This study picks up where D-Day leaves off. From Normandy through the "breakout" in France to the German Army's last gasp in the Battle of the Bulge, Michael Doubler deals with the deadly business of war - closing with the enemy, fighting and winning battles, taking and holding territory. His study provides a reassessment of how American GIs accomplished these dangerous and costly tasks. The book portrays a far more capable and successful American fighting force than previous historians - notably Russell Weigley, Martin Van ...
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This study picks up where D-Day leaves off. From Normandy through the "breakout" in France to the German Army's last gasp in the Battle of the Bulge, Michael Doubler deals with the deadly business of war - closing with the enemy, fighting and winning battles, taking and holding territory. His study provides a reassessment of how American GIs accomplished these dangerous and costly tasks. The book portrays a far more capable and successful American fighting force than previous historians - notably Russell Weigley, Martin Van Creveld and S.L.A. Marshall - have depicted. True, the GIs weren't fully prepared or organised for a war in Europe, and have often been viewed as inferior to their German opponent. But, Doubler argues, they more than compensated for this by their ability to learn quickly from mistakes, to adapt in the face of unforseen obstacles and to innovate new tactics on the battlefield. This adaptability, he contends, was far more crucial to the American effort than we've been led to believe. Fueled by a fiercely democratic ad entrepreneurial spirit, GI innovations emerged from every level within the ranks - from the novel employment of conventional weapons and small units to the rapid retraining of troops on the battlefield. Their most dramatic success, however, was with combined arms warfare - the co-ordinated use of infantry, tanks, artillery, air power and engineers - in which they perfected the use of air support for ground operations and tank-infantry teams for breaking through enemy strongholds. Doubler argues that, without such ingenuity and imaginative leadership, it would have been impossible to defeat an enemy as well-trained and heavily fortified as the German Army the GIs confronted in the tortuous hedgerow country of Northern France, the narrow cobblestone streets of Aachen and Brest, the dark recesses of the Huertgen Forest and the frigid snow-covered hills of the Ardennes. Marking the 50th anniversary of the American victory in the Battle of the Bulge, this book offers a timely reminder that "the tremendous effects of firepower and technology will still not relieve ground troops of the burden of closing with the enemy." As even Desert Storm suggests, that will likely prove true for future high-tech battlefields, where an army's adaptability will continue to be prized.
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Seller's Description:
Good in edgecreased d/w. World War II-Western Europe A study on the American soldier in the North West Europe in WWII-how they closed with the enemy to fight and defeat them on the battlefield and the taking and holding of territory. A reassessment on how they went about this and their effectiveness and efficiency from Normandy to the Ardennes. UL-XXXXXX. 354pp, Photographs, 10 maps, 8 figs.
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May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
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Former library book with the usual stamps, stickers and labels. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
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Very good in very good dust jacket. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 354 p. Contains: Illustrations. Modern War Studies (Hardcover). Audience: General/trade.
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Fine in Fine dust jacket. Presentation copy: "To my dear brother...., It is a great joy and a blessing to have a brother like you. I took this stone wall and lived to tell about it. Now let's both press forward together toward the next one! Your brother, Mich." (Signed and dated "December 25, 1994" on the title page. Promotional page and a newspaper clipping concerning the book are also laid in. Illustrated with black-and-white photographs and maps. The dust jacket is protected by a Brodart mylar cover and is not clipped. Not an ex-library copy. No remainder marks. Most books shipped within 24 hours. All books mailed with Delivery Confirmation. Fine condition in fine dust jacket. A volume in the Modern War Studies series. Selling Used and Rare books on line since April 1998 and from our bookstore in the heart of the Bluegrass since 1984. Stephen Ambrose wrote: "The best single book I have ever read on the GI and his officers. Destined to become a military classic."; Modern War Studies; Black-and-white illustrations; 8vo.; xiv, 354 pages; Signed by Author.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
