The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today

By: Thomas E. Ricks

Narrated by: William Hughes

Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

History has been kinder to the American generals of World War II—Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, and Bradley—than to the generals of the wars that followed. Is this merely nostalgia? Here, Thomas E. Ricks answers the question definitively: No, it is not, in no small part because of a widening gulf between performance and accountability.

During World War II, scores of American generals were relieved of command simply for not being good enough.

In The Generals we meet great leaders and suspect ones, generals who rose to the occasion and those who failed themselves and their soldiers. Marshall and Eisenhower cast long shadows over this story, but no single figure is more inspiring than Marine General O. P. Smith, whose fighting retreat from the Chinese onslaught into Korea in 1950 snatched a kind of victory from the jaws of annihilation. But Smith’s courage and genius in the face of one of the grimmest scenarios the marines have ever faced only cast the shortcomings of the people who put him there in sharper relief.

If Korea showed the first signs of a culture that neither punished mediocrity nor particularly rewarded daring, the Vietnam War saw American military leadership bottom out. In the wake of Vietnam, a battle for the soul of the US Army was waged with impressive success. It became a transformed institution, reinvigorated from the bottom up. But if the body was highly toned, its head still suffered from familiar problems, resulting in tactically savvy but strategically obtuse leadership that would win battles but end wars badly.

Ricks has made a close study of America’s military leaders for three decades, and in his hands this story resounds with larger meaning: the transmission of values, strategic thinking, the difference between an organization that learns and one that fails. Military history of the highest quality, The Generals is also essential reading for anyone with an interest in the difference between good leaders and bad ones.

©2012 Thomas E. Ricks (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc

Critic reviews

"[A] savvy study of leadership in the US Army…Ricks presents an incisive, hard-hitting corrective to unthinking veneration of American military prowess." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Thomas E. Ricks has written a definitive and comprehensive story of American generalship from the battlefields of World War II to the recent war in Iraq. The Generals candidly reveals their triumphs and failures, and offers a prognosis of what can be done to ensure success by our future leaders in the volatile world of the twenty-first century." (Carlo D’Este, author of Patton: A Genius for War)
"This is a brilliant book—deeply researched, very well-written, and outspoken. Ricks pulls no punches in naming names as he cites serious failures of leadership, even as we were winning World War II, and failures that led to serious problems in later wars. And he calls for rethinking the concept of generalship in the Army of the future." (William J. Perry, 19th US Secretary of Defense)

Ricks nails it

I often judge a book like this by what is written about people I know. By that index, Ricks has done an outstanding job of looking at what got us to where we are with senior leadership in today's military. He is right, we need to find a way to get back to Marshall's approach to managing senior leaders, Generals and SES (senior career civilians). Accountability for your actions should be the rule and we should not be affrais to put someone new in to get the job done. Not every General is a great leader and those that fall short, should be moved to a position more in keeping with their abilities. This is a must read for students of US history and military leadership.

Must read

This book is a no holds barred on the US Army officer corps and especially the generals. This book also parallels the American society degradation from accountability for your actions. This is a must read for anyone who wants to be in a managerial, leadership, or military role.

Excellent but disturbing critique of US military

Would you listen to The Generals again? Why?

Yes. There is a great deal of condensed military history that is easy to forget but deserving remembering.

What did you like best about this story?

An inside look at a culture most of us never consider even existing: The US military.

Which scene was your favorite?

There are no scenes.Once the author passes World War 2 he reveals a lot of history and politics that are rarely thought of or discussed.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not applicable.

Any additional comments?

Concise, prepared and backed with as much evidence as you are likely to find. The author seriously critiques the strengths and weaknesses of military culture while taking us along its development for the last 60 years. He supplements solid fact with anecdote and information that we know about human sociology in general to form a compelling tapestry explaining political and military struggles from the 60's onward.

Expertly written, powerful look at Generals

An impressive analysis of WWII Generals as put in place under George Marshall and the failures of them & the system since then (as well as the occasional successes of the individual with slow systemic improvements).

The main thesis is accountability and the role of relieving Generals when they fail - which doesn't happen. But the author touches on more complex and useful aspects of leadership and organisational change.

The story of WWII Generals is well told but brief too much so in the case of Patton. Korea, Vietnam and Iraq are very insightful and shed excellent light on the political issues that Generals sought to avoid considering or the death of civilian / military discourse.

It's packed with nuggets of insight. Many bookmarks in this one.

A must read!

An excellent treatise on the subject of US military leadership from WWII to 2012. This book is a must read for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the conditions which led to America's dual failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. I can only hope that the author will consider writing an updated edition to fill in the time period leading to the end of the Iraq and Afghan wars.

Should be required reading for officers and political candidates

Fantastic book that outlines the bureaucratic issues that plague the army because of a desire to protect officers careers and it’s image. As a current army officer, I think every young junior officer and aspiring political candidate should read this in the hopes that our future military command and structure meshes willingly and successfully with civilian counterparts. If anything this book serves as a lesson to our past and what not to repeat although we do so regardless of the lessons we’ve learned and read about.

A fascinating look into some pretty weighty issues

What made the experience of listening to The Generals the most enjoyable?

Mr Rick's work sheds some light on some weight issues. There are various aspects of this book which should really be studied more closely. The first part of the book covering WW2 is quite interesting but it seems like he is very brief with the command problems of the corps and above echelons. He does cover division level problems well though. The most interesting part of the book is at the end where he covers the generals of today and I wish this part were twice as long so he could go into greater details, especially covering the later stages of Afghanistan.

A little simplified, but many points I agree with.

Would you listen to The Generals again? Why?

For research yes.

Would you be willing to try another book from Thomas E. Ricks? Why or why not?

Very much so.

Which character – as performed by William Hughes – was your favorite?

None, a non-fiction book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really

Any additional comments?

I thought Tom Rick's conclusions were over simplistic. The military's promotion system is very rigid and assignments aren't always well thought out. Yet, almost all Generals I have seen or met were extremely bright and gifted people. However, the basis of his conclusions are correct. Generals are a product that shined in the system they were raise in. There are many inefficiencies in that system. Generals (and higher grade officers and enlisted) are not held into account nearly as much as they used to be. The current system of rotating Generals and the COs below result in much turnover, overlap, rework (reinventing the wheel). Perhaps its not that I disagree with his conclusion on modern Generalship, it's rather he should extend those conclusions to the modern promotion and assignment system as a whole... Another book?

the general since world war II

I found the analysis of the Vietnam era quite interesting and poignant. unfortunately, many military decisions are made politically instead of tactically and strategically

Time to fire some incompetents

Would you consider the audio edition of The Generals to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the book. Just listened.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Generals?

The whole book is memorable and sadly points out what else has gone to hell with the USA since WW2.

Which character – as performed by William Hughes – was your favorite?

???

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

It's not meant to be filmed. Should be read and discussed.

Any additional comments?

A must read to explain the current failure of the once great American military that in the 40s destroyed Hitler and Tojo's minions in about 5 years compared to the sorry incompetents who lead America's military today. The book correctly points out that the fault is NOT with the enlisted serviceman we all rightly honor and respect [well most of them] but the sorry excuses for generals leading them since the Korean War. Reward failure and you get what we have now, ten years of incompetence and an Afghanistan that is in worse shape than it was six months after 9/11 when at least the Taliban was momentarily beaten. The book should be read by every American who gives a damn about the USA. Next book by this author should be "The teachers" another sad story of incompetence thanks this time mostly to the teacher's union. Incompetent teachers are even harder to fire than incompetent generals. The administrators of our failed education system should be fired en masse.

I served 20 years in the military before I retired. I served in Vietnam and worked in joint commands so am quite familiar with the Army, Navy and Marines. I would like to think this makes my comments of more value than someone less familiar with the military.