General William E. DePuy: Preparing the Army for Modern War

American Warriors

by Henry G. Gole, William A. Stofft (Foreword)

This “excellent biography” of one of the US Army’s unsung heroes “provides a much-needed re-examination of the early post-Vietnam Army" (Bowling Green Daily News).   By the 1970s, the United States Army was demoralized by the outcome of the Vietnam War and shifting attitudes at home. The institution as a whole needed to be reorganized and reinvigorated—and General William E. DePuy was the man for the job. In 1973, DePuy was appointed commander of the newly established Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). By integrating training, doctrine, combat developments, and management in the US Army, he cultivated a military force prepared to fight and win in modern war.  General William E. DuPuy is the first full-length biography of this key figure in American military history. With extensive interviews with those who knew DePuy, as well as access to his personal papers, Henry G. Gole chronicles and analyzes his unique contributions to the Army and nation. Gole guides the reader from DePuy's boyhood and college days in South Dakota through the major events and achievements of his life.   During World War II, DePuy served in the 357th Infantry Regiment in Europe from the Normandy invasion until 1945, when he was stationed in Czechoslovakia. DePuy was asked by George Patton to serve as his aide; he supervised clandestine operations in China; he was instrumental in establishing Special Forces in Vietnam; and he briefed President Lyndon B. Johnson in the White House. But his finest contribution was fixing a broken Army.

Genres: Military History

366 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific book that outlines the career of General William E. DePuy, the first TRADOC commander and primary author of the Active Defense doctrine coming out of the Vietnam War.
The book follows DePuy's career from his time in the 90th Division in WWII, and fighting the battle of the Bulge through his culmination as a 4-Star General commanding TRADOC.
What is clear is that DePuy was captured by his experience in WWII, and looked to apply what he learned as a battalion commander over the course of his career. The main take away was use of overwhelming fires. Unfortunately, this idea did not bode so well in Vietnam. DePuy was one of Westmoreland's "boys" which carried him through his time as a division commander (1ID), even though he had severe friction with his Corps commander.
One of DePuy's positive traits was his ability to identify talent. He sought out the best officers to work for him, and cultivated multiple future 4-Star Generals (e.g. Donn Starry).
The ending to the book was a surprise and a shocker if you are unfamiliar with how his life came to an end.

[B A · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books covering the evolution of the American military officer corps from WW2 to 1980. It could perhaps benefit a bit more from DePuy's thought process on Active Defense and his post retirement years. But the book was brilliant enough alone.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched and thorough accounting of perhaps the most important general officer in the last 50 years. The writing is inelegant at times, but the interviews are what make this book special; several of the subjects will be gone before another historian can hope to match Gole's effort.