Stephen R. Taafe. Marshall and His Generals: U.S. Army Commanders in World War II. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2011. ix + 426 pp. $37.50, cloth, ISBN 978-0-7006-1812-5.

Reviewed by Alex Lovelace

Published on H-War (July, 2012)

Commissioned by Margaret Sankey (Air University)

The U.S. Army’s expansion during World War cers performed in combat. The study begins in the Two, from a small underfunded garrison to a dark days after the fall of the Philippines and con‐ colossal force that numbered eight overseas feld tinues through the surrender of Japan. Though armies, was a remarkable achievement. These Marshall’s name appears in the title, the book is new units required hundreds of generals who had far from being a biography. However, Marshall is to be promoted from the peacetime army. Though always in the background and the reader is left theater commanders often requested specifc gen‐ with the understanding of how his command ap‐ erals, the fnal responsibility for an ofcer’s pro‐ pointments directly infuenced the war. Eisen‐ motion was with the army chief of staf, General hower, MacArthur, Bradley, Mark Wayne Clark, George C. Marshall. It was a duty that Marshall and Patton are featured prominently, but the ma‐ did not take lightly since soldiers’ lives depended jority of the work focuses on lesser-known army, on promoting the right people to the right com‐ corps, and division commanders. Indeed, the au‐ mands. A few of the ofcers Marshall selected for thor has done a masterful job of combining nu‐ high commands, such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, merous small biographies of U.S. generals around Douglas MacArthur, Omar Bradley, and George S. the narrative of World War Two. This of course Patton, became legends; however, the majority of limits the book to an exclusively American view, division, corps, and army commanders have been yet it should be remembered that Taafe is writing more or less forgotten. Nevertheless, it was these about the U.S. high command, and the book generals, chosen by Marshall, who achieved victo‐ should be judged on that rather than as a compre‐ ry in World War Two. hensive history of the war. Stephen R. Taafe’s excellent new book, Mar‐ As for historiography, Taafe is an apologist shall and His Generals, examines how the army’s for the U.S. Army’s performance during World chief of staf selected generals and how these of‐ War Two. Many historians, and others (including H-Net Reviews the defeated enemy), have criticized the U.S. Bradley’s less considered judgments, such as criti‐ Army’s fghting ability, claiming that low quality cizing Patton’s conduct in Sicily and minimizing soldiers and strategically timid generals were his victories there (p. 328). It is also questionable compensated by America’s massive material supe‐ how much of A General’s Life is Bradley’s opinion riority and air power. Though Taafe concedes since he died before the section dealing with that only a few U.S. generals were “brilliant,” he World War Two was completed by his ghostwrit‐ argues that “dad [U.S.] army group, feld army, er.[1] and corps commanders been incompetent, it is Nevertheless, Marshall and His Generals hard to see how the United States could have brings out many of World War Two’s lesser- helped to defeat the Axis” (p. 12). Taafe notes that known American ofcers, while making a con‐ most U.S. generals were relieved because of pro‐ vincing argument that U.S. Army leadership was, motion or illness and not because of failures in if not brilliant, at least competent. Dedicated read‐ combat. When army politics and conficting per‐ ers of military history tend to be partisan when sonalities are taken into account, Taafe argues, debating the merits of their favorite general. In‐ only one U.S. general out of the thirty-eight of‐ evitably, some might feel that the author has de‐ cers who commanded an army group, feld army, nied giving their pet general the space or credit or corps were relieved for failures on the battle‐ that he deserves. They may be right, but it is hard feld (p. 322). He also states that U.S. ofcers usual‐ to imagine a book of this scope and size being ly praised their subordinates’ competence in of‐ more balanced or comprehensive. cial evaluations and in postwar memoirs. As for Note material superiority, Taafe reminds readers that American supply was fnite and had to be shared [1]. Omar N. Bradley and Clary Blair, A Gener‐ among the Allies (p. 12). al’s Life (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983), 11. Marshall and His Generals is not a hagio‐ which graphic account of U.S. Army leadership. Eisen‐ hower had a temper, Bradley was cautious, Patton A was overbearing on subordinates, Clark loved C publicity, and MacArthur was publicity loving and overbearing. Likewise Taafe does not gloss over S the faults of U.S. corps and division commanders. s Indeed, the author is often as critical of U.S. lead‐ , ership as historians who argue that the war was Professor  won by American material superiority. U.S. Army Commanders in World War II The author uses excellently both primary and secondary sources, relying heavily on General A Bradley’s second autobiography, A General’s Life (1983). The general conceived the book after C Eisenhower’s and Patton’s papers had been pub‐ S lished, possibly in response to hurtful comments Patton had written about Bradley. In any event, book Bradley’s opinion of Patton changed from mild on the Chief of Staf professional criticism to harsh personal indict‐ Though  ments. Marshall and His Generals echoes many of

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Citation: Alex Lovelace. Review of Taafe, Stephen R. Marshall and His Generals: U.S. Army Commanders in World War II. H-War, H-Net Reviews. July, 2012.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=35393

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