The Supreme Commander

The War Years of Dwight D. Eisenhower

By: Stephen E. Ambrose

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Length: 32 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

In this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, best-selling 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.

©2016 Stephen E. Ambrose (P)2016 Random House Audio

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)

Very well done

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

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.

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

Excellent Book

I wanted to know more about how one man was able to command the largest military operation in the history of mankind and this book answered my questions. Extremely well written and very informative. The magnitude of the events of WWII are always hard for me to believe. This is a very good book about Eisenhower during WWII and the events of D-Day. Steven Ambrose is an excellent writer and the narrator did an excellent job. Very well worth the time.

history and leadership

A good complement to Churchill's biography, and opportunity to learn about leadership Well narrated.

Great story, terrible voice.

Seriously, is the narrator trying to do a bad Batman voice? Also sounds like he’s recording it in a tin can.

Very Very Long

This book is very good but very long and mostly about interpersonal issues amongst the Allies. One gains huge respect for Eisenhower as he has to manage complicated personalities for the overall better good during the war. It was one thing after another, especially with the French and British. There really isn’t that much about the battles themselves, more about the precise planning and orchestration. And how commanders got along during after and before. So with that it was good but did feel a bit laborious at times. Again Eisenhower did so much more than anyone could imagine or got credit for. Excellent narration by Richard Ferrone.

Excellent, detailed account of WWII

Amazing story well told of how the Greatest Generation under the leadership of General Eisenhower won the war. Very detailed and well researched.

worth the long haul

listened to this for a few months while in the car. well worth the long hours to get the complete picture of the men involved in this crucial aspect of the war.