The Supreme Commander

The War Years of Dwight D. Eisenhower

By: Stephen E. Ambrose

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

In this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, bestselling historian Stephen E. Ambrose examines the Allied commander’s leadership during World War II.

Ambrose brings Eisenhower’s experience of the Second World War to life, showing in vivid detail how the general’s skill as a diplomat and a military strategist contributed to Allied successes in North Africa and in Europe, and established him as one of the greatest military leaders in the world. Ambrose, then the Associate Editor of the General’s official papers, analyzes Eisenhower’s difficult military decisions and his often complicated relationships with powerful personalities like Churchill, de Gaulle, Roosevelt, and Patton. This is the definitive account of Eisenhower’s evolution as a military leader—from its dramatic beginnings through his time at the top post of Allied command.

Critic reviews

“Extraordinarily fascinating. . . . General Dwight Eisenhower comes remarkably alive.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Ambrose is that rare breed: an historian with true passion for his subjects.”
—Ken Burns

“Ambrose should be assigned a special, honored place among modern historians. . . . All of us who write or read history are in his debt.”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“A masterful historian.”
—People

Great biography and study of leadership

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Ferrone's performance was actually OK but his voice really takes some getting used to.

Any additional comments?

In addition to being a great summary of Eisenhower's wartime experience and decisions, Ambrose does a great job of analyzing the difficulties of leadership and maintaining relationships when the stakes could not be higher. Particularly interesting is how the personalities and relationships of these leaders, Churchill, Roosevelt, Marshal, Montgomery, Patton, and of course Eisenhower led to the decisions they made and directly effected the course of the war and of human history.

Very well done

Well done , but written word and spoken. A must read for anyone interested in WW 2 .

superb insights into a great man

This is one of the better historical books that I've ever "read". The insights into the life of Dwight D Eisenhower were fascinating, especially his leadership skills and the challenges he faced within his own team and with the political intrigues of the time.

DDE: Man for the Job

Ambrose poses that Eisenhower was the man for the job, keeping politics out and destruction of the Wehrmacht and Italians paramount. Then he tells the inside story of the political leaders insisting on policy and military objectives during the height of operations as well as DDE’s deliberately vague orders to Montgomery. If you are a Monty lover this book is not for you. If you want to see a chapter of the life of how a mentor (CoS Marshall) and a pupil become world leaders, this is a great read.

Reader : sounds like a smoker but has the tone and delivery to make the story authentic

Story: excellent and factual-not for those who dislike war or learning from history.

Overall: excellent

Eisenhower as the consummate leader

Aside from being a fascinating account of superb leadership,for those interested in WW11 history, this book should be made required reading for anyone entering an MBA program