Commanders

This study is an historical analysis of the background and demonstrated leadership attributes of 332 World War II German corps commanders on the Eastern, Italian, and Western Fronts. Overall characteristics are determined based on each officer’s experience and performance based on available historical records. These records focus on age, nobility, background, education, branch, previous command and staff positions, membership in the General Staff, demonstrated military achievement, promotion, and subsequent higher command. Among the many conclusions which could be drawn from this investigation are: most successful corps commanders possessed an excellent educational background, performed well in previous significant command and staff positions, and demonstrated the capability for independent action; and, political factors played a minor role in the selection of officers for corps command. The study concludes that the Eastern, Western, and Italian Fronts all had competent German corps commanders conducting operations; no Front had a preponderance of successful commander’s to the detriment of the other two.

In this culinary memoir, readers get a personal tour of the storied New Orleans restaurant with the woman who put it—and Creole cuisine—on the map. Meet Ella Brennan: mother, mentor, blunt-talking fireball, and matriarch of a New Orleans restaurant empire. Ella is famous for bringing national attention to Creole cuisine, and her unique vision is best summed up in her own words: "I don’t want a restaurant where a jazz band can’t come marching through." In this candid autobiography, Ella shares her life story from childhood in the Great Depression to opening acclaimed eateries. When the Brennans launched Commander’s Palace, it became the city’s most popular restaurant. Many of the city’s most famous chefs such as Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse, Troy McPhail, and many others, got their start there. Miss Ella of Commander’s Palace describes the drama, the disasters, and the abundance of love, sweat, and grit it takes to become the matriarch of New Orleans’ finest restaurant empire.