there was a lot of snow but until I read his account reality set in. How terrible it was to be in this war. I thank the authors for this knowledge and all the men who fought in it.

This is an easy to read memoir about serving in WWII with some rather obvious help along the way filling in the big story details with the personal.Interesting portrait of a decent, naive young man from a rural area who idolized General George Patton and his matter of fact descriptions of the hardships of warfare and the liberation of concentration camps in Germany.

I liked the flow of the book and the history. However, one of the photos of Patton standing on front of one if the very early tanks states he was a cadet at Virginia Military Institute, which is true....however at the time of that picture he was already a Major on the regular Army - the photo caption ought to be corrected.

I enjoyed this memoir, especially because my father fought in the European theater in WW2. I found the book to be a wonderful account of life in 1940's Oklahoma, the author's reasons for enlisting and his firsthand account of life as an American soldier in France and Germany during WW2. The book goes full circle and is recommended for those interested in WW2.