Omar Nelson Bradley

America's GI General, 1893-1981 (American Military Experience)

By: Steven L. Ossad

Narrated by: Bill Nevitt

Length: 19 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's Summary

Omar Nelson Bradley was the youngest and last of nine men to earn five-star rank and the only army officer so honored after World War II. This new biography by Steven L. Ossad gives an account of Bradley’s formative years, his decorated career, and his postwar life. 

Bradley’s decisions shaped the five Northwest European Campaigns from the D-Day landings to VE Day. As the man who successfully led more Americans in battle than any other in our history, his long-term importance would seem assured. 

Bradley’s postwar career as administrator of the original GI Bill and first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Korean War ensures his legacy. These latter contributions, as much as Bradley’s demonstrable World War II leadership, shaped US history and culture in decisive, dramatic, and previously unexamined ways. 

The book is published by University of Missouri Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

Winner of the Society for Military History's 2018 Distinguished Book Award for Biography.

“Superbly researched and well-written.” (Jonathan W. Jordan, author of American Warlords)

“A marvelously illuminating portrait of the last of the great World War II figures to have a full biography. It has been worth the wait!” (Carlo D'Este, author of Patton: A Genius For War)

©2017 The Curators of the University of Missouri (P)2019 Redwood Audiobooks

Good biography of an important WWII general

Omar Bradley was one of the American generals of World War II in Europe. He was, quite literally, born in a cabin his father built with his own hands. His family was rather poor for most of his childhood--there were a few years of relative prosperity when his father was a newspaper editor, ended when he died. But when he decided to try, with little expectation of success, to seek an appointment to West Point, he became his congressman's backup appointment. And then the other, primary choice didn't pass the relatively new West Point exams,and Bradley did. He entered West Point with the class of 1915. It was an iconic origin for a man who became an important World War II general, though being a quiet, relatively shy man, with a dislike for newspaper attention, he didn't get as much press as his classmates and colleagues--who of course included Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton, among other well-known World War II names. After the war, he got an assignment he at first found very disappointing--being the new head of the Veterans' Administration, in need of drastic overhaul to cope with both the great number of new veterans, and the greatly expanded veterans' benefits created by the GI Bill. Before his retirement, he became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a five-star general. This is a long, in-depth, and thoughtful biography of an important general. I think Ossad greatly admires his subject, but he's not reluctant to talk about his faults as well as his strengths--or about the strengths as well as the faults of his rivals among the contentious ranks of the Allied generals of the Second World War. Bradley's faults included an unwillingness to admit to mistakes, including completely misjudging the strength of German opposition at the start of what became the Battle of the Bulge. It's an interesting book from which I learned a lot, about Bradley and about the war, and about the reorganization and growth of the VA after the war. The narrator, Bill Nevitt, is also excellent, clear, calm, and expressive. Highly recommended. I received a free copy of this audiobook from the narrator, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

Awesome Biography of an Awesome Leader

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This review is for the audio copy of Omar Nelson Bradley America's GI General, 1893-1981 (American Military Experience) by Steven L. Ossad, and narrated by Bill Nevitt. I knew that Omar Bradley was a general during WWII but that was about it. This book goes into great detail about General Bradley’s life and experiences. It is very detailed and a very long story. But it is worth the time and effort if you want to learn about what helped develop this man into a great leader. Bill Nevitt did an outstanding job narrating this long winded tome. If it wasn’t for him I do not believe I would have stuck with it. It wasn’t boring, just filled with a life’s worth of journey. It wasn’t tedious like some non-fiction war histories where each battalion and regiment is described in meaningless detail. I recommend this book, but be aware that it is quite long.

Well performed World War 2 Biography

This was an interesting biography on Omar Nelson Bradley, a General who was one of the youngest men to earn the five-star rank honour after World War 2. The book covers his early years, his career and his life after the war.   The book was detailed and informative. Bill narrated with zeal and was able to make a somewhat seemingly mundane historical story more stimulating.   I am personally not a big fan of historical/war/biographical stories but Bill made it worth it for me. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys World War 2 biographies, and ones performed really well!   Note: This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this objective review voluntarily.

Impressive Biography

This is one of the first scholarly biographies of Bradley and it was published in 2017. The book is well written and meticulously researched. Ossad follows the life of Omar Bradley with the most emphasis placed on his early life, WWII and his reorganization of the Veterans’ Administration. Bradley was in the 1915 West Point Class along with Dwight D. Eisenhower. In WWII Bradley commanded the 12th Army Group and at its peak had over one million men. Bradley was an excellent General but was over looked by the public because of Eisenhower and Patton. Ossad presents an unbiased biography and provides a lot of detail and insight into Bradley’s life. Bradley was one of the few five-star Generals from WWII. Steven L. Ossad is a biographer and historian. The book is nineteen hours and nineteen minutes. Bill Nevitt does a good job narrating the book. Nevitt is a voice actor. This is my first experience with both Ossad and Nevitt.

A real professional

historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, military-history I think that what made this book seem so long is that it is a biography and therefore not invested with the kind of urgency peculiar to fiction, and also I am not military. But I am a history geek, so I am very glad that I won this audiobook and took the time to really listen to it. I think that Bill Nevitt does Nonfiction especially well!

Enjoyable biography

Omar Nelson Bradley: America's GI General, 1893-1981 (Audible Audio), my first read/listen from author Steven L. Ossad was not my typical read. A non-fiction work detailing the life & tmes of General Omar Nelson Bradley. Highly detailed & well-written, this book may not be for everyone but I found it enjoyable. Bill Nevitt’s excellent narration made this 19-hour 19-minute book pass quickly. I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Fascinating life!

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It’s a great insight into one of America’s hero’s. I learned so much I never knew about this fascinating man. Bill Nevitt gives a fantastic performance as always. Bill is one of my favorite audio book voice actors. He brings everything to life. Give this book a chance. You won’t regret it.

A national hero

Omar Nelson Bradley. .. This biography of Bradley is a complete story of his life from humble birth to the peak of an outstanding military career. Well written and researched. A must read for history fans. A very interesting read/listen. Great narration. I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily leave this review.

One of the Greatest

I've always admired General Bradley and was delighted to find this book on Audible. Beautifully written, organized perfectly for audio book reading. The narrator was good but shouldn't have tried to make up accents for major players. Certainly, as the author stated in the end, we have no military men remembered like Bradley today.

Omar Bradley, unsung hero

very good, and pace was spot on until the end where it seemed rushed or the material is that thin. I would have expected harder treatment of his generalship during the Battle of the Bulge. Early career treatment very enlightening. well done.