"In the making of Allied Force Headquarters into a truly single Allied inter-service headquarters, Eisenhower started on a task that was to continue throughout the war--and beyond. Its fulfillment was perhaps more than any other his special contribution to the practice of war."Because he did not actually command troops in battle, Eisenhower has occasionally been underestimated by military writers. The Eisenhower volume in the classic "Military Commanders" series clearly demonstrates that his organization of the Allied effort in Europe owed nothing to the practices followed in World War...

But his self-confidence, the breadth and depth of his thinking and his eloquence and commanding presence ensured that he filled with distinction the senior appointments into which he was swiftly elevated between the wars.When Douglas MacArthur returned to the U.S. after being relieved of command in Korea in 1951, he was setting foot on American soil for the first time since 1935. During his long sojourn in the Pacific he had fought against America's enemies in concert with a wide array of often contentious European allies and emerging Asian forces. In MacArthur Gavin Long examined one...

Four times since the breakout at Avranches Patton and his army had given Eisenhower opportunities which might well have proved decisive, shortened the war, saved thousands of lives and left the West in a better strategic posture than it would be more than a quarter of a century later. H. Essame's classic study of Patton in the "Military Commanders" series offers an outstanding description of his operational doctrine at all levels, from his own personal demeanor, the performance expected of his subordinates, the morale and discipline of his troops, to the actual tactics he used on the...