Description
Taaffe explores how and why Marshall selected the Army's commanders. Among his chief criteria were character (including "unselfish and devoted purpose"), education, (whether at West Point, Fort Leavenworth, or the Army War College), and striking a balance between experience and relative youth in a war that required both wisdom and great physical stamina. As the war unfolded, Marshall also factored into his calculations the combat leadership his generals demonstrated and the opinions of his theatre commanders.
Taaffe brings into sharp focus the likes of Eisenhower, MacArthur, George Patton, Omar Bradley, Walter Krueger, Robert Eichelberger, Courtney Hodges, Lucian Truscott, J. Lawton Collins, Alexander "Sandy" Patch, Troy Middleton, Matthew Ridgeway, Mark Clark, and twenty-five other generals who served in the conflict. He describes their leadership and decision-making processes and provides miniature biographies and personality sketches of these men drawn from their personal papers, official records, and reflections of fellow officers.
Delving deeper than other studies, this path-breaking work produces a seamless analysis of Marshall's selection process of operational-level commanders. Taaffe also critiques the performance of these generals during the war and reveals the extent to which their actions served as stepping stones to advancement.
Ambitious in scope and filled with sharp insights, Marshall and His Generals is essential reading for anyone interested in World War II and military leadership more generally.
About the Author
Stephen R. Taaffe is professor of history at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, USA. He is author of Commanding Lincoln's Navy: Union Naval Leadership During the Civil War; Commanding the Army of the Potomac; The Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778; and MacArthur's Jungle War: The 1944 New Guinea Campaign; and is a two-time winner of the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Book Award.
Book Information
ISBN 9780700619429
Author Stephen R. Taaffe
Format Paperback
Page Count 438
Imprint University Press of Kansas
Publisher University Press of Kansas
Weight(grams) 612g