Eisenhower

In the making of Allied Force Headquarters into a truly single Allied inter-service headquarters, Eisenhower started on a task that was to continue throughout the war- and beyond. Its fulfillment was perhaps more than any other his special contribution to the practice of war. Because he did not actually command troops in battle, Eisenhower has occasionally been underestimated by military writers. The Eisenhower volume in the classic Military Commanders series clearly demonstrates that his organization of the Allied effort in Europe owed nothing to the practices followed in World War I and represented a decisive breakthrough in the conduct of war, particularly in coalition warfare. Ike was a military manager without equal, who also had the ability to inspire confidence and loyalty among his subordinates of all nationalities. Eisenhower is most closely associated with the military principle of Unity of Command, and his doctrines are more relevant today than ever, in the world of coalition armies and high-tech battlefields. General Sixsmith’s comprehensive description of Eisenhower’s World War II actions makes for particularly interesting comparisons with the lessons forgotten in Vietnam and re-applied in the Persian Gulf.