Customer Reviews

Pershing: General of the Armies

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It appears of late that there is an increasing interest in books about World War I. Books have appeared on individual battles and on specialized equipment such as tanks and aircraft. After all, this was the time when much of the foundation for the later wars was being derived.

This particular book by Donald Smythe covers Pershing during the World War I years. (Smythe covers Gen. Pershing's earlier life in the previous book: Guerrilla Warror.) This book was written in the late 1980's, and just reprinted now.During this time Pershing had to build the army and assuage the commanders of the British and French forces who wanted the Americans to come into their armies as replacment soldiers under British or French commanders.

This was the first time that a large army would be sent by the Americans to fight on land beyond the oceans. The Americans had a lot to learn on the battlefield and in the conference room, but learn it they did. And they applied this learning in another European was a generation later.

As a measure of the tribute to be paid to Pershing, when he died in 1948, the funeral procession was led by sixteen American generals marching in the rain. At the head of the generals were Eisenhower and Bradley.

This is a very well written book. It sheds light on much of the turmoil that accompanied Pershings work in setting up the AEF in WWI. Highly recommended.