There's a War to Be Won: The United States Army in World War II

by Geoffrey Perret

THERE'S A WAR TO BE WON is the landmark story of one of the greatest armies in history, a conscript force of amateur soldiers who had an unparalleled record of combat success. Here -- for the first time in one volume -- is the chronicle of the United States Army's dramatic mobilization and stunning march to victory in World War II.
In a lively and engrossing narrative that spans theaters of operations around the world, Geoffrey Perret tells how the Army was drafted, trained, organized, armed, and led at every stage of the war. Beginning with the prescient military planners of the 1930s, he offers vivid warts-and-all profiles of the farsighted commanders who would lead the way, men like Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, Ridgway, Bradley, and Patton.
Drawing heavily on important new source material in major archives throughout the United States, THERE'S A WAR TO BE WON offers new insights into the wartime Army, its commanders, and its battles. A major work of American military history.
"An immensely readable, well-researched history . . . Dramatic." -- Chicago Tribune

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Military History, American History, Military Fiction, War

661 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 1991

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perret offers a first-rate history of what went into the shaping of the U.S. Army in the Second World War. What was fascinating to learn was that, as late as 1940, the U.S. Army was ranked below that of Portugal. Through reading this book, the reader sees how it was through the foresight of people like George C. Marshall and other fine soldiers such as Matthew Ridgway, Maxwell Taylor, Bradley, Eisenhower, and Patton, that the U.S. was able to develop, by 1944 and 1945, one of the finest armies in the history of the world.

What is also really good about this book is the insight Perret provides about the ordinary GI and the distinguished service provided by African-American combat units, such as the 969th Field Artillery Battalion, the 761st Tank Battalion (which served continuously in combat longer than any other U.S. tank battalion in Europe), the 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion, and the 92nd Infantry Division.

I highly recommend this book. It offers an excellent introduction to anyone who wants to know more about the U.S. Army and its role in the Second World War.

[Eric Byrd · Rating 3 out of 5]

On top of his superhuman logistic, military-industrial management skills, George Marshall also gets a thumbs up for sucessfully dealing with Montgomery and the wounded pride of the British. That wounded pride came with quite a bit of nastiness, at times devious, at others hilariously balls-out (like the time, just after the German surrender, when the British realized they couldn't feed their agreed-on 50% of POWs; they had also agreed to transfer to the Americans thousands of Austrian horses, which they duly sent along accompanied by 80,000 POWs, "caretakers" for the horses). Perret makes the case that Monty was a superb corps-level commander promoted to army command and belaureled above his ability by the British need for a ground forces hero. He'd beaten Rommel, after all. He could also be an absurd drama queen--there is something so Monty Python-ish about a carefully dignified Field Marshall suddenly tantruming like a crazed child--and a pain in the ass to rival MacArthur. Those two guys make Patton look humble and cooperative. US-British friction stood out for me, but this book really has everything. A good operational overview, plus a ton of info on logistics, shipping, military pedagogy, industrial output--stuff I really geek out for.

[Cole Lancaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars for the effort that went into this book, so much data and so many facts. Three stars for the prose, so much data and so many facts! Lastly, and I just wrote about this in my Assyria review, the guy writes like an academic. At one point I took a guess, flipped to the back panel, and sure enough the guy went to Harvard.

Here's an example, the dude hates Patton. There were many references to Patton being lucky, unskilled, or generally being a piece of trash; it came off as sour grapes. It's ok to be a polemic, but don't pretend to be different. To the author's credit he did begrudgingly make some positive comments toward the end.

I happen to like Patton - Patton said tanks were the way of the future. The British and US armies stuck with horses. Then the British were destroyed by German tanks. This book really spelled out the incompetence of the British Army. At the end of the war, FDR sided heavily with Stalin and basically kicked Churchill to the curb. It makes more sense after reading There's a War to be Won. Several times Eisenhower deferred to the British and the British plan turned into a disaster - think Operation Market Garden.

There was also an interesting story about a General who was put in charge of supply, but he really sucked. In the manner of most people who suck, he was also uncivil and demanding. It started off he demanded his own personal train in England, even when no one else had one. He demanded to move his headquarters to a Parisian hotel very quickly and at great cost, only to fail to supply the troops with ammunition. The general was untouchable because of his close relationship with Marshall's second in command (I'm bad with names and don't want to look it up right now). Typical political BS.

I also didn't realize that MacArthur really wasn't that great of a general either. I mean, I did read how bad of a job he did at the Chosen Reservoir. He was unprepared, didn't listen to suggestions, and finally was more worried about his vanity and recovering what he lost than winning a war. The more I read about MacArthur, it is hard to understand why people thought he was good.

I read this book at night before bed, and it was perfect for that.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book for years, I finally dusted it off and cracked it open. I was ready to put it down with the first King Kong chest pounding about the military but was surprised how it was informative it was about logistics and backstory information. I always liked to see the process and not just the icing on the cake. I'm not sure the last time I read a book about WW2, or any war for that matter. There was even a chapter what the process is when a person is killed. That should be a Must Read for anyone who see endless commercials to join the military with a deep voice person with verbal pom-pom being sent your way. If anyone believes the "hero" status of many are spoken about READ about them, you will often find they are a windbag without any military experience and many are just actors playing a part. (There was at least one draft dodger from WW2 who PORTRAYED people doing perceived heroic military deeds. The one person kept saying he just wanted to make one more picture before joining the service. Darn...ran out of war before he could join.

You may want to visit the VA and look for people who lost a limb or two, I see them all the time and Vietnam was 45+ YEARS ago. Their limbs don't grow back.

This book speaks often about various military generals/admirals speaking of the +/-'s of their ability and of their tactics.

If you want war to end, don't join. Those who rattling the swords of war almost NEVER served. They are blowhards. Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq no reason to invade these places, they cannot hurt us and going there is NOT serving the country. Going to college is a better avenue.

[Jerel Wilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book about how the U.S. Army was able to transform itself from a small, backwards force before Pearl Harbor into a powerful, advanced juggernaut that crushed its opponents.

[Fred Klein · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting history of the US Army is World War II, but way too much information.

[Patrick]

I was very impressed with this book. It was highly rated in Dunnigan’s The World War II Bookshelf. I thought Old Soldiers Never Die (biography of MacArthur) also by Perrot was well written. Thus getting this book was a sure bet and I was not disappointed.

At West Point in the early 80’s, I took a great military history course covering WW1 and WW2 warfare. I still have those well written course texts. However, this book actually gave me some better history lessons than that course.

I think the impact of Marshall’s leadership is clearly understated in most books. Perret spends a great deal of time reviewing how Marshall caused many of the better changes in the Army during the progress of the WW2 (and prior to our direct involvement).

Early in the book there was a short but excellent summary of the basic division level tactics of WW1 (division square). Based on his experiences in WW1 with Pershing, Marshall led the later effort to evolve divisional level tactics into our modern warfare (triangular divisions with Combat Commands or brigade combat teams as they are called now).

There are excellent discussions of how the Army leadership sorted thru the balancing of artillery needs with maneuver forces and balancing tanks versus infantry.

At 600 pages long, I thought I might go blurry eyed, but the book kept my attention. I will admit an interest in Europe/Africa over the Pacific. So when chapters focused on the Pacific campaign I read those more quickly than other chapters.

Perret writes in style that is easy to read. Sometimes opinionated. He did not seem impressed with the British Army forces. However, he provides an apparent fair breakdown of his reasoning and positions throughout the book.

The book spends a fair amount of time reviewing logistical and training aspects of the growing Army. Stuff I never realized before.

For anyone interested in a good review of how the Army grew and evolved from a small, challenged pre-war force in the 1930’s into a world power by the end of the war, this is your book. Various higher profile personalities are reviewed to compliment biographies you might own.

This book is one of my front shelf books in my library. Recommended highly.

[Sam Reaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a lot of Baby Boomers I've long had an interest in the Second World War because my father and all his friends were in it. It was the Homeric epic that forged the world I grew up in, and people I knew had been in the thick of it. So there's nothing like a good WWII history to keep me in the armchair for a few nights.
This is one of the best. The phenomenon of the United States' military buildup in the Second World War is astounding; for an economically depressed nation with a deep-rooted isolationist streak to produce the greatest military machine in history in the space of a couple of years remains an unequaled accomplishment. The appeal of this book is that it is more than just a recounting of feats of arms; it is a social history of the U.S. Army at its apogee.
The WWII army was forged by a few extraordinarily gifted leaders (notably George Marshall) who managed, with limited resources, to learn from the mistakes of the First World War and significantly improve the quality of officers, training and equipment as a second war loomed on the horizon. Perret's account of the urgent efforts to get the army ready for the war everyone knew was coming is compelling.
There is plenty of order-of-battle play-by-play for those who enjoy tracing out the campaigns on the map, but for me the most interesting parts were the behind-the-scenes accounts of organizational struggles, training reforms, technical innovations, intrigues and personal conflicts, and hellishly complicated logistics: all the nuts and bolts of the greatest military effort in history.
The strength of Perret's book is its attention to the unspectacular and often overlooked aspects of the war: there is a chapter dedicated to the experiences of those killed, wounded or taken prisoner and an excellent chapter on the very mixed success at integrating blacks, Japanese-Americans and women into the wartime army. Unsentimental and unsparing in its awareness of the cruelty of war but respectful of the genuine achievement of the United States in winning the one that had to be won, this is a terrific account for anyone interested in the defining event of the twentieth century.

[Ted Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a well written and informative examination of the history of the U.S. Army in World War II. It begins with a summary of the history of the army between the two world wars, and ends with the defeat of Japan in 1945 (with a short coda that analyzes why it was the best army in the world by the end of the war). The book is at its best when it looks at the elements of the army's World War II history that the conventional military histories do not treat: how the army was trained, equipped, and fed, for instance. It does a nice job of discussing the contributions of the units made up of women and racial minorities. I was also interested to read about the various ways in which the army attempted to keep up morale, including the publication of newspapers and the awarding of citations and medals. Where the book falls short is in its descriptions of the campaigns and battles. The book is over twenty years old, and newer histories-Rick Atkinson's trilogy, for instance- have recently done it better. The book could also make better use of maps. There are a few at the front of the book, but they are mainly theater maps, and it would be much easier to follow his descriptions of the battles if there were more precise battle maps in close proximity to the narrative. In any event, the book is a worthwhile read, if for nothing else than to get more of a "behind the scenes" look at the American Army during the Second World War.

[Thomas B Forbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent job!

This was a revelation since I thought I knew a lot about the Army in World War II. I never appreciated the role George Marshall played in building our army nearly from scratch. The author shows what a daunting task it was. Not to mention building a team of field commanders that would try the patience of Job!
I always had a fun view of MacArthur and 0344355 didn't prove that to be wrong. He tended to suck all the game out of the air so that none of his subordinate commanders ever made headlines! Perret is not a big fan of Eisenhower but I came away with more respect for his leadership and being able to command people like Patton and Montgomery. Don't get me started on Monty!
The author has some nuggets of humor such as describing the good effects on morale of the weekly beer ration. I visited a small war museum in Alsace a few years ago and they had a display of a GI' s rations. Prolly displayed was an olive drab can of Fort Pitt Beer! I wondered why we didn't provide a better brand than that swill!
His accounts of the Pacific front dragged a little bit i did learn a lot about the unsung battles the Army fought in its way to the Philippine s. It's been said that the Marines had better press agents and that does appear to be true. What a treasure trove of stories the Army vets would have had that we never heard. Overall this is a fine effort for any history buff to read and enjoy!

[Tony]

Like its title says, the book is a story within a story, the story of the WW2-era U.S. Army in the context of the wider story of the war itself. This alone makes the book a good read. What makes it a great read,however, is the completeness of the story. For it not only covers the experience of the Army in fighting the war's battles, it tells how the Army was raised, equipped, trained, and led -- by good commanders as well as bad ones. It tells the stories not only of generals but of men of all ranks as well as the experiences of their units. Perret even describes the issues of the day, the draft, the role and experiences of black soldiers, and women, set against both the war's events and the times. Perret's telling of the final battles in the Pacific and the decision to use the Atomic bomb against Japan should be required reading for all Americans. The book's only shortcoming is that, eventually, it had to end. It is one of those rare books that I think will reward a second and probably even a third reading. It's that good.

[Robert LoCicero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally military history volumes are only of interest to military buffs with notable exceptions like the Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson and some others. Author Perret has written an easy to read and actually quite engrossing account of the United States Army in World War II. He covers the entire span including the prewar years with the personalities and tasks needed to form a convincing and strong military to confront the power and danger of the Axis powers in Europe and the Pacific. Perret runs through the early battles ending with the Atomic bombing of Japan and the aftermath of demobilization and garrisoning of the defeated enemy nations. I found the pacing very good and the information is complete, anecdotal with generally accepted views of strategy and military performance all critiqued and heavily footnoted. A very impressive job for a difficult task made accessible to a general reader. I highly recommend the volume for those wanting to learn about, remember and honor those Americans who fought and died for our freedoms we enjoy today.

[Eugene S. Grimes, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maps

The maps are terrible. Just a few more maps and greater detail in all the maps along with a list of places and their locations would have been helpful.
I enjoyed the read and will recommend it to friends. However, I found it difficult to keep up with all the units and places and found myself stopping often to sort things out in my copy of the West Point Atlas For The Second World War: Europe And The Mediterranean.

[Michael Dorosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent summary of the American Army's war effort in the Second World War, broken down into logical chapters, Prose is dense and scholarly but not impenetrable in the tradition of British military writing. A nice mix of personality study, logistical overview, and bottom-up viewpoints.

[Johannes Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnificent!

[Robert Last · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, by far, the best history of the U.S. Army in WW 2!

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a full attempt at a history of the US Army in the 30s and WWII. I have a love hate relationship with this book. When its talking about the American Army, its primary focus, its a very good fact filled charming read. When it come to politics or discussions of other WWII armies, it can devolve into a childish -out of left field- series of jingoistic screeds dissing anything non-GI. His bizarre animus against the British army and its leading officers can get old fast. But overall, since the book is a history of Marshall's Army from its creation to its use in the War, its a great read. I think anyone interested in WWII from about 10 years up to adults will be able to follow along. Even older enthusiasts will find a few cool new factoids in this book to chew on. Gamers/History Buffs/Military Enthusiast will really enjoy it- although foreign reader are warned to expect "America is the Best Country" to be written all over its pages...