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)

Required Reading for the Maritime Warfighter

Gives listeners the good, bad, and ugly of conventional war before precision-guided munitions. Everything from the strategic implications and considerations down to the tactical perspective of the Sailors and Marines in combat is included. This is a must-read for all Sailors and Marines.

Great breakdown of the US Army since World War II. Hoping to become a JAG, helped me consider a few things.

Great work! Looking to see what other books are available by this author. Enjoyed the thorough analysis!

A must read for all military officers.

A challenging but necessary lens to view the military from WW2-2011. I’d be very interested in Ricks publishing a second edition with an update now the GWOT has been “concluded”.

I lived this book

I was a career Army officer. This book lays it on the line. My father was also an Army officer and I remember some of these people in the book being in my home when I was growing up. He is correct about what happened to the Army in the 1980s and 1990s and the commentary is insightful. He is also correct about the leadership of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Tommy Franks was inept and his retirement and actions in retirement were shameful. George Bush awarding him the Medal of Freedom was obscene. Ricardo Sanchez as well, was mediocre and not the person to command in Iraq. He cost us a whole year lost and the insurgency became almost all but unstoppable because on his inaction. I left the Army after my last tour in Iraq. I was embarrassed and ashamed of what I saw in the character and actions of many officers and realized the Army was a very troubled institution. Unfortunately, a mirror of our nation today.

Extremely Interesting Book- Excellent Narration

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

The author started with a great thesis- namely the decline of the Army Leadership by the Generals who have led the US both during and since World War II. He then did an excellent job supporting his position by offering great insight into all of the wars in which the army has been deployed- from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, Iraq and Afghanistan. Portraits of all of the American Generals who commanded the US Army in these- Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, McArthur, Ridgeway, Taylor, Westmoreland, Abrams, Schwartzkopf, Powell, Franks, Petraeus, Sanchez, McCrystal are laid out here for the listener, as well as how each contribted to the success or failure of the army high command during these wars.

Who was your favorite character and why?

George Catlett Marshall- whom quite frankly not many people know enough about and appreciate today. Ricks portrays him as the father of what was great in the army during World War II- namely the ability to select men of high intelligence, energy and affability to lead the US forces- and to remove from command those generals who did not win battles. I became so fascinated by Ricks' portrait of Marshall that after listening to this recording I actually purchased and am reading a biography of Marshall from Amazon (Ed Cray's book entitled "General Of The Army"- which happens to be a great read so far) . Not many people actually realize it but Marshall wanted to command the Allied Invasion at Normandy in 1944- and it was at Franklin Roosevelt's request that he did not agree to become the commander and instead appointed Eisenhower- who as we all know won enough accolade and fame to eventually be elected President of the US.

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

All were decently portrayed

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

While I did not have an extreme reaction to the book, I must admit that I came away with the feeling that the current US Army command leadership structure needs to be reformed and new blood infused into that institution if the army is to be a relevant force in protecting the interests of our country. I believe that the author's recommendations on how to bring about and implement this change are well laid out in the epilogue to the book

Any additional comments?

I am glad that I purchased and listened to the book. While another reviewer has aptly pointed out that there is only theme to this book and that the author constantly reiterates it- I believe that book is well written and well narrated and worth the listen.

Great listen or read!

Throughly enjoyed listening to the book a lot of history covered with details in areas I wasn't familiar. Would recommend this to any of my military or history friends.

Engaging story. Great primer for a wide audience.

Great book. An interesting look at history, personnel management and the state of the modern military. Focused on the Army, this book has a slightly romanticized view of the WWII general staff and their imprint on history, but does a good job supporting the thesis. This author clearly has a command of the history and many of the under the radar movements that shaped military discourse. With luck a book that looks into the tradition of personnel management in the Navy will be written by this author.

The books flows well and is easy to understand. As it is an audiobook, names can be challenging to remember and place. The points and story vignettes are well written and stay very close to the written accounts and steer clear of hyperbole and revisionist history that is often found in books that examine impactful events like Korea and Vietnam. Deep historical knowledge or passion in this or adjacent subjects isn't necessary to enjoy the book; I suggest the book to any journeyman interested in history or business/management.

Very Insightful on Leadership

I have listened to this book twice now and received a great deal from it each time. While it gives a thorough account of Army Generalship since before WWII, it is as much as leadership principles and how to develop people as strategists as opposed to simply tacticians.

compelling

This challenging work demonstrates that the army fired most generals and won wars but when it switched to never firing generals it must no longer win.

Needed reading

Unfortunately, it is already dated. Straightforward; understandable and a must read for anyone who wants to understand recent USA history, especially in regards to the military’s abysmal performance since WW II.