From Gallipoli to Kokoda and beyond - the story of our greatest general and the power, politics and tragedy of command

General Sir Thomas Blamey, Commander in Chief of Australian Military Forces during World War II, was our highest-ranking soldier and arguably our most controversial.

Blamey was an abrasive and shrewd commander, who could act both decisively and brutally, creating enemies within and outside the military. That reputation, encouraged in the years after the war by his rivals, has followed him ever since and, unlike many other military heroes, his contributions to Australia's defence have been downplayed.

In this re-evaluation of our most senior military commander, Brent Taylor traces Blamey's career, describing the highs and the lows, and dispassionately applies modern business benchmarks to calculate his success as a leader: how many lives saved? In Taylor's estimation, more than 30,000 Diggers' lives.

Without glossing over Blamey's prickly character or the controversial incidents he was involved in, Taylor assesses how Blamey - schooled in battle under John Monash - dealt with the towering political and military leaders of the day, including a domineering US General Douglas MacArthur, a wily British prime minister, an antagonistic Australian government, and a ruthless Japanese command, to lead Australian troops to success while striving to keep them safe.

In challenging the popular view of Blamey as a testy, aloof man out of touch with and disloyal to his troops, Taylor declares him a hero who stood up to foreign agendas to get the best outcomes for the Diggers and his country.