The Private Life of General Omar N. Bradley

The life and achievements of General Omar Nelson Bradley are legendary. During World War II, the five-star general was a key figure in the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. But his private life has always lain just outside the reach of the media. Bradley has long been portrayed as a soft-spoken gentleman. This media-driven stereotype has pushed him aside in America’s collective memory, which more readily recalls flamboyant leaders such as Patton, Eisenhower or George C. Marshall. This book reexamines the prevailing view of Bradley through a reading of unpublished sources and letters, paying special attention to his relationship with his second wife Kitty Buhler and his later years (1951–1981), a period largely ignored by previous research. Bradley’s life was far from boring. Behind closed doors were trysts with Hollywood starlets, a penchant for gambling at the horse track and hobnobbing with high-profile stars, writers and political leaders.

Jeffrey D. Lavoie is a minister, author and researcher at the University of Exeter. He has published three books, several magazine and journal articles and lives in Halifax. Massachusetts.

Jeffrey D. Lavoie
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 224
Bibliographic Info: 19 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9839-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2015-2
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Foreword by Alan Axelrod 1
Preface 5
Introduction 11
I. Prewar
1. The Early Life of an American Patriot 17
2. Welcome to West Point 25
3. ­Groom-ing an Officer 28
4. Close but No Cigar 34
5. Here, There, and Back Again 38
6. Hello, Hawaii 42
7. Back to School 47
8. WAR-ning 55
9. There’s No Place Like the 82nd Division 61
II. War
10. We Missed the Bombs Down in Africa 66
11. Sicily or Bust 71
12. Operation Overlord 75
13. Today Is ­D-Day 80
14. Cherbourg and Alcohol in the Army 89
15. Bulging Out 94
16. Partying with the Russians 108
III. Postwar
17. Omar the Entertainer 119
18. In Love with Kitty 129
19. From Mary to Kitty 137
20. The Final Years 147
21. Reflections 154
Appendices:
I. General Omar Nelson Bradley: Leader or Lucky? 163
II. The Screen Credits of Kitty Buhler Bradley: Connecting
Washington, D.C., to Hollywood 187
Chapter Notes 199
Bibliography 209
Index 213

“A rigorous yet accessible look at a misunderstood American hero”—Kirkus Reviews; “Bradley excels at creating a well-rounded portrait…a particularly well-done piece…recommended”—Midwest Book Review.