How was it possible for the United States Army, which numbered less than 200,000 men and which was smaller than the army of Portugal, would go on to defeat Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan, while only losing one battle during the Second World War? How was it able to put into the field, armies which managed to beat the hardened professional armies of its enemies? The answer can be found to a large degree in this outstanding book by Geoffrey Perret.

One leader does stand out above all the rest, and it is not the President, Franklin Delanor Roosevelt; it is the man he picked out for the job of creating the U.S. fighting force, George C. Marshall. Marshall was a man who knew how to surround himself with the best of the best, both in the administration of the army and in the field. A tireless worker, he expected the same of those around him and he did not hesitate to demote or retire high ranking officers who failed in their jobs. That type of ruthlessness saved lives and was expected of every officer no matter what his rank. He also realized that the old style of thinking in the military, that of matching the enemies’ weapons, one to one was outdated. Marshall managed to skip a generation of military thought in creating a fighting force that simply was better trained, better educated, more creative and better supplied than any other military of its day. Since the focus of this volume is on the army per se, the author does not delve into the genius of the American industry who overcame so many hurtles to deliver the tanks, ships and planes needed by the military, but he does give many examples of the excellence of what was provided.