The Supreme Commander: The War Years of Dwight D. Eisenhower

by Stephen E. Ambrose

Overview

In this classic portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower the soldier, bestselling historian Stephen E. Ambrose examines the Allied commander’s leadership during World War II.
 
Ambrose brings Eisenhower’s experience of the Second World War to life, showing in vivid detail how the general’s skill as a diplomat and a military strategist contributed to Allied successes in North Africa and in Europe, and established him as one of the greatest military leaders in the world. Ambrose, then the Associate Editor of the General’s official papers, analyzes Eisenhower’s difficult military decisions and his often complicated relationships with powerful personalities like Churchill, de Gaulle, Roosevelt, and Patton. This is the definitive account of Eisenhower’s evolution as a military leader—from its dramatic beginnings through his time at the top post of Allied command.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307946621
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/17/2012
Pages:	768
Sales rank:	101,922
Product dimensions:	5.23(w) x 7.98(h) x 1.31(d)

About the Author

Stephen E. Ambrose was the author or co-author of more than thirty books on military affairs and foreign policy. Early in his career he was an associate editor of The Eisenhower Papers, and he later went on to publish the definitive, three-part biography of Eisenhower, as well as many bestselling books of military history, including Band of Brothers and Undaunted Courage. He died in 2002.

Date of Birth:

January 10, 1936

Date of Death:

October 13, 2002

Place of Birth:

Whitewater, Wisconsin

Place of Death:

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

Education:

B.A., University of Wisconsin; M.A., Louisiana State University, 1958; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1963

Table of Contents

Book 1	The First Two Years
Part I	Washington to London [December 1941--June 1942]	3
Chapter 1	Debacle in the Pacific	7
Chapter 2	Establishing the Organization and the Strategy	20
Chapter 3	"Bolero": the Build-Up in England	36
Part II	London to Gibraltar [June 1942--December 1942]	3
Chapter 4	The Theater Commander	54
Chapter 5	The Blackest Day in History	64
Chapter 6	The Transatlantic Essay Contest	78
Chapter 7	Preparing the "Torch"	97
Chapter 8	The Invasion of North Africa	111
Chapter 9	The Darlan Deal	125
Chapter 10	The First Campaign	137
Part III	Opening the Mediterranean [January 1943--July 1943]	149
Chapter 11	Conference at Casablanca	150
Chapter 12	Kasserine Pass	166
Chapter 13	Climax in Tunisia	177
Chapter 14	The Local Political Mess	191
Chapter 15	Preparing "Husky": March--July 1943	205
Chapter 16	Sicily	218
Part IV	The Italian Campaign [July 1943--December 1943]	235
Chapter 17	The Beginning	236
Chapter 18	The Italian Surrender Negotiations	251
Chapter 19	Salerno	267
Chapter 20	Stalemate in Italy	283
Chapter 21	The Big Appointment	295
Chapter 22	Preparing for "Overlord"	310
Chapter 23	Epilogue: Eisenhower on the Eve of "Overlord"	319
Book 2	Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force
Part I	The Preparation [January 1944--June 1944]	329
Chapter 1	"We Cannot Afford to Fail"	331
Chapter 2	The "Anvil" Debate	349
Chapter 3	The Transportation Plan	363
Chapter 4	Le Grand Charles and Other Political Problems	377
Chapter 5	Worries of a Commander	392
Part II	The Invasion [June 1944--September 1944]	411
Chapter 6	The Sixth of June	412
Chapter 7	Stalemate	425
Chapter 8	"Crossbow" and "Anvil" Again	442
Chapter 9	Breakout	459
Chapter 10	The Liberation of Parts	479
Chapter 11	Crossing the Seine and a New Command Structure	492
Part III	The German Recovery [September 1944--December 1944]	503
Chapter 12	Arnhem and Antwerp	504
Chapter 13	Single Thrust Vs. Broad Front in Retrospect	527
Chapter 14	A Dreary Autumn	536
Chapter 15	The Bulge	553
Chapter 16	Showdown With Montgomery, De Gaulle, and Brooke	571
Chapter 17	Duties and Responsibilities	590
Part IV	The Last Campaign [January 1945--May 1945]	605
Chapter 18	The Rhineland Battles	606
Chapter 19	Crossing the Rhine and a Change in Plan	618
Chapter 20	Controversy with the British	632
Chapter 21	Victory	649
	Glossary	669
	Note	672
	Index	714

Editorial Reviews

Extraordinarily fascinating. . . . General Dwight Eisenhower comes remarkably alive.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Ambrose is that rare breed: an historian with true passion for his subjects.”
—Ken Burns

“Ambrose should be assigned a special, honored place among modern historians. . . . All of us who write or read history are in his debt.”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
“A masterful historian.”
—People

From the Publisher