Team America Patton, MacArthur, Marshall, Eisenhower, and the world they forged

Military analyst O'Connell (Revolutionary: George Washington at War) delivers an entertaining group biography of "the greatest group of generals ever to serve together in the U.S. Army, maybe any army, any time": George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, George Marshall, and Dwight Eisenhower. Born within a decade of one another at the end of the 19th century, they became the chief architects of U.S. military strategy in the 20th century. Though Patton and MacArthur saw actual combat, all four possessed "an almost intuitive understanding of how armies in the millions actually functioned and fought." O'Connell delves into their childhoods, marriages, and early professional achievements, detailing, for example, how Patton designed a new sword for the U.S. calvary and how Eisenhower successfully battled a Spanish flu outbreak at Pennsylvania's Camp Colt during WWI. During WWII, they built alliances with Chiang Kai Shek and Mao Tzedong, invaded North Africa and Europe, recaptured the Philippines, and bombed Japan into submission. After the war, Marshall devised a plan to rebuild Europe, while MacArthur clashed with President Harry Truman over U.S. strategy in Korea. Though some readers may find O'Connell's frequent sports analogies forced, he incisively analyzes these commanders' strengths and weaknesses and their essential roles in transforming the U.S. Army. Military history buffs will be enthralled. (May)

The Second World War had its share of strong leaders, but this group biography by O'Connell (Revolutionary: George Washington at War) identifies four U.S. Army generals--Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, and MacArthur--as the stars who drove the Allies to victory. O'Connell discusses all four men in each chronological chapter, covering childhood, military training, early career postings, involvement in the First World War, the interwar period, the Second World War, and finally postwar years. He frequently references John Keegan's seminal military study The Mask of Command by analyzing each general's "mask," or the carefully constructed image he presented to the public. O'Connell argues that Marshall, Eisenhower, Patton, and MacArthur were remarkable leaders but does concede that they happened to serve in a technological era when deadlier armaments could compensate for the deficiencies of larger conscript armies. O'Connell's argument tends to dismiss other prominent U.S. Army generals like Arnold, Bradley, and Clark, and largely ignores key U.S. Navy officers Halsey, King, and Nimitz. VERDICT Ultimately a good biography and analysis of four important leaders; should be valuable for any readers interested in World War II history or leadership studies.--Matthew Wayman

A joint biography of the four American generals who took the lead in World War II. Military historian O'Connell follows his subjects from cradle to grave, with particular focus on their experiences in both world wars, and he describes each of them in terms of the "masks" they adopted to enhance their status as leaders: for Eisenhower, the famous grin; for MacArthur and Patton, their images as totally committed warriors; for Marshall, the persona of a Virginia gentleman. Patton and MacArthur were the only two who saw significant action in World War I, both winning decorations for bravery. Eisenhower never left the States, though he was instrumental in combating an outbreak of the 1918 flu in the camp at which he was based. Marshall, recognized early in his career as a master of logistics and organization, became a favorite of Gen. John Pershing, who saw him appointed to increasingly important staff positions. The author details their failings along with their successes, such as Patton's slapping wounded men in the hospital and MacArthur's failure to adapt to the clear warnings of Japanese designs on the Philippines. O'Connell also takes Patton and MacArthur to task for their oversized egos, criticisms that have been leveled by other historians, and he discusses Eisenhower's affair with an English aide. One of the author's central themes is the domination of 20th-century warfare by exceedingly dangerous, dehumanizing technology, including machine guns, tanks, aircraft, and, the ultimate killing machine, the nuclear bomb. O'Connell narrates with a lively style, with plenty of lighter moments balancing the rigors of the subjects' military careers. The sports metaphor referenced in the title sometimes gets self-consciously cute, but on the whole, the book is serious and worthy of the subjects. The author also includes a handful of helpful maps. A sweeping overview of four men whose careers largely defined the American experience in the 20th century. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.