In 1940, the year after the outbreak of World War II, Eisenhower returned from the Philippines to the United States after a four-year absence, and his joy was overflowing. This was not only because he had left MacArthur, who bore him, but also because he could get out of the tedious staff work and lead the troops at the grassroots level; but also because as a soldier, it was possible to participate in the war of his dreams.
As a 50-year-old lieutenant colonel, Eisenhower felt that it was difficult to have another chance to be promoted in the army, and he only hoped to lead the troops to fight before retiring. Although the United States was prepared for war and the troops were actively expanding, according to Eisenhower's rank, he had to serve as deputy commander of the 15th Infantry Regiment, which he gladly accepted, because he did not have to stay in the office.
It turned out that Marshall, then chief of staff of the Army, began to expand and train troops according to Roosevelt's strategic deployment. It is planned to expand the original number of troops from less than 200,000 to 5 million in three years. After a large number of recruits, training and management became the biggest problem because there were too few officers.
As the saying goes, "A thousand armies are easy to get, but one will be difficult to find." Eisenhower was recognized in the Army circles as a "good staff officer," and many unit chiefs wanted him to serve as their chief of staff. People like Patton and the Army Planning Office all sent him "invitations," but he was unmoved. He has his own ideas:
First of all, I have done more than 20 years of staff work, and I have done enough. The daily chores and piles of documents make people feel no sense of accomplishment. Although the staff work was familiar to Eisenhower, anything that was done for a long time would produce a "sense of boredom", and life should not be so monotonous and tasteless.
Second, I don't want to be manipulated anymore. As the saying goes, "a staff officer does not have a commander, and his farts do not sound", even if he is a chief of staff, he is at the mercy of the division commander and the military commander. Winning a battle is the credit of the superiors, and when the battle is lost, the staff officer complains. A man's ambitions tell him that he cannot be subject to people for the rest of his life unless he gives himself a higher position.
More importantly, because of his position as a staff officer, he had missed two opportunities to participate in the battle, one for mexico and the other for world war I. As a soldier, I have never been on the battlefield, which is simply a "great shame". So he refused the kindness of everyone, and he wanted to command his troops to the battlefield.
It was not until July 1941 that he was promoted to colonel and served as chief of staff of the 3rd Army, which he gladly accepted. It should be known that the army group has 240,000 people, and such a force has satisfied Eisenhower's "vanity". He did a very good job in training and organization, and was deeply appreciated by his superiors.
In September of the same year, he was promoted to brigadier general, which made Eisenhower sincerely happy, and he thought that he would end up being a colonel in his life. With the tension in Japan-US relations, he felt that war was coming, he devoted himself to training and practicing tactics, and he made all-round preparations for participating in the war.
On December 7, pearl harbor caused an uproar in the United States. Declaration of war, mobilization of troops, mobilization of war, etc., every American wants to go to the battlefield to compete with the Japanese, and the troops have entered a state of first-level combat readiness, and Eisenhower is also gearing up and preparing to lead the troops to expedition to Japan.
However, a paper transfer from the Army Staff completely made Eisenhower seven or eight. Because Marshall, who was then the chief of staff of the army, wanted to find him, he had a hunch that the situation was not good, and he was likely to do the staff work that he was unwilling to do. In his opinion, he had encountered two major wars in his life, but had never commanded a platoon, which was a disgrace to the soldiers.
He made up his mind to return to the grass-roots units to the battlefield. What reminded him was that Marshall did intend to make him deputy chief of the Operations Planning Division of the Army Staff, but what he did not expect was that no matter what excuses Eisenhower came up with, Marshall was unmoved. It seems that the higher the official rank, the greater the "twisting force".
Although Eisenhower had a hundred thousand unwilling and quarreled, "the soldier's duty to obey orders" had to be indignantly accepted. Speaking of why Marshall is so persistent, thanks to his assistant Mark. General Clarke, he said, "Recommend 10 candidates as you would, then their names are all Eisenhower." ”
His first task was to analyze the Japanese attack on the Philippines, how could the United States defend? Eisenhower's reply was, abandon. In his view, the Japanese army was fully prepared to attack the Philippines, and the strength of the garrison was too weak to be saved. Troops should be withdrawn to Australia to establish forward bases to facilitate a further war. Marshall agreed with his strategic analysis.
The situation, as Eisenhower analyzed, was the fall of the Philippines. The 76,000 U.S.-Philippine coalition laid down their arms, and MacArthur traveled alone to Australia as commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater. In order to contain the Japanese offensive, Eisenhower deployed all-out supplies and personnel, and after a winter, 240,000 troops were deployed in the Pacific.
In March 1942, Eisenhower, who was promoted to major general, in accordance with the "first Europe and then Asia" strategy established by the leaders of the United States and Britain, he formulated a strategic plan to attack Europe from the British as a base, and was ordered to consult with the British government.
But there was one man except, and that was Montgomery, who was no match for MacArthur's eyes, and he was beyond that. At the first meeting, Montgomery said: "When the British army was in the war, the United States was still living a primitive life naked", and Eisenhower directly replied: "We have put on clothes to help you."
During the trip to Britain, Eisenhower strongly advocated the establishment of a theater command in Britain, in charge of all the army, sea and air forces in the theater, and selected an excellent commander as the commander of the theater. Marshall and Roosevelt received the report at the same time, and unexpectedly, Roosevelt appointed Eisenhower as commander-in-chief of the European Theater.
First, Eisenhower had drafted a european battlefield manual after World War I under General Pershing, and spent 15 months in France for this purpose. Moreover, the solid staff level for many years can represent the image of the United States and the United States army in front of the British;
Second, the ability to communicate and communicate made his trip to Britain meet many British friends, and British generals, including Churchill, recognized Eisenhower as the "most suitable person". With him, the complex relationship between the british and American generals can be perfectly handled.
What is more appropriate is that such a "good errand" is naturally the goal that the generals flock to, and all factions and departments want to obtain this position that can achieve glory in the future. Eisenhower was sent, and although he surpassed 366 generals who were higher than him, no one disputed this because he did not belong to any faction.
In 1944, Eisenhower was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Europe, with the rank of Five-Star General. From the beginning of the outbreak of World War II, lieutenant colonel, he reached the peak of his military career in 5 years, which cannot help but be lamented.
Although some people have criticized this, solid military literacy, good military image, and friendly communication methods are important factors in his success. What do you think? Comments and discussions are welcome.
References: Eisenhower, The Complete History of World War II, World War II
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