Command Missions A Personal Story Illustrated Edition

Includes 2 charts, 1 portrait and 30 maps. Few generals achieved the reputation won by General Lucien Truscott during his time in the American Army during World War Two; it was the opinion of the future President General Eisenhower that Truscott was second only to the legendary General Patton as a battlefield commander. Refusing all personal accolades in press releases, General Truscott, was as tough as they come, determined and cool under fire. His autobiography stands as one of the great books written by any officer who served the Allied cause during the Second World War. He led the 60th Infantry and 66th Armored Regiments during the invasion of French North Africa, his formations benefitted hugely from his tough training methods that saved lives under fire. His next command at the head of the 3rd Infantry Division would cement his reputation, forcing his troops over some of the harshest mountains in Europe in Sicily and routing pushing the Germans off the island. Truscott then led his men ashore the Italian mainland at Salerno and then again in the landings at Anzio... By 1944 the Allied command considered that Truscott was the foremost amphibious expert in the European theatre and gave him command of the vital landings in southern France; his inspiring leadership and determined forceful handling of his troops led to such success that the Germans were bundled back out the French province very rapidly opening the port of Marseilles to Allied supply ships. Truscott was renowned for his abilities as a general, a motivator of men and a shrewd commander who was determined to seize and keep hold of the initiative; all of these qualities were needed when he took over command of the Fifth Army in Italy in Dec. 1944. Pushing his troops forward expertly to force the German defenders out of their entrenched lines in the mountains in Northern Italy and would have continued their victorious drive into Germany but by this time Nazi Germany had surrendered.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Illustrated with 11 maps and 35 Illustrations From the plains of Europe to the jungles of the Pacific, the U.S. Army in World War II employed a variety of commando and guerrilla operations to harass the Axis armies, gather intelligence, and support the more conventional Allied military efforts. During the Allied invasion of northern France on D-day, elite American infantry scaled the sheer cliffs of the Normandy coast, while smaller combat teams and partisans struck deep behind German lines, attacking enemy troop concentrations and disrupting their communications. On the other side of the globe, U.S. soldiers led guerrillas against Japanese patrols in the jungles of the Philippines and pushed through uncharted paths in the rugged mountains of northern Burma to strike at the enemy rear. Special operations such as these provided some of the most stirring adventure stories of the war, with innumerable legends growing from the exploits of Darby’s and Rudder’s Rangers, Merrill’s Marauders, the Jedburghs, the guerrillas of the Philippines, and the Kachins of northern Burma. Despite the public and historical attention paid to the exploits of American special operations forces in World War II, their significance remains a matter of dispute. Both during and after the conflict, many officers argued that such endeavors contributed little in a war won primarily by conventional combat units. They perceived little, if any, place for such units in official Army doctrine. Yet others have contended that a broader, more intelligent use of special operations would have hastened the triumph of Allied arms during World War II. In their eyes, the experience gained by the U.S. Army in the field during the war was important and foreshadowed the shape of future military operations.

Command Missions is a fascinating account of Truscott's journey through the Second World War, in which he recounts his fellow soldiers' exploits, the co-operation and at times tense relationships between various Allied commanders, as well as intricate details of the battles that the American forces were engaged in.General Lucian King Truscott, Jr. (1895 - 1965) was a highly decorated senior United States Army officer, who saw distinguished active service during World War II. Between 1943-45, he successively commanded the 3rd Infantry Division, VI Corps, Fifteenth Army and Fifth Army. He was, along with Alexander Patch and James Van Fleet, among the few U.S. Army officers to command a division, a corps, and a field army on active service during the war.

Intrigued by hints of “the bigger man” behind the war personality of Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., the Curator of History of the West Point Museum and a former “Army wife” studied and compared innumerable legends and stories about him. The resulting profile is the unvarnished Patton, as the public saw him and as his friends and soldiers knew him. Based solidly on contemporary sources, many of them never before tapped by historians, Patton’s exploited in Mexico, in France in 1918, and during World War II, are strung together by kernels of truth often more startling than the fiction which has surrounded them. One of America’s most famous and controversial generals is depicted through his attitude toward his famous hand guns and uniforms, and the manner in which he reacted to war and to peace. Four pistols are featured in the book, because four pistols were featured in his ife. Sixteen pages of pertinent illustrations, many published for the first time…including the only known photograph of Patton carrying two pistols…accompany the documented narrative. The pistol expert will find detailed appendixes on General Patton’s favorite weapons and their accouterments. Patton and His Pistols is a book for everyone interested in Patton the leader and Patton the man.