Editorial Reviews
Review
“Crosswell's superb study of the military career of "Beetle" Smith is the first book-length analysis of one of the least known senior American officers in WW II. A military manager rather than a martial leader, Smith saw combat in WW I, followed by a succession of staff and training assignments during the 1920s and '30s. In 1939 he was transferred to Army Chief of Staff George Marshall's headquarters in Washington. Winning Marshall's confidence during the hectic American buildup for war, Smith soon emerged as the mainspring in organizing the US and British staff apparatus for planning and coordinating coalition warfare. When Eisenhower was selected to lead the American invasion of North Africa, he asked for Smith as his Chief of Staff. The "Ike-Beetle" team proved to be an ideal match; in Africa and later in Europe, Eisenhower provided the leadership that kept the Allied coalition together while Smith provided the staff management that made it effective. Well written, thoroughly researched, and carefully documented, this biography of Smith's military career is highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.”–
“Chief of Staff is a valuable and important book. It is the first biographical study of a pivotal World War II general, as well as original and badly needed analysis of staff officers, their education and performance, and the managerial revolution in the United States army.”–
“. . . excellent and splendidly researched.”–
Book Description
While specifically focusing on Smith's 39-year military career, this study critically examines the professionalization process within the officer corps in the inter-war years; analyzes the evolution of the American and Allied command and staff structures in the Second World War; and surveys the distillation and execution of Allied strategy in the Mediterranean and European theatres of war. Smith's formative relationships with Generals Eisenhower and Marshall are stressed. An epilogue treats Smith's post-Army years as Ambassador to Moscow, C.I.A. Director, and Ike's Assistant Secretary of State.
The Chief of Staff: The Military Career of General Walter Bedell Smith (Contributions in Military Studies)
The Chief of Staff: The Military Career of General Walter Bedell Smith (Contributions in Military Studies),D.K.R. Crosswell,Greenwood Press,0313274800,1895-1961,Armies,Biography,Biography / Autobiography,Campaigns,General,Generals,History,History: American,Military - General,Military - Other,Military Personnel,Smith, Walter Bedell,,United States,World War, 1939-1945,History / Military / General,Smith, Walter Bedell
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