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.

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.

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.

Disappointing

In the early 70's, having just returned from my 2nd tour in Vietnam and discharged from the Navy, I took a hotel job in San Diego before returning to college. A political fund raising event at the hotel drew many celebrities including General Bradley and his wife. In his formal white mess dress, standing straighter and taller than any human I had ever seen before, the General left an impression on me which, along with the facts of his military career, turned him into one of my American heroes. Now, in 2023, the image of that upright fellow is still with me and encourages me to stand tall.

Listening to this book reminded me of the time, at age 9, my parents told me there was no Santa Claus. That sad disclosure was perhaps a few years later than it should have been, true, but having formed in my early years a very positive opinion of the good works of St. Nick, supported perfectly by Mrs. Claus and all serving an adoring and grateful world, it was crushing to hear he was in any way . . . a fiction. The author here told me more of Bradley's foibles and medical maladies than he did his first wife or his affections for family and friends, and every grand story about the General was accompanied by some criticism, some scab, crabbiness, weakness, and character flaw. There were no Bradley letters, no personal expressions to let me judge the man as I can Lincoln or Grant or any modern blogger. Bradley's speeches were summarized and criticized but never offered up for public inspection. I felt cheated by that just I felt cheated at Christmas 1956.

If you have any good feelings for Omar Bradley, the last of the WWII 5 Stars, don't buy this book. Oh, by the way, if I never hear "Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force" again in my life, that's OK. The author and reader wrote/said the phrase on every page. Good grief!!!

Disappointing

I will concede that this brief review is not congruent with most of the others concerning this book that you may read on this site. Most are positive. I really wish this one could have been. I have read virtually every book ever written about Bradley and I was really looking forward to reading Omar Nelson Bradley and seeing what new information Steven Ossad had uncovered or what new insights about his subject he had to offer. The answer is as simple as it is unsatisfying—he has none of any consequence.

I always enjoy biographers that provide a great deal of historical context for their subjects. David McCullough was the master of that in my opinion. The problem with Ossad’s Bradley is that it is long on historical context, but short on the subject himself. For instance, I Iearned more from Ossad about General Marshall in the years between the two world wars than I did about Bradley. I learned nothing about Bradley’s first wife Mary; the only thing we learn about her is that she did not care for people who smoked or drank. There is nothing about her role in helping Bradley become one of the preeminent military figures in our history. There is scant mention of the death of the Bradleys’ first child and the impact it had on them. In short, there is little depth provided by Ossad. At the beginning of his book, the author makes the argument that Bradley was one of the most significant military figures in our history but he never tells us how the events in Bradley’s life shaped him into becoming such. We learn where he served and when, and what his jobs were, but we never get to know Bradley in the pages of his book. You could learn as much reading Bradley’s Wikipedia page as reading this book.

I often judge biographies by the emotional connection the author is able to help me make with the subject. I’ve read David McCullough’s Truman more than once and each time I feel a sense of loss when McCullough writes of his passing. I know Truman dies at the end of the book, but I still feel it. All I felt upon completing this book was relief.

I hate to criticize the narrator because he could
only do so much with the material he was given, but I found his presentation annoying. His inflections at the end of each sentence were all virtually the same, with no change whether what was happening in the story was happy, sad, or somewhere in between.

I cannot recommend this book. Though Ossad criticizes both of Bradley’s autobiographies— Soldier’s Story and A General’s Life—both are infinitely superior to this book. Spend your credits elsewhere.

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).

Most interesting

The biography of Omar Nelson Bradley.
one of the backbone of the allies.
Most interesting and kept me listening to learn more of this great man.
Excellent narration.
I received a free copy of this audio book at my own request and voluntarily left this honest review..