Top 5 Books on WWII's Legendary Generals

Commander in Chief

By Eric Larrabee (1987)

1. In contrast to Abraham Lincoln, who spent considerable time and effort finding effective military leaders during the Civil War through repeated experimentation and setbacks, Franklin D. Roosevelt needed fewer attempts and rarely erred when selecting key figures for leadership roles throughout World War II. As Eric Larrabee notes in "Commander in Chief," this process seemed almost serendipitous but likely involved careful consideration. This certainly held true with regard to promoting George C. Marshall from being the Army’s thirty-fourth-ranking general to become its chief of staff in 1939 despite having previously disagreed with President Roosevelt regarding strategies; specifically about prioritizing aircraft development over troop expansion—a stance which Marshall firmly opposed. Marshall's appointment led to several advantageous decisions, including choosing Dwight D. Eisenhower as one of his protégés. Eventually, Eisenhower rose to lead Allied operations across Europe. According to Larrabee, understanding Marshall’s journey also means exploring Eisenhower’s rise because he knew Marshall supported him fully, along with Roosevelt backing them both. Through these strategic appointments, Roosevelt built up an elite team of officers instrumental in securing victory in WWII. Larrabee skillfully interlaces these narratives within his book, providing readers insights beyond what might initially appear from just reading the title alone.

Stilwell and the U.S. Experience in China, 1911-1945

By Barbara W. Tuchman (1971)

2. Joseph Stilwell once penned years prior to World War II: "There won’t ever be an account of my life written." Little did he know how wrong this statement was when historian Barbara Tuchman used his diaries and personal reflections for her book titled “Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45”. According to Tuchman, Stilwell came across as someone who was impatient, sharp-tongued, and tactless – earning him the fitting moniker 'Vinegar Joe'. It should also be noted that even General George Marshall characterized Stilwell’s assignment during WWII—serving as America's primary military officer stationed within China and acting as Chief of Staff to Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek—as exceptionally challenging; perhaps unequaled among contemporaneous commanders. Upon finding out about Chiang’s greater focus on consolidating domestic control rather than combating Japan, Stilwell realized they were operating under false pretenses regarding their ally. As stated by Tuchman, “It seems unlikely that citizens from one nation have previously misunderstood the administration of another state quite like we’ve done here.” The narrative paints a picture where mistakes and exasperation bordering on comicality coexist alongside tragic consequences such as lost lives, wasted resources sent by the U.S., and missed opportunities for what could have been achieved through leadership as competent as Stilwell’s elsewhere.

Patton

By Carlo D’Este (1995)

3. In his biography "Patton," when citing letters penned by the subject, Carlo D'Este mentions that he maintains original spelling errors and unusual punctuation marks. This decision ensures that readers grasp the learning disability which was evident to Patton's peers despite his efforts. According to D' Este, a sense of inadequacy formed the core element behind both Patton's relentless ambition and the domineering, hyper-masculine persona he cultivated intentionally. Through this process of reinventing himself emerged a complex individual characterized by numerous paradoxes: an aspiring poet with a penchant for expletives; an Olympian athlete often beset by peculiar mishaps; a learned student of warfare firmly believing in reincarnation regarding past combat experiences; a commanding officer who publicly chastised soldiers deemed cowards yet secretly feared experiencing similar apprehension; finally, a brilliant strategist marred by poor public image management away from battlefields, overshadowing some significant victories during WWII. Despite Patton frequently rehearsing a fierce expression before mirrors, D'Este asserts that such displays did little to mislead those truly acquainted with him—biographers included.

General Wainwright’s Story

By Jonathan M. Wainwright (1946)

4. Following his release from a prison camp in Manchuria at the conclusion of World War II, Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright III came back to the United States and began working on a collection of newspaper pieces which later formed "General Wainwright’s Story." This evocative autobiography recounts the valiant defense put up by his forces in the Philippines during the initial phases of the conflict and the subsequent years marked by disgrace he faced as the most senior American captive of the Japanese. While Douglas MacArthur managed to flee to Australia prior to the fall of the Philippines, Wainwright pledged to stay behind and endure whatever befell his beleaguered unit—committing fully to this pledge. An accompanying reporter observed Wainwright one day reviewing part of his manuscript where he described how his men saluted him upon their surrender in May 1942. Taking out his pencil, Wainwright appended those lines with: “Though well-versed in the history of the Civil War, never before have I understood what General Robert E. Lee must have experienced following the battle at Appomattox.”

The Years of MacArthur

By D. Clayton James (1970-1985)

5. "No figure in contemporary American military annals, not even Patton, has sparked such an abundance of praise and criticism" as Douglas MacArthur, notes D. Clayton James at the outset of the initial volume titled "The Years of MacArthur." This is the same commander who gained renown for braving enemy attacks during World War I yet was labeled "Dugout Doug" by many troops under him early in World War II due to his infrequent visits to frontline positions. Despite challenging both supporters and detractors of MacArthur along with the general's tendency towards exaggeration, James aims to craft what he describes as "a fairly thorough, impartial, and truthful account of [MacArthur's] life and times"—an objective which he achieves effectively. Generally, the writer refrains from offering broad judgments across the trilogy; however, he speculates that later scholars might regard MacArthur’s efforts toward reconstructing Japan post-World War II as marking the pinnacle of his service.