A Command Post At War

Discusses the first Army headquarters in the European theater, from its activation in October 1943 to V-E Day in May 1945. Shows the Army headquarters of World War 2 as a complicated organization with functions ranging from the immediate supervision of tactical operations to long-range operational planning and the sustained support of frontline units. CMH Pub 70-60.

A Command Post at War is a unique story about an American field army headquarters and its organization and role in World War II, a perspective that has received little attention by historians until now. David W. Hogan Jr. examines the First Army headquarters's response to the test of army-level command during the period from its activation in October 1943 to V-E Day in May 1945. Focusing on the operational level, the level between the grand strategy of nations and theaters and the tactical combat of corps and smaller units, Hogan analyzes the operations, intelligence, logistical, and administrative functions of the headquarters; the procedures evolved to carry out those functions; and the impact of the personalities and styles of the commander and staff chiefs on the organization. Hogan's volume shows the army headquarters of World War II as a complicated organization with functions ranging from immediate supervision of tactical operations to long-range operational planning and the sustained support of frontline units. It is a valuable case study for military professionals at all levels.

World War II remains the defining experience for the U.S. Army in the twentieth century. It has had a lasting impact on the nation and its place in the world and on the Army and the way it organizes and fights. Although historians have written numerous volumes concerning this global conflict, some gap in the literature remain. In particular, the subject of an American field army headquarters and its organization and role have attracted little attention. Studies on the personalities and styles of individual commanders exist, but the command posts themselves-the ways in they were structures and operated and the functions they performed-have not been much explored. With A Command Post at War: First Army Headquarters in Europe, 1943-1945, the Center of Military History attempts to redress this shortcoming. This study addresses the First Army headquarters in the European theater from its activation in October 1943 to V-E Day in May 1945. Under Generals Omar N. Bradley and Courtney H. Hodges, the First Army headquarters oversaw the American landings on D-Day, the breakout from the Normandy beachhead, the battle of H]rtgen Forest along the German frontier, the defense of the northern shoulder during the Battle of the Bulge, and the crossing of the Rhine River at Remagen prior to the final American drive into central Germany. In examining the First Army headquarters' role, this volume shows the army headquarters of World War II as a complicated organization with functions ranging from the immediate supervision of tactical operations to long-range operational planning and the sustained support of frontline units. The commander and staff faced the problem of coordination with Allied counterpartsas well as with headquarters and units from other services. Inadequate information and the limitations of technology added to their challenges. The human dimension was always important, and at times critical, in affecting the work of the headquarters under the stresses of a difficult campaign against an obstinate and resourceful foe. Although times have changed and the modern Army focuses more on regional conflicts and contingencies than on global warfare, we can still learn much from the experience of the First Army headquarters. The Gulf War reemphasized the role of an army headquarters in a theater of operations as a pertinent issue for today's military professional. By examining the experience of soldiers in past conflicts we gain the deeper perspectives and understandings necessary to meet the challenges facing the Army today and in the future. Washington, D.C.JOHN S. BROWN 21 June 2000Brigadier General, USA Chief of Military History

An account of the War Department's principal staff agency that describes the way the members of the Operations Division worked together, defined their responsibilities, and carried out their common aims.

This volume addresses the First Army HQ in the European theater from its activation in Oct. 1943 to V-E Day in May 1945. Under Gens. Omar Bradley and Courtney Hodges, the First Army HQ oversaw the American landings on D-Day, the breakout from the Normandy beachhead, the battle of the Hurtgen Forest along the German frontier, the defense of the northern shoulder during the Battle of the Bulge, and the crossing of the Rhine River at Remagen prior to the final American drive into central Germany. Shows the army HQ of WW2 as a complicated organization with functions ranging from the immediate supervision of tactical operations to long-range operational planning and the sustained support of frontline units. Full-color maps and illustrations.

This is the eighth of some hundred contemplated volumes covering the Army's part in World War II. This particular volume is written from the viewpoint of the Staff of the Army's high command. The Operations Division of the General Staff was the general headquarters within the General Staff with which General Marshall exercised his over-all Army command. Its history presents problems which are likely to arise in future wars. These problems may not all be solved by an Army staff in the future in view of current unification, but what they were and how they were solved is of interest not only to the soldier, but to the diplomat and statesman as well as others. Dr. Ray S. Cline was a Junior Fellow at Harvard and served in the Office of Strategic Services. In 1946 he was assigned to the Operations Division of the War Department General Staff to write its history. The result shows a great amount of effective research and understanding from within that Division. Its viewpoint is from within and emphasizes the action taken by the Division in carrying out the policies of the high command.