Currently reading
Gabriela, Cravo e Canela
Progress:
157/358 pages
Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph (The Authorized Doubleday/Doran Edition)
Progress:
189/672 pages
The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve
Progress:
41/608 pages
Peter the Great
Progress:
472/934 pages
Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty
A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge
Progress:
191/712 pages
The German Army 1933-1945
Progress:
198/598 pages
Corporal Hitler and the Great War 1914-1918: The List Regiment
Progress:
22/238 pages
Perret offers a first-rate history of what went into the shaping of the U.S. Army in the Second World War. What was fascinating to learn was that, as late as 1940, the U.S. Army was ranked below that of Portugal. Through reading this book, the reader sees how it was through the foresight of people like George C. Marshall and other fine soldiers such as Matthew Ridgway, Maxwell Taylor, Bradley, Eisenhower, and Patton, that the U.S. was able to develop, by 1944 and 1945, one of the finest armies in the history of the world. What is also really good about this book is the insight Perret provides about the ordinary GI and the distinguished service provided by African-American combat units, such as the 969th Field Artillery Battalion, the 761st Tank Battalion (which served continuously in combat longer than any other U.S. tank battalion in Europe), the 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, and the 92nd Infantry Division.
I highly recommend this book. It offers an excellent introduction to anyone who wants to know more about the U.S. Army and its role in the Second World War.