What Are Generals Made Of

Drawing on his own experiences of a lifetime in the Army, the author provides insight into military life at its most important levels, discussing the challenge of leadership and outlining a pattern for a successful commander to follow

Charles Yale Harrison draws on his own experiences in the First World War to tell the story of a young man sent to fight on the Western Front.

The title of the book says it all. The Be-Know-Do of Generalship. Generalship is possibly one of the most difficult words to define. It is leadership with a difference that demands varied skills from the very basic to the most sophisticated. It is a position of responsibility like none other. It demands making decisions in the most complex environment pregnant with VUCA character. It carries with its position the heavy weight of values and expectations that have come to characterise military leadership since millennium. A General is the face of the system, is always naked and always under scrutiny by soldiers who expect him to be God like. The book is laid out in two parts. Part I, comprising six chapters covers every aspect of Generalship in a ‘self-help’ easy to assimilate style to develop oneself to be an inspiring General relevant for the future. Part II, comprising Chapter VII is an honest and a dispassionate appraisal of the Indian military leadership since independence. It makes a convincing case to address the existing institutional shortcomings with respect to Generalship and their selection in the Indian Army with de-novo recommendations not heard before. This book is a product of the author’s four decades of passion and dedication to the profession of soldiery and the art of military leadership. It is an excellent tutor to BE the General you should be, to KNOW what you should know and to DO what you should do to be future ready and leave a legacy worth remembering. A unique book on the subject, it is a must read for officers of all service groups in any vocation, not only the uniformed services. This book is a ready recipe for those who aspire to lead with a difference.

This work stresses the importance of the human element in military leadership.

A beautifully illustrated and poignant graphic memoir that tells the story of World War II from an Everyman's perspective. In March of 1943, Scott Chantler's grandfather, Law Chantler, shipped out across the Atlantic for active service with the Highland Light Infantry of Canada, along with his best friend, Jack, a fellow officer. Not long afterward, they would find themselves making a rocky crossing of the English Channel, about to take part in one of the most pivotal and treacherous military operations of World War II: the Allied invasion of Normandy. Two Generals tells the story of what happened there through the eyes of these two young men -- not the celebrated military commanders or politicians we often hear about, but everyday heroes who risked their lives for the Allied cause. Meticulously researched and gorgeously illustrated, Two Generals is a harrowing story of battle and a touching story of friendship -- and a vital and vibrant record of unsung heroism.

In this book, David Work examines Lincoln's policy of appointing political generals to build a national coalition to fight and win the Civil War. Work follows the careers of sixteen generals through the war to assess their contributions and to ascertain how Lincoln assessed them as commander-in-chief. Eight of the generals began the war as Republicans and eight as Democrats. Some commanded armies, some regiments. Among them were some of the most famous generals of the Union--such as Francis P. Blair Jr., John A. Dix, John A. Logan, James S. Wadsworth--and others whose importance has been obscured by more dramatic personalities. As the war proceeded, the value of the political generals became a matter of serious dispute. Could politicians make the shift from a political campaign to a military one? Could they be trusted to fight? Could they avoid destructive jealousies and the temptations of corruption? And with several of the generals being Irish or German immigrants, what effect would ethnic prejudices have on their success or failure? Work finds that Lincoln's policy was ultimately successful, as these generals provided effective political support and made important contributions in military administration and on the battlefield. Although several of them proved to be poor commanders, others were effective in exercising influence on military administration and recruitment, slavery policy, and national politics.