Bradley: A Biography

Front Cover
St. Martin's Publishing Group, Dec 26, 2007 - History - 224 pages

Alan Axelrod applies his signature insight and compelling prose to the life, strategy and legacy of the general Bradley who remains the model for all commanders today as the man who revolutionized the National Guard, shaped the US army's focus on the individual soldier, and emphasized cooperation and coordination among the military services--a cornerstone of modern U.S. military doctrine.

Dubbed by the World War II press as "The GI General" because of his close identification with his men, Omar Bradley rose to command the U. S. 12th Army Group in the European Campaign. By the spring of 1945, this group contained 1,300,000 men--the largest exclusively American field command in U.S. history.

Mild mannered, General Bradley was a dedicated mentor, the creator of the Officer Candidate School system, and a methodical tactician who served through World War II. Then, as a five-star general, he lifted the Veterans Administration from corruption and inefficiency to a model government agency, served as U.S. Army chief of staff, first chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and head of NATO.

 

Contents

Introduction A Military Trinity
1
Missouri Boy
5
Runner Up
13
Left Out
23
Shoestring Army
35
Foot Soldier in Marshalls Revolution
47
From War College to War
57
In Africa
75
DDay
107
Breakout
125
Crisis
137
Victory
155
Five Stars
169
Why Bradley Matters
183
Notes
191
Index
199

II Corps Command
91

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About the author (2007)

Alan Axelrod is the author of the BusinessWeek bestseller Patton on Leadership, the Great Generals series book Patton, and many books on American and military history. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

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