Eisenhower at War 1943-1945

by David Eisenhower

Focuses on Eisenhower's conduct of the war and provides an extensively documented analysis of the political ramifications of the course of the war and Eisenhower's decisions

Genres: History, Biography, Military History, World War II, Presidents, Nonfiction, War

977 pages, Hardcover

First published August 12, 1986

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

In preparation for a planned trip to the Normandy beaches, I began reading this (between novels) about three weeks ago. It has convinced me that the amount of time spent on diplomatic negotiations between armies, between governments and between suppliers and the various militaries involved in the planning of Operation Overlord was so exhaustive and so complex that it is something of a miracle that the invasion was ever launched. The technical difficulties of amassing the right number of infantry troops, of ships, of ordinance, medical supplies, food and shelter, were daunting. Each of the Allies had an agenda at variance with the others. I'm fairly convinced that of the available qualified generals, only Eisenhower had the temperament to weed his way through all the complexities. Wow.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is one of my geeking-out prizes, since it's a signed copy from the presidential library, and I read it basically to say that i did, but my God, it went on FOREVER. It went into such excruciating detail that even for someone who studies WWII, I wanted to throw it out a window. Only the fact that I always finish a book once I've started it kept me going. I'm keeping basically only for the geek value it adds to my collection, and in case I ever need it for research, but I don't expected to actually read it straight through again.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I may have been a bit harsh with a three star rating, this account of the great man's wartime career and his dealings with difficult personalities such as Montgomery and Patton are illuminating. It just seems to be missing something. Definitely worth reading in conjunction with Crusade in Europe, Dwight D Eisenhower's own account of the war in Europe.

[Julio The Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, I know. Everybody loves to deride David Eisenhower, for whom his grandfather, Dwight Eisenhower, re-named Camp David, as "The Howdy-Doody" of the Nixon administration. Grandson of one President, son of an eminent General and author, John Eisenhower, who wrote the definitive account of the Battle of the Bulge, in which he took part, and son-in-law of the most infamous President in U.S. history, save one. What a legacy to live up to and make a mark on history yourself. Yet, amazingly, David pulled off just that neat trick back in 1987 with this exhaustive account of his grandfather and the European war. The political background to Ike's monumental decisions is what interested David: "During the unhappy time of Watergate I decided to take the pressure off by writing a history of my grandfather's second term, which focused almost exclusively on foreign affairs. But my research at the National Archives led me to believe Dwight Eisenhower's views on waging war and keeping the peace had been forged in the war years, and that had to be the subject of this book". David presents a bold thesis that does much to explain Ike's comportment as Supreme Commander from 1943-1945: "Eisenhower's decisions on how to wage the war orbited on his view of how the post-war world, and more specifically on relations with the Russians, would unfold. The campaign in North Africa, "Operation Torch", was meant to tie down as many German troops as possible to relieve the Russians' pressure on the Eastern Front, and also signal to Stalin that Britain and the U.S. would not cut a separate deal with Hitler. Out of victory in North Africa came Roosevelt and Churchill's "Unconditional surrender" demand against Germany, Italy, and Japan. But, the Anglo-American alliance had to be shored up first, and here David finds his grandfather making two huge, although not fatal, mistakes. The campaign to take Sicily, "Operation Husky", gave too many men, ammo, and operating space to Montgomery (the hatred between these two men was mutual) and Ike compounded this error by picking a weak General, Mark Cark, to head the campaign on the Italian mainland. This made Stalin think the Americans were not serious about fighting in the West. When it came to the Normandy landings, however, Eisenhower agreed with Churchill and against both Roosevelt and General Marshall that they be postponed until 1944, not 1943 as Stalin demanded. Better a successful delayed invasion than a fiasco on the beaches that would harm the Russians too. Finally, Ike himself took the decision not to seize Berlin or Prague in 1945, lest Stalin believe German mastery of Europe had been replaced by American hegemony. One grace note: Stalin invited Ike to Moscow in 1945 to review Soviet troops engaged in drills and physical exercises from the Kremlin reviewing stand. He turned to Eisenhower and said, "Your nation should do more of this. It builds up the martial spirit" Pause. "But not the Germans!" EISENHOWER AT WAR is a tad overlong and exhausting at times, but the boy-wonder of the Eisenhower family has contributed something original and controversial to our view of how and why World War II was fought in Europe once his grandfather assumed command.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long, detailed account of Eisenhower's command during WWII. I was impressed with the research that David Eisenhower did for this book. I don't think much could have been left out. I was particularly impressed with David Eisenhower's willingness to talk about all of the issues that his grandfather had to deal with-some good, some bad. I'm sure it wasn't easy to discuss the aspects of Eisenhower's command that didn't go well.

I have read quite a bit about WWII yet a lot of this book was new information for me. I didn't realize that so much of Eisenhower's command was focused on compromise and making sure that the other Allies (British, Russian and later French) were happy so that the coalition wouldn't fall apart.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in WWII history or those who like biographies.

[Thomas Keely]

I am upgrading my library to include bios of all the presidents who served during my life. –Thom Keely (1938- ). I intend to skip the 45th, pretending that the years 2017-2021 didn’t happen to a sane country. However, I do have Fear and Rage by Bob Woodward, and then, of course, I was unable to resist A Very Stable Genius by Philip Rucker. K just reminded me of Disloyal by Michael Cohen. Sigh.

[Jeremy Perron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book about Dwight D. Eisenhower's command over the Allied European Forces in World War II is unique to all others on the same topic. For the author is the grandson and namesake of that very commander*. David Eisenhower began working on his book during the Watergate controversy that brought down the presidency of his father-in-law, President Richard M. Nixon. To the younger Eisenhower, the work was a form of escapism from the problems of their facing. However, originally his book was going to be about the second term of grandfather's presidency because those both were happier memories and a fascinating time in the nation's history. As he begun to work however, he found himself in the position of an old historian's cliché. That is `never ask a historian for a little bit of background,' because more often than not you end up with a larger story than you had originally asked for. Every time David Eisenhower went to describe an event in the second term, he found himself having to go back and explain the events the first. Moreover, as explained the events of the first, he found himself going back all the way to the war to provide the details that he wanted. So as a result, instead of writing a book about the second term he decided to write one about the war.

The book focuses on the planning and execution of `Operation: Overlord.' Overlord was the plan of invasion of Normandy and the crusade in Europe. The book, in the first three chapters, deals with the planning, events, and atmosphere leading up to D-Day. The rest of the book deals with the war until V-E day. The book contains descriptions of battles, charts, and photographs form the events. However, that is not what I personally found to be the most fascinating part of the book. To me, what make this book a good read was where the grandson could tell stories of events only a few people would have been privy to.

"In the next several days the Eisenhowers spent the late afternoon and evening with guests at Telegraph Cottage. There were reunions with `Uncle Everett' Hughes and Patton over dinners that John's father cooked in a tall chef's hat on the new patio behind the glassed-in porch, followed be serious after-dinner bridge games attended by hosts of orderlies. John had noted that a slight `military barrier' had grown up between father and son. During a twilight stroll through the woods behind the five-acre Telegraph Cottage compound, John, walking to his father's left, posed a question. `If we should meet an officer who ranks above me and below you, how do we handle this? Do I salute first, and when he returns my salute, do you return his?' John knew he raised an unresolved point of Army protocol which his father sidestepped with a smile. `John, there isn't an officer in this theater who doesn't rank above you and below me.'" p.299

Those kinds of personnel touches between a father and son that could only be retold by a family member are some of the best parts of this work. My all-time favorite happens to involve the pervious King of England.

"The King, afflicted by ill health since youth, was notoriously quiet and shy was hampered by a speech impediment. According to a story told by staff members, the King and Eisenhower in Tunisia had once ridden together in a jeep for several hours in complete silence. On the twenty-sixth, however, King George was gregarious. Over lunch, served buffet style in an upstairs apartment, the three reminisced. The Queen told Eisenhower for the first time about something that had happened on his tour of Windsor Castle two years before. As it turned out, the guide, Colonel Sterling, had forgotten to that the King and Queen were on the grounds. The couple were sipping tea in the garden when they suddenly heard Sterling, Eisenhower, and Clark approaching. The royal couple had not wanted to intrude, so they knelt on their hands and knees behind the hedge until the Americans had walked by. Now the three shared a laugh." p.237

The very idea of the King and Queen hiding behind a bush is very amusing. It is personnel information like that, which makes this book very enjoyable. I am sure that anyone who gives this book his or her time will enjoy it as well.

*Dwight D. Eisenhower was born `David Dwight' but his mother reversed first and middle names. Later his grandson was named Dwight David Eisenhower II, but answers to David. Camp David is named after the author.

[JerryDeanHalleck · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a history nerd, I loved this day-by-day account of Eisenhower during the last 2 years of WW II. David Eisenhower also goes into the pros and cons of many of Ike's most important decisions. Of course, being his Grandson, he always ends up deciding Ike did the right thing. But he tries to be fair to those, like me, who have a differing view.

This is a somewhat dry, serious, detailed history. If you want to read about Ike and Kay, or Ike pounding the table and telling Monty to do it his way, you should avoid this book.

[Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. It covers a short span of the life of DDE, but probably the most significant span of his life as related to world history. From the planning of Operation Overlord to the actual landing to battles to breakout of Normandy to the march to Germany, the Battle of the Bulge, to VE day. This book had it all.
What I enjoyed most was the detail that the author used in this story. There were many moments that only someone close to DDE could reveal. DDE had to put up with a lot of grief from a lot of parties...no wonder he smoked so much. It was a long read and I learned a lot more about the supporting cast. And their role in WWII. Long read, good book, I would recommend to anyone that wants to learn of a major WWII figure.

[Lars Toomre]

This book was written by David Eisenhower, the grandson of the former President and attempts to explain some of the decisions that the five star general made in the execution of the European campaign during World War II. It contains considerable information, but is rather dull in its recitation of this and that, such as who visited where on what dates. Overall, I would give this a 7 on a scale of one to ten (high).

[Thomas Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eisenhower at War 1943-1945 by David Eisenhower. History, Political Science.

I finally finished reading this book! It is a long, detailed and thorough study of Dwight Eisenhower's career in the Mediterranean and Europe during World War II. A ponderous read: the detail of the command decisions of the Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Forces World War II are ENDLESS (and seemingly repetitive.) There is no attempt to gloss it up or make it dance for the reader. It is a CHRONICLE.

[Don Stanton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for WWI and WWII History lovers. Although written by his son,David, it gives the sense of balance to the complexities of one of histories most famous men.
Again, well worth your time if this is a time period of interest.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book. Quite quite long. I like how Ike's grandson went into private details and also the battle plans were very detailed. A must read for a WWII buff.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this immediately after reading the memoirs by Gen. Eisenhower, his naval aide Harry Butcher, and Viscount Montgomery. This was a good follow-up on the period. This books focus was on the politics that seemed to be Dwight Eisenhower's biggest hurdle. Big book -- 900+ pages with notes. Said to be the first volume of three. Wouldn't bet the other two ever are published.