Jacob L. Devers: A General's Life
General Jacob L. "Jake" Devers (1897–1979) was one of only two officers—the other was Omar C. Bradley—to command an army group during the decisive campaigns of 1944–1945 that liberated Europe and ended the war with Nazi Germany. After the war, Devers led the Army Ground Forces in the United States and eventually retired in 1949 after forty years of service. Despite incredible successes on the battlefield, General George C. Marshall's "dependable man" remains one of the most underrated and overlooked figures of his generation.

In this definitive biography, James Scott Wheeler delivers a groundbreaking reassessment of the American commander whose contributions to victory in Europe are topped only by General Dwight D. Eisenhower's. Wheeler's exhaustively researched chronicle of Devers's life and career reveals a leader who demonstrated an extraordinary ability to cut through red tape and solve complex problems. Nevertheless, Eisenhower disliked Devers—a fact laid bare when he ordered Devers's Sixth Army Group to halt at the Rhine. After the war, Eisenhower's and Bradley's accounts of the generals' disagreements over strategy and tactics became received wisdom, to the detriment of Devers's reputation.

An essential contribution to twentieth-century history, Jacob L. Devers provides a fresh and nuanced interpretation of the senior command during World War II and offers a new perspective on a highly accomplished soldier.

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Jacob L. Devers: A General's Life
General Jacob L. "Jake" Devers (1897–1979) was one of only two officers—the other was Omar C. Bradley—to command an army group during the decisive campaigns of 1944–1945 that liberated Europe and ended the war with Nazi Germany. After the war, Devers led the Army Ground Forces in the United States and eventually retired in 1949 after forty years of service. Despite incredible successes on the battlefield, General George C. Marshall's "dependable man" remains one of the most underrated and overlooked figures of his generation.

In this definitive biography, James Scott Wheeler delivers a groundbreaking reassessment of the American commander whose contributions to victory in Europe are topped only by General Dwight D. Eisenhower's. Wheeler's exhaustively researched chronicle of Devers's life and career reveals a leader who demonstrated an extraordinary ability to cut through red tape and solve complex problems. Nevertheless, Eisenhower disliked Devers—a fact laid bare when he ordered Devers's Sixth Army Group to halt at the Rhine. After the war, Eisenhower's and Bradley's accounts of the generals' disagreements over strategy and tactics became received wisdom, to the detriment of Devers's reputation.

An essential contribution to twentieth-century history, Jacob L. Devers provides a fresh and nuanced interpretation of the senior command during World War II and offers a new perspective on a highly accomplished soldier.

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Jacob L. Devers: A General's Life

Jacob L. Devers: A General's Life

Jacob L. Devers: A General's Life

Jacob L. Devers: A General's Life

Overview

General Jacob L. "Jake" Devers (1897–1979) was one of only two officers—the other was Omar C. Bradley—to command an army group during the decisive campaigns of 1944–1945 that liberated Europe and ended the war with Nazi Germany. After the war, Devers led the Army Ground Forces in the United States and eventually retired in 1949 after forty years of service. Despite incredible successes on the battlefield, General George C. Marshall's "dependable man" remains one of the most underrated and overlooked figures of his generation.

In this definitive biography, James Scott Wheeler delivers a groundbreaking reassessment of the American commander whose contributions to victory in Europe are topped only by General Dwight D. Eisenhower's. Wheeler's exhaustively researched chronicle of Devers's life and career reveals a leader who demonstrated an extraordinary ability to cut through red tape and solve complex problems. Nevertheless, Eisenhower disliked Devers—a fact laid bare when he ordered Devers's Sixth Army Group to halt at the Rhine. After the war, Eisenhower's and Bradley's accounts of the generals' disagreements over strategy and tactics became received wisdom, to the detriment of Devers's reputation.

An essential contribution to twentieth-century history, Jacob L. Devers provides a fresh and nuanced interpretation of the senior command during World War II and offers a new perspective on a highly accomplished soldier.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780813175980
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Publication date: 08/03/2018
Series: American Warriors Series
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 616
Product dimensions: 6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.70(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Col. James Scott Wheeler, USA (Ret.), is a retired professor of history at the United States Military Academy. He is the author of several books, including The Big Red One: America's Legendary 1st Infantry Division from World War I to Desert Storm and The Irish and British War, 1637–1654: Triumph, Tragedy, and Failure.

Table of Contents

Foreword Rick Atkinson ix

Introduction 1

1 From York to West Point 5

2 Apprenticeship 29

3 World War I and the Roaring Twenties 51

4 Professional Growth 77

5 The Approach of War 103

6 Marshall's Fireman and Division Command 127

7 Forging the Thunderbolt 149

8 On to the War 181

9 European Theater Commander 205

10 Mediterranean Theater of Operations 239

11 Stalemate in Italy and the Invasion of Southern France 269

12 Sixth Army Group: The Riviera to the Vosges 305

13 The Vosges and Alsace Campaigns 335

14 Winter of Discontent 371

15 Victory in Europe 401

16 Postwar Challenges 433

17 Retirement and Beyond 463

Acknowledgments 487

Notes 489

Selected Bibliography 547

Index 555

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Biography
Military Biography
General & Miscellaneous Military Biography
Biography
Military Biography
General & Miscellaneous Military Biography

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