Stephen E. Ambrose - The Supreme Commander

Stephen E. Ambrose
THE SUPREME COMMANDER

FIRST ANCHOR BOOKS EDITION, JANUARY 2012

Copyright 1969, 1970 by Stephen E. Ambrose

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Anchor Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Doubleday, Inc., New York, in 1970.

Anchor Books and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Portions of this work were first published in the following periodicals: American History Illustrated , The Big Appointment and Eisenhowers Greatest Decision, copyright 1968, 1969 by Historical Times, Inc., respectively; The National Observer , Nailing Down D-Day Details; American Heritage , A Fateful Friendship, copyright 1969 by American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc.

The maps in this volume appeared in Crusade in Europe by
Dwight D. Eisenhower, copyright 1948 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.

The Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress.

eISBN: 978-0-307-94663-8

www.anchorbooks.com

Cover photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Redux.
Cover design by Base Art Co.

v3.1

Preface

This is the story of a soldier. It is told in his terms. I have attempted to describe General Eisenhowers wartime service, his major decisions and activities, and the results from within his frame of reference. For the most part, I examine the alternatives as he saw them, seldom trying to suggest how things might have been done differently or what other approaches to problems were possible. What I have tried to do is to pull together the many facets of his service and to give some sense of the scope of his responsibilities.

This work does not attempt to analyze some basic questions. I do not pretend to deal with the political or moral aspects of the war; with few exceptions, Eisenhower did not try to set policy. He believed that his function was to carry out the policies created by his superiors. Even had Eisenhower not seen himself as an agent and tried to be more active in the formation of policy, it is unlikely that he would have changed much in the basic approach taken by the British and American governments in fighting the war, for he acceptedindeed, heartily endorsedthe mostly unquestioned assumptions held by the governments. As he saw it, he was given a job to do and he did it. How he did it is the subject of this work.

My hope is that it conveys some sense of the magnitude of the task Eisenhower undertook and met, a feeling for the extraordinary charm and deep integrity of the man, a conception of the way in which he operated, a recognition of the manner in which he weighed alternatives, made decisions, and saw to the enforcement of his orders, and some understanding as to the way his decisions affected the outcome of the war.

My debts are deep. Dr. Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., editor of the Eisenhower Papers, was a constant source of encouragement. Dr. Forrest Pogue read the entire manuscript, patiently helped me to avoid pitfalls, and generously gave of his great knowledge of the American high command in World War II. Dr. Robert A. Divine read the chapters dealing with Eisenhowers role in Franco-American relations and provided many useful suggestions. Sir Ian Jacob went through all the chapters, a laborious task in itself, and added to his labors by giving me not only general criticism but also comments drawn from his personal experience, which were always illuminating. In addition, he was kind enough to lend me his personal diary, on which I drew heavily.

The staff of the Eisenhower Project at the Johns Hopkins University, especially Miss Joyce Daidakis and Miss Nellie Wahbe, kept me at the typewriter when I wanted to go duck hunting. Mr. Edwin Alan Thompson, the chief researcher for the Project, provided me with information and documents from sources known only to him. Mrs. Elizabeth Smith was more than an outstanding typist; she was a stern critic and is a good friend. Mrs. Lois Sacks and Mrs. Jean Sample assisted by, among other things, making the work seem worth the effort. I only wish I could properly express my thanks to each member of the staff.

I doubt very much that I could have completed this work without the aid of the staff of the Eisenhower Project; I know that I would not have finished without the support of Joseph P. Hobbs, the assistant editor of the Eisenhower Papers. He read and minutely criticized the first draft of each chapter, which more often than not led to a complete reorganization and revision of the chapter. His great knowledge of General Walter Bedell Smith, whose biography he is writing, and of the events and issues of World War II, was absolutely indispensable to me. Through hundreds of lunch hours and thousands of coffee breaks, he has given me the benefit of his insights and discoveries. I hope that someday I can find a way to repay him.

The dedication is to the one who makes it possible for me to undertake and complete a task. More important, she makes it all worthwhile.

Stephen E. Ambrose

Naval War College

Newport, Rhode Island

December 1969

Contents

Part I

WASHINGTON TO LONDON

[ December 1941June 1942 ]

O N December 12, 1941, five days after Pearl Harbor, newly promoted Brigadier General Dwight Eisenhower, chief of staff of the U. S. Third Army in San Antonio, Texas, received a telephone call from the War Department in Washington. Colonel Walter Bedell Smith, Secretary of the General Staff, asked, Is that you, Ike? Yes, Eisenhower replied. The Chief says for you to hop a plane and get up here right away, Smith ordered. Tell your boss that formal orders will come through later.