Military mistresses

[Capt.Sensible]

I have only recently found out that Eisenhower had a long-term mistress during WW2 (Kay Summersby) but had long known of the RKKA tradition of front-wives or campaign wives, such as Marshal Zhukovs 'friend' (no name yet). How widespread was this form of relationship in WW2? It was obviously quite common in the RKKA for high and middle-ranking officers to maintain girlfriends (see Catherine Merridale, Ivan's War, the Red Army 1939-1945, London: Faber and Faber, 2005) but did other officers in other armies do the same? I'm not talking about financially based short-term relationships but what appear to be serious relationships conducted in a semi-clandestine way.

Drafting Eisenhower - October 11, 2007 - The New York Sun

Antony Beevor

[jacobtowne]

Having just finished reading the excellent new biography of Eisenhower, Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda, the conclusion is that there is no proof whatsoever that Ike's relationship with Kay Summersby was anything more than friendship.

Patton, on the other hand, had as a companion a lady he referred to as his "niece." It is assumed that she was his mistress, but whether that is true I don't know.

JT

What's RKKA?

[Gotthard Heinrici]

RKKA refers to the Soviet Army of WWII, Jacob.

[Capt.Sensible]

Originally Posted by jacobtowne

Having just finished reading the excellent new biography of Eisenhower, Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda, the conclusion is that there is no proof whatsoever that Ike's relationship with Kay Summersby was anything more than friendship.

Patton, on the other hand, had as a companion a lady he referred to as his "niece." It is assumed that she was his mistress, but whether that is true I don't know.

JT

What's RKKA?

Thanks, JT, I stand corrected ref. Kay Summersby. Patton's niece is someone I will try and follow up. Thanks also to Gotthard for clarification!

CS

[Capt.Sensible]

Well, Patton's 'niece' may have been a bit closer than she should have been.
'There is also a serious character flaw in Patton regarding his niece. Although he denied it, it was pretty obvious he was having sex with his niece. This is where we, as the reading public, must give all thanks to the Patton family. They trust Blumenson so much that he is the only man they have given full access to the family papers and letters. At no point did they tell Blumenson to hide anything. They recognized that their family member was an historical figure,and insisted on a complete analysis--warts and all. Otherwise, how can you form an opinion on the man?...he wasn't faithful to his wife. There were a couple mentions of how many condoms he used in a short period. Patten had a long affair with his niece. And after he died, the niece killed herself. She left a note that she would be with Uncle Georgia before Beatrice....Blumenson makes excellent use of Patton's personal letters, especially those to Patton's wife, to reveal the human side of his tough-as-nails persona. Patton with nervous indigestion? Patton feeling worthless and inferior? Who would have guessed!'
Soldier Vignettes-2

There appears to be some good evidence that MacArthur had a close friend:
'"Dimples." Isabel Rosario Cooper was an actress of mixed Scottish and Filipino blood who became MacArthur's mistress during a stint in Manila after his divorce. She was 30 years his junior. '
The Last Days Of Patton - World War II Forums

You have to be careful with this material: there is a lot of vitriolic shite on various denial websites like that of D. Irving.

CS

[jacobtowne]

Kay Summersby, unfortunately, muddied the waters concerning her relationship with Ike. Her first book, Eisenhower Was My Boss, was admiring of Ike and omitted any mention of a romantic involvement.

Her second work, published in the 1970s, was Past Forgetting: My Love Affair With Dwight D. Eisenhower. The title leads one to assume she was Ike's mistress, but in fact there is no evidence for this. (I haven't read her book - Korda did, and came away with that opinion.)

She was originally his driver, and came to be more - a friend, secretary, admirer, and sounding board upon whom Ike could rely. He could confide in her in a way he could not with his staff. "That son of a bitch!" he said to her of Montgomery after one of his first meetings with the British general. (This episode concerned smoking, by way.)

She provided Ike with female companionship, and was someone with whom he could relax, and let off steam, a valuable aid considering the huge responsibilities he carried on his shoulders.

JT

[4th wilts]

i seen kay sumersby on the world at war,if i was ike,on my lofty perch, i would have definately given her a glance.yours,lee.

[The Aviator]

Good new topic Capt.
Did anyone ever see the TV mini series Ike? Great series. Stared Robert Duval as Ike and Lee Remick as Kay Sumersby.

"Ike" (1979) (mini) - IMDb user comments

[Capt.Sensible]

As you say JT, it must have been good to be able to at least talk to someone outside of the chain of command and let off a bit of steam, regardless of whether thier relationship was physical and emotional. Given the awful fate of Patton's niece, it is good to see that Kay enjoyed a happy later life. Do you know if thier relationship continued when Ike took up the Presidency?

[Capt.Sensible]

Originally Posted by The Aviator

Good new topic Capt.
Did anyone ever see the TV mini series Ike? Great series. Stared Robert Duval as Ike and Lee Remick as Kay Sumersby.

"Ike" (1979) (mini) - IMDb user comments

Nope, missed that one. I expect it is probably available on a dvd somewhere...so many films, so little time!

Just read last night that Col.General Jodl had a mistress in the winter of 1944-5. I will do a bit of snurgling on the interweb later today and see what turns up.