Review of Dwight D. Eisenhower's "Crusade in Europe"

Date Published: October 24, 2025
​Date Modified: November 8, 2025

"Crusade in Europe" was the first of four books that Dwight D. Eisenhower published: "Crusade in Europe," "The White House Years, Mandate for Change," "The White House Years: Waging Peace," and "At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends." “Crusade in Europe” by General Dwight D. Eisenhower covers the time of General Eisenhower’s involvement in World War II including the buildup of American forces prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 through to the surrender of German Forces by Field Marshall Jodl on May 7, 1945, along with some of his insights on what was to come (after 1948) with the United States’ relationships with Russia, China and Communism.
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The book was released in the United States in late 1948 and then released across Europe in 1949.

Peter E. Greulich, October 24, 2025

A Review of “Crusade in Europe” by General Dwight D. Eisenhower

• Reviews of the Day: 1948–49
• Selected Insights from “Crusade in Europe” by Eisenhower
• This Author’s Thoughts on “Crusade in Europe” by Eisenhower 

Reviews of the Day: 1948–49

• Perspective on “Crusade in Europe” from WWII Veteran War Correspondent​

On November 18, 1948, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a review of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s book: “Crusade in Europe.” In an insert entitled, “Eisenhower Rated Alexander Over Montgomery as General” in the overall review written by Wes Gallagher, Chief of the Associated Press Bureau in Berlin, the editors of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote the following:

“Eisenhower’s book will be a treat to military men in studying the strategy of the war and its campaigns, but perhaps the most interesting part of it to the layman is Eisenhower’s inside estimates of the war leaders and pictures of them at work.

“Eisenhower once told Wes Gallagher [the author of this overall review of ‘Crusade in Europe’] that Eisenhower would never write a book, because it might make ‘too many big men too small.’

“The supreme Allied commander has taken care in his book not to make big men small, but some of them do not appear as large as they might. … Eisenhower wrote, ‘I regarded Alexander as Britain’s outstanding soldier in the field of strategy. He was, moreover, a friendly and agreeable type; Americans instinctively liked him.’
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“Montgomery he praised as a good army commander who inspired his men and ‘was always a master in the methodical preparation of forces for a formal, set-piece attack.’ ”

High-quality, black-and-white picture of General Dwight D. Eisenhower.​

“General Eisenhower’s ‘Crusade in Europe,’ ” Editorial Insert, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1948

• “Crusade in Europe” by Eisenhower Was a Top-Selling Work of Non-Fiction

On November 18, 1948, The Hastings Tribune of Nebraska published a review and some interesting insights into Dwight D. Eisenhower’s book: “Crusade in Europe.” In the article entitled “Crusade in Europe Reveals Back-of-Scenes War Events,” Bob Considine wrote—in part,  the following:

“General Eisenhower refused to have a single picture of himself in the 559 page book. … His picture appears on the cover jacket without his consent. …

“Eisenhower was reluctant to write a book. He imposed a number of unparalleled restrictions on the publishers, including his right to destroy the entire manuscript if it was not considered ‘readable’ by a personally chosen board composed of Winston Churchill, Bernard Baruch, J. P. Marquand, Dorothy Canfield and several others. … His final order to the publishers was: ‘You may never sell this to the movies.’ …

“Publishers, in 1948, describe this work as ‘the largest non-fiction book publishing venture in history.’ It will have a first printing of 150,000 and there are already advance orders of 110,000. … A British edition of 50,000 is on the presses, and by the end of year (1949) it will have been published in Italy, France, Sweden, Holland, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Spain and South America.”

“Crusade in Europe Reveals Back-of-Scenes War Events,” Bob Considine, The Hastings Tribune, 1948

• “Crusade in Europe” Proved Controversial to Some When First Published

On November 30, 1948, The Evening Standard of London published a review of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s book: “Crusade in Europe.” In the article entitled “Eisenhower’s Critics Are Shooting Wide,” Milton Shulman wrote—in part,  the following:

“Each new war memoir puffs flickering life into the dying embers of the controversies of the last World War. General Eisenhower’s book, ‘Crusade In Europe,’ just published in the United States, is no exception.

“But that so straightforward and honest an account should give rise to bitter acrimony in this country [England] is far less a condemnation of Eisenhower than it is of those super–sensitive nationalists who feel it is their duty to bleat shrilly about ‘jeopardizing Anglo-American relations’ whenever someone suggests that there was an American as well as a British view about how World War II should have been fought.

“At least one fact emerges clearly from the spate of books about the war. It is that men like Churchill, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Marshall and Patton were not always right.
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“They would be the first to admit this obvious truth.”

“Eisenhower’s Critics Are Shooting Wide,” Milton Shulman, The Evening Standard, 1948

On November 27, 1948, The Boston Globe in an article entitled “More Criticism of Ike’s Book,” wrote—in part, the following:

“Britain’s ultra-conservative weekly newspaper, The Recorder, published as its lead story today a bitter review of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s book ‘Crusade in Europe.’ … The publication tears into Eisenhower for his comments on Field Marshall Viscount Montgomery. … The review contends it would have been better for Anglo-American relations if the book had not been published at this time. …
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“To date, the Eisenhower book has received more praise than criticism in the British press. Kind words for ‘Crusade in Europe’ have appeared in ‘The Manchester Guardian,’ the ‘Daily Telegraph,’ and the ‘Daily Express.’ ”

“More Criticism of Ike’s Book,” The Boston Globe, 1948

​Included in the following section is a second review from the British press written by Air Chief Marshall Sir Philip Joubert.

• One Perspective from Inside England on "Crusade in Europe"  by Eisenhower

On January 3, 1949, The North-Western Evening Mail of England, published a review of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s book: “Crusade in Europe.” In the introduction to the review entitled, “Eisenhower’s Crusade in Europe,” Air Chief Marshall Sir Philip Joubert writes:

“General Eisenhower’s book, ‘Crusade in Europe’ is most characteristic of the man. 'Ike' is straightforward, uncomplicated, honest and also sentimental. His book is a plain-speaking account of very complicated and vital affairs. He analyses situations, both political and military, with a directness which should be a model to all. …

“He blames where blame is due and praises equally, but always in scrupulously moderate language. He sets out his differences with Montgomery fairly and dispassionately, and although the book has been criticized in certain quarters as being unfair to that General, this is an attitude of mind that can hardly be supported by an unbiased reader.
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“This is a book by an American possessing a broad international outlook. Although it is written primarily for an American public, there is no excessive emphasis on the part played by Americans.”

“Eisenhower’s Crusade in Europe,” Air Chief Marshall Sir Philip Joubert, 1949

The front cover of the 1948 book: “Crusade in Europe” by General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Selected Insights from “Crusade in Europe” by Eisenhower

• Eisenhower's Complimentary and Humorous Perspective on Winston Churchill

“An inspirational leader, Winston Churchill seemed to typify Britain’s courage and perseverance in adversity and its conservatism in success.

​“He was a man of extraordinarily strong convictions. …

“He could become intensely oratorical, even in discussion with a single person, but at the same time his intensity of purpose made his delivery seem natural and appropriate. …
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“He used humor and pathos with equal facility, and drew on everything from the Greek classics to Donald Duck for quotation, cliché and slang to support his position.”

Dwight Eisenhower and Winston Churchill.

“Crusade in Europe,” Dwight D. Eisenhower“

• Eisenhower Writes About General George C. Marshall

​General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote in “Crusade in Europe” that General George C. Marshall disliked these personality traits in his subordinates:

General George C. Marshall

“General Marshall gave long and earnest attention to the selection of individuals to occupy key spots in overseas commands and in departments. In the process he sometimes gave clear indication of the types of men who in his opinion were unsuited for high positions.

“Foremost among these was the one who seemed to be self-seeking in the matter of promotion. Pressure from any source, in favor of any individual in the Army, was more likely than not to boomerang if General Marshall became aware of its existence.

"I was in his office one day when someone called him on the telephone, apparently to urge the promotion of some friend in the Army. His answer was, 'If the man is a friend of yours, the best service you can do him is to avoid mentioning his name to me.'

“He insisted that his principal assistants should think and act on their own conclusions in their own spheres of responsibility. … He often remarked that he could get a thousand individuals to do detailed work but too many were useless in responsible posts because they left to him the necessity of making every decision. … Any effort to 'pass the buck' … especially to him … annoyed him.

​“He believed that the individual who worked himself to tatters on minor details had no ability to handle the more vital issues. … He had nothing but scorn for any individual who attempted 'to do everything himself.'

“General Marshall disliked the truculent or belligerent personality—the man who confused firmness and strength with bad manners and deliberate discourtesy. He avoided those with too great a love of the limelight.

“He was irritated by those who were often in trouble with others or who were too stupid to see that leadership in conference, even with subordinates, was as important as leadership on the battlefield.
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“General Marshall could not stand the pessimist—the individual who was always painting difficulties in the darkest colors and was excessively fearful of the means at hand for overcoming them. He would never assign an officer to a responsible position unless he believed that the man was an enthusiastic supporter of the particular project and confident of the outcome. … He believed in being on the offensive.”

“Crusade in Europe,” Dwight D. Eisenhower“

• General Dwight D. Eisenhower Writes about General George Patton's "Slapping Incident"

“Patton’s emotions [with the second soldier he encountered with this psychoneuroses condition] were so uncontrollable that he swung a hand at the soldier’s head. He struck the man’s helmet, which rolled along the ground, and by this time doctors and nurses, overcoming their natural timidity in the presence of the commanding general, intervened between Patton and the soldier. …

“Patton soon gained sufficient control of himself to continue his inspection and left the hospital. But throughout his visit he continued to talk in a loud voice about the cowardice of people who claimed they were suffering from psychoneuroses and exclaimed that they should not be allowed in the same hospital with the brave wounded men. Both enlisted men were, of course, badly upset. One of them was seriously ill. Doctors later testified that he had a temperature of 102 degrees. …

“I felt that Patton should be saved for service in the great battles still facing us in Europe, yet I had to devise ways and means to minimize the harm that would certainly come from his impulsive action and to assure myself that it would not be repeated. …

Generals Patton and Eisenhower in Tunisia in 1943.

“In these circumstances I sent to Sicily three different individuals in whose judgment, tact, and integrity I placed great confidence. One of these I sent to see General Patton. Another went to visit the hospital in which the trouble occurred. Still a third was sent to visit the divisions of Patton’s army to determine for himself the extent to which the story had spread among the troops and to determine their reaction.

“I not only wanted independent reports from several sources, but I wanted to accomplish the whole  investigation as rapidly as possible.

"As a result I determined to keep Patton.

“I first wrote him a sharp letter of reprimand in which I informed him that repetition of such an offense would be cause for his instant relief. I informed him, also, that his retention as a commander in my theater would be contingent upon his offering an apology to the two men whom he had insulted. I demanded also that he apologize to all the personnel of the hospital present at the time of the incident. Finally, I required that he appear before the officers and representative groups of enlisted men of each of his divisions to assure them that he had given way to impulse and respected their positions as fighting soldiers of a democratic nation.
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“Patton instantly complied and I kept in touch with results again through a series of observers and inspectors.”

“Crusade in Europe,” Dwight D. Eisenhower“

​If anyone wishes to completely understand this incident and read further details of this and other interactions between Eisenhower and Patton during World War II, they should read the full account of the “slapping incident” covering more than four pages in “Crusade in Europe.” It would also be recommended to read all accounts Eisenhower wrote of General Patton. For instance, Eisenhower wrote the following of General Patton when considering him to lead in the desert of Africa: “For commander of such a unit my mind turned instantly to one of my oldest friends, Major General George S. Patton, Jr., who was not only a tank expert but an outstanding leader of troops.”

• General Eisenhower Writes About How he Avoided Further "Slapping Incidents"

​Toward the end of the “Crusade in Europe,” General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote about men suffering from self-inflicted wounds, hysteria, psychoneuroses and more. He wrote the following to document what he believed in this area:

“In the rear, hospital and camp facilities were necessarily set aside for those suffering from self-inflicted wounds, from hysteria and psychoneuroses and from venereal disease, sometimes, according to the doctors, deliberately contracted.

“Their number, percentage-wise, was small, but in the aggregate, large.

“It is profitable for a commander to visit these places, to talk with individuals, to understand something of the bewilderment, the fear, the defeatism that afflict men who are essentially afraid of life, though believing they are afraid of death. An astonishing number of these individuals react instantly and favorably to a single word of encouragement. More than one has said to me, immediately upon discovering another’s interest in him, ‘General, get me out of here; I want to go back to my outfit.’
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“Harshness normally intensifies the disease, but understanding can do much to cure it and in my opinion, if applied in time, can largely prevent it.”

“Crusade in Europe,” Dwight D. Eisenhower“

​This Author’s Thoughts on “Crusade in Europe” by Eisenhower 

This is the first work that I have read that was written by Dwight D. Eisenhower, one of America’s foremost World War II Generals and elected afterward as the 34th President of the United States.

I would highly recommend this work to both the politically curious, the student of World War II, the general historian, and to those who would like to read further about the individuals who inhabited the corner office of the United States of America.

His humility, openness, and always striving for the “middle way” in conversations, interactions with others, and public operations of the federal government comes across on almost every page. In this pursuit, he was always trying to avoid the extremists on the “left and right.” This belief is highlighted in the first chapter of his next book entitled, “The White House Years: Mandate for Change,” but also comes across in this work as one of his “ways of life.”

I am glad I read this work of Eisenhower, recommend it to others and think it is as relevant today as it was in 1948 when it was first published in the United States—as a record setting non-fiction book.

Cheers,
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- Peter E.

A high-quality, color portrait of President Dwight D. Eisenhower sitting in a chair holding his glasses.

Select the image above to read a review of "Eisenhower" by John Gunter.

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