Chief of Staff, Vol. 1: The Principal Officers Behind History's Great Commanders, Napoleonic Wars to World War I

by Maj. Gen. David T. Zabecki

The two-volume Chief of Staff examines the history, development, and role of the military duty position of the chief of staff. Many books have studied history's great commanders and the art of command. None have focused exclusively on the chief of staff -- that key staff officer responsible for translating the ideas of the commander into practical plans that common soldiers can execute successfully on the battlefield. In some cases, it is almost impossible to think of certain great commanders without also thinking of their chief of staff. Napoleon's chief of staff Berthier and Eisenhower's chief of staff Bedell Smith are two examples that are profiled in this work. Zabecki and his collaborators examine the history, development, and role of the chief of staff primarily through profiles of the most important practitioners of the art. These books are published in cooperation with the Association of the United States Army.

Genres: History, Military History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2008

Reviews

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, the first of two volumes covering individual histories of important military Chiefs of Staff in the 19th and 20th centuries. The editor, famed military historian David Zabecki, brings together a number of writers to cover the histories of 14 famous military figures from the Napoleonic wars through to World War I. Those some of these characters were later famous as military commanders in their own right, the book’s histories concentrate on their time serving as a Chief of Staff of major military organizations. Short backgrounds provide insight into the individual’s credentials, while the conclusions give of the individual’s later fate and their contributions to military science. In between are detailed narratives of their decisions and actions as a Chief of Staff. The introduction by Zabecki is especially helpful, and worth reading alone. It gives a concise history of the position of Chief of Staff for the countries covered, along with comparisons of each country’s unique practices and an overall analysis of types of Staff work. I really came to appreciate the major difference between the structured Prussian/German model and the more nuanced version practiced by the British, French, and Americans. The book does a good job laying out the positives and negatives of both models. A great book for any military historian. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to better understand how a single “behind the scenes” individual can contribute to the success or failure of a military operation.