Believing that no generation of Americans has produced a finer array of combat commanders than that of WWII, thirty-year army veteran Cole C. Kingseed, examines combat leadership throughout the war at every level of command in the US Army. He argues that although Army chief of staff George C. Marshall’s organization and training policies were indispensable, the ultimate victory was the result of spirited leadership and the undaunted courage of those who served, from individual riflemen to the upper echelons of army command. Unlike conventional histories of the battles and campaigns, this book analysises leadership in combat over three continents and across two oceans. It looks at how soldiers react in war– how sergeants, lieutenants, captains, and generals direct soldiers in the most intense of all human dramas. The first part focuses on the generals and takes a thematic approach, examining such topics as restoring the fighting spirit and analysing the unique characteristics required to command special units in combat. The second part examines a special breed of junior leaders who fought the German and Japanese armies on the front lines and whose contributions merit attention. Like war correspondent Ernie Pyle, Kingseed includes both the big and the small to offer a balanced view of what makes a good combat leader. Cole C. Kingseed, Colonel, USA (Ret.), commanded at the platoon, company, and battalion level during his thirty years in the service and also served as chief of military history at the US Military Academy at West Point. Now a private leadership consultant, he is president of Brecourt Leadership Experience, Inc., in New Windsor, New York.