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Now in paperback, from national bestselling author and acclaimed military historian Robert L. O'Connell, a dynamic history of four military leaders whose extraordinary leadership and strategy led the United States to success during World War I and beyond.
By the first half of the twentieth century, technology had transformed warfare into a series of intense bloodbaths in which the line between soldiers and civilians was obliterated, resulting in the deaths of one hundred million people. During this period, four men exhibited unparalleled military leadership that led the United States victoriously through two World Wars: Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, George Marshall, and Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower; or, as bestselling author Robert O'Connell calls them, Team America.
O'Connell captures these men's unique charisma as he chronicles the path each forged-from their upbringings to their educational experiences to their storied military careers-experiences that shaped them into majestic leaders who would play major roles in saving the free world and preserving the security of the United States in times of unparalleled danger. O'Connell shows how the lives of these men-all born within the span of a decade-twisted around each other like a giant braid in time. Throughout their careers, they would use each other brilliantly in a series of symbiotic relationships that would hold increasingly greater consequences.
At the end of their star-studded careers (twenty-four out of a possible twenty-five), O'Connell concludes that what set Team America apart was not their ability to wield the proverbial sword, but rather their ability to plot strategy, give orders, and inspire others. The key ingredients to their success was mental agility, a gravitas that masked their intensity, and an almost intuitive understanding of how armies in the millions actually functioned and fought. Without the leadership of these men, O'Connell makes clear, the world we know would be vastly different.
This landmark work of American military history explores the four complex men who defined an era:
- World War II Leadership: An incisive look at how MacArthur, Patton, Marshall, and Eisenhower led the United States to victory, from the chaos of World War I to the global stage of WWII.
- The Mask of Command: A fascinating psychological portrait of four gigantic personalities, revealing how each man crafted the larger-than-life persona necessary to lead millions into battle.
- A Band of Rivals: The story of how these four ambitious generals—often holding a genial contempt for one another—formed symbiotic relationships that twisted their careers together and changed the course of history.
- From Total War to the Cold War: O’Connell’s expert analysis of 20th-century warfare, showing how these leaders navigated an era of unprecedented destruction and laid the groundwork for the atomic age.
About the author
Robert L. O'Connell received a PhD in history at the University of Virginia and spent three decades as a senior analyst at the National Ground Intelligence Center, followed by fourteen years as a visiting professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is the author of numerous books, two of which, The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic and Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman, were national bestsellers, the latter winning the 2015 William H. Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography. He lives with his wife, Benjie, in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Summary
Now in paperback, from national bestselling author and acclaimed military historian Robert L. O’Connell, a dynamic history of four military leaders whose extraordinary leadership and strategy led the United States to success during World War I and beyond.
By the first half of the twentieth century, technology had transformed warfare into a series of intense bloodbaths in which the line between soldiers and civilians was obliterated, resulting in the deaths of one hundred million people. During this period, four men exhibited unparalleled military leadership that led the United States victoriously through two World Wars: Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, George Marshall, and Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower; or, as bestselling author Robert O’Connell calls them, Team America.
O’Connell captures these men’s unique charisma as he chronicles the path each forged—from their upbringings to their educational experiences to their storied military careers—experiences that shaped them into majestic leaders who would play major roles in saving the free world and preserving the security of the United States in times of unparalleled danger. O’Connell shows how the lives of these men—all born within the span of a decade—twisted around each other like a giant braid in time. Throughout their careers, they would use each other brilliantly in a series of symbiotic relationships that would hold increasingly greater consequences.
At the end of their star-studded careers (twenty-four out of a possible twenty-five), O’Connell concludes that what set Team America apart was not their ability to wield the proverbial sword, but rather their ability to plot strategy, give orders, and inspire others. The key ingredients to their success was mental agility, a gravitas that masked their intensity, and an almost intuitive understanding of how armies in the millions actually functioned and fought. Without the leadership of these men, O’Connell makes clear, the world we know would be vastly different.
This landmark work of American military history explores the four complex men who defined an era:
- World War II Leadership: An incisive look at how MacArthur, Patton, Marshall, and Eisenhower led the United States to victory, from the chaos of World War I to the global stage of WWII.
- The Mask of Command: A fascinating psychological portrait of four gigantic personalities, revealing how each man crafted the larger-than-life persona necessary to lead millions into battle.
- A Band of Rivals: The story of how these four ambitious generals—often holding a genial contempt for one another—formed symbiotic relationships that twisted their careers together and changed the course of history.
- From Total War to the Cold War: O’Connell’s expert analysis of 20th-century warfare, showing how these leaders navigated an era of unprecedented destruction and laid the groundwork for the atomic age.
