Gavin at War: The World War II Diary of Lieutenant General James M. Gavin

by Lewis Sorley (editor)

“Gavin at War provides a lively self-portrait. His diary is especially notable for its skeptical assessments of his comrades and his Army.” ― The New York Times

Winner, 2022 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards, Journals, Memoirs, and Letters

"General Gavin was a very brave man who had great faith in his men. The battle or the weather never stopped him from going to check the troops. He would go in the rain or snow. If the battle was severe, he would crawl from foxhole to foxhole to talk to his men to let them know he was with them. Words cannot explain the love and pride I had for General Gavin."—Walter Woods, World War II aide to General Gavin

Lieutenant General James Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division during WWII, is one of the best-known figures of the war. Beginning as the commander of the 505th Parachute Combat Team that spearheaded the American assault on Sicily in July 1943, Gavin advanced to division command and finally command of US forces in Berlin. Throughout this time he kept a wartime diary that starts in April 1943, as the unit was preparing to go to northern Africa, and continues through to his final entry on 1 September 1945 during the occupation of Berlin.

During the war years, Gavin came into close contact with virtually all the leading airborne commanders and many others who would advance to the top levels of Army leadership. His diary includes observations on fellow military and political leaders such as General Dwight Eisenhower and the British Field Marshal Montgomery, army operations, and the general's personal life. Gavin was an officer who led by on four combat jumps—into Sicily, at Salerno, then Normandy and the Netherlands—he was the first man out the door. Two Distinguished Service Crosses, two Silver Stars, and the Purple Heart rewarded his service.

For decades, Gavin kept the existence of the journal a secret; the general's family discovered it among his belongings after his death. Editor Lewis "Bob" Sorley has worked closely with the Gavin family and the Army Heritage Center to prepare the diary for publication. His edited and annotated version includes a prologue and epilogue to frame the entries within the wider scope of the general's life.

Table of Contents

Walter Woods Letter
Editor’s Note on the Text
Editor’s Prologue

1 Going to War
2 Sicily
3 Africa
4 Italy
5 London
6 Back to the 82nd
7 Normandy and After
8 Division Command and Nijmegen
9 France and Belgium
10 Germany
11 Berlin

Editor’s Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Citations
Glossary
Selected Bibliography
Index

Genres: Biography, World War II, History, Leadership, Military History

208 pages, Hardcover

Published November 4, 2022

About the author

Lewis Stone "Bob" Sorley III was an American intelligence analyst and military historian. His books about the U.S. war in Vietnam, in which he served as an officer, have been highly influential in government circles.

Reviews

[Chad Manske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though much of the World War II history has already been written, studied, and analyzed, researchers and historians continue finding new angles to hypothesize and generate arguments for readers and consumers thirsty for the same. Previously classified materials, documents, letters, and diaries continue surfacing, providing new insights into the events shaping the Greatest Generation. One such diary has recently been published for Lt Gen James M. “Jumpin Jim” Gavin! Entitled, Gavin at War, it was written without thought of being published, which some Gavin enthusiasts will find interesting since Gavin himself wrote and published five books in a span of 30 years between 1947 and 1976. One could draw the logical conclusion that a war diary dating from April 8, 1943 (fittingly written while still at Fort Bragg, NC), through September 1, 1945, by THE commander of the 82d Airborne Division Commander at that time (think of all those historical airborne jumps!), would surely have gone to print shortly after the last entry. And yet, no. Some will argue that Gavin’s, On to Berlin, is in fact that historical account, and yes, there is much there. However, the innermost thoughts and opinions on the progress and preparation for jumps, Gavin’s opinions of his peers, subordinates, and superiors, and his personal thoughts on his marriage and other liaisons is detailed in Gavin at War. It reads much like an abbreviated stream of consciousness in part, and in others like a well-edited short story—which is how most diaries read.
Gavin was the youngest major general to command an American division in World War II. At the tender age of 37 he pinned his second star on, though at times, and understandably so, he feels like an ‘old man.’ Gavin brought his own typewriter to war with him and never hand-wrote his entries. He didn’t write every single day, but there are numerous stretches between battles and other big events where there is no account. Never having read any of Gavin’s books, as a reader of this diary I don’t feel I have missed out on too much of him as a person. He is both critical of himself and others, and in separate research I did on him, he prided himself on striving for perfection while achieving excellence. And because of this, Gavin seems to have been universally respected.
Among the clearest takeaways we get from this diary are, first, his devotion to his biggest mentor and superior (and later for a short time, a peer), GEN Matthew Ridgway. Respect for the man he idolized is evident in the numerous entries he pens. Second, he has a soft spot for the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), as they were called then. Of the thousand or so men that Gavin would make combat jumps with during the war, and all with the 505th (which was actually the only regiment to make all four), only 23 would survive in the division, commemorated by a photograph in the book. Those jumps were in Sicily, Salerno, Normandy (on D-Day), and the Nehterlands. Gavin holds the distinction of having made more combat jumps than any other general—ever. And on his gravestone at the West Point Cemetery on one side, is his master parachutist badge with those four stars signifying those jumps emblazoned upon them.
Gavin didn’t suffer those around him unprepared for the rigors and privations of war. He overprepared his men and ensured they had the equipment and training necessary for the tasks they were asked to perform. Many of his contemporaries would rarely go to the lengths he did in this regard, and as a result he was loved by his men. Gavin did not have a great marriage going into the war and mid-way through his entries speak of this and how matter-of-factly he and his wife Irma will divorce when he returns. This may have given him the interpersonal license to see others during his overseas service.
As a retired Airman, I found one particular entry interesting. While in Leicester, England on March 29, 1944, awaiting and preparing for D-Day, he discusses the debates around a separate Air Force after the war, to which he “is in agreement with them that there should be.” This argument extends into whether Airborne troops should also be folded in the Air Force, and is OK with the idea as long as they are not to be “the stepchildren of the air forces.”
Gavin’s career encompassed all of the historical battles of the war—Operation Husky, Market Garden, D-Day, and the Battle of the Bulge, among others. Yet his diary never comes off with the pomposity one might expect, likely because his brief writings on these events here lacked the context one might have in looking back at them all. Gavin’s military decorations would astonish many: two Distinguished Service Crosses and two Silver Stars, in addition to others. His diary notes he was ‘very proud’ to have earned the Purple Heart, too.
After the war, Gavin would earn a third star, marry again, and finish out a distinguished career. This service would include an ambassadorship to France by JFK, when DeGaulle was the French president. The book notes how Gavin conceived the idea for the Peace Corps to help Kennedy’s presidential campaign, which the latter endorsed and rewarded Gavin with the Paris assignment. Gavin would also be associated with the global consulting firm, Arthur D. Little for decades, both as its leader and a consultant. A final battle Gavin could not win, though, was the one with Parkinson’s Disease which would take his life in 1990.
This book is perfect for World War II enthusiasts, military fans, and particularly, for those who revered Gavin as the Father of Airborne!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Curiously, I read a hardcover copy - but with the cover shown here as being the Kindle edition, go figure). I jumped (oops) at the opportunity to read this when I saw it, having then recently snapped up a copy of Gavin's postwar book on Airborne Warfare, as I suspected the combination offered a great opportunity for a deep dive into airborne tactics and operations at their birth and through their first major test in World War II. Gavin's war diary offers a great immediate and first hand look at the American operations in the European Theatre beginning in Sicily and right through to the end of the war, focusing especially on the 82nd Airborne Division's component units. The volume reflects Gavin's thoughts and reactions almost as they happen as when possible he recorded them every day or so or after a field operation he would quickly summarize his thoughts in its pages. He did appear to censor himself even in these private (and to a great degree unauthorized pages in the face of wartime secrecy restrictions) as he would either stop short or even went back and blacked out a word or sentence or two here and there. But even with that the text as published leaves little doubt about his opinions of his men, his fellow officers, his commanders, his foes, and his female acquaintances - always politely expressed. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of airborne operations and the Allied efforts in World War II.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this very entertaining book that was he war time diary of LTG James M. Gavin, of the famed 82nd Airborne in World War II. As the author, of the book, Lewis Sorley, points out, in some places there are some blank spaces. In other areas, Sorley notes that Gavin, presumably, "blacked out" some entries; perhaps to protect certain people from what he'd thought of them; we'll never know. It's a good read, especially if you're a WW II, European Theatre of Operations (ETO) buff, as I am. He briefly takes you through how the Airborne was borne, to Africa, Sicily, England and the preparations for D-Day, and beyond. His diary ends just after the Germans surrendered and the 82nd thought they were going to the Pacific. His diary is fascinating in that he discusses his interactions with notables such as Eisenhower, Patton, Hodges, Ridgway, Bradley, Montgomery, and others, including King George VI, of England. What I found, particularly interesting, though, was his life after the War. His Army career continued to 1959, when he retired as a Lieutenant General. In his later life, he was very candid about some of his contemporaries, such as Eisenhower ("the absent General" who was never on scene), Montgomery who never seemed to want to move and fight, and others. He visited Vietnam, in the 1950s, still in the army and a LTG, and was totally convinced that if the unthinkable happened, the U. S. should never, ever, be involved in the place. Later, and this really struck me, was his criticism of General Maxwell Taylor (former Army Chief of Staff) who by the mid to late 1960s, had become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Gavin pointed out that Taylor was nothing more than a complete "yes sir," "no sir," for Robert McNamara (then SECDEF) and LBJ. LBJ was more interested in his Great Society, and getting elected in his own right, in 1964, and McNamara was only interested in winning and statistics. These later points tie in, very nicely to H. R. McMaster's "Dereliction of duty," where he provides the step-by-step activities of how McNamara and his Detroit stooges tried to use statistics to win a war, LBJ caring very little, and Maxwell Taylor, the Chairman of the JCS, brow beating spineless service chiefs into lying to the American people, and Congress, about the War. Having worked with Taylor before WW II, and during the 1950s, Gavin was not surprised at Taylor's duplicity, backstabbing, and not being forthright into how the Viet Nam war was going. Gavin, in addition to being one of our many WW II heroes, was a forward futuristic thinking General, even in civilian life where he was highly successful. This is a good book, that I highly recommend WW II buffs. If you can get past WW II, and are even somewhat interested in Viet Nam, I highly recommend Dereliction of Duty, noted above, by H R. McMaster.

[Fran Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Gavin at War, The World War II Diary of LT. General James M. Gavin" is edited and annotated by Lewis Sorley. It covers the war years of 1943 through 1945 but was just published in 2022. Gavin is an interesting, heroic figure during a difficult time. His diary provides us with details of his actions and thoughts as Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division in WWII. He shares his opinion of fellow military and political leaders, what they did and could have done better. As Commander of the 505th Parachute Combat Team, they led the American assault on Sicily in July of 1943. He commanded troops at in Africa and Italy, D Day, the Battle of the Bulge, the jump into the Netherlands and many more. His career advanced and his last journal entry was September 1, 1945, during the occupation of Berlin.

It's an intensely interesting journal where he notes the preparation for battle, the training he provided his men, his observations, and his feeling of pride in his men and officers, and his sadness at the loss of life.

As the Commander he was first out the door in his airborne jumps, including four combat jumps-Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, and the Netherlands. There is a picture in the book of he and the 22 men who survived all four combat jumps. The 505 Parachute Infantry Regiment was the only regiment that made all four combat jumps, a remarkable achievement.

He cared greatly for his men and neither the weather, nor the battle would keep him from checking on his troops. If the battle was severe, he would crawl from fox hole to fox hole to talk to his men and let them know he was with them.

His journal would occasionally mention his latest romantic interest. Women found him attractive, and he found them attractive too.

This is an engaging narrative, especially for someone interested in military history, but also for someone just interested in a good read.

[Hans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feeling about this book. On the one hand I really liked it, because it shows the role that Gavin played in the formative years of the US airborne forces. He was really passionate about it and wanted to show the role the airborne forces could play in modern warfare (WWII that is). He was ahead of his time in many things that have become standard in modern airborne forces (after WWII). He also showed that training, procedures and equipment played an important role in all of this. On the other hand I thought it was okay, because it lacked details that could have made understanding Gavin, and some of his decisions, more interesting.

Obviously you will have to keep in mind that there was a war going on and that he did not have the time to write in his diary daily. But large parts of the great operations, like Market-Garden, cover just a few pages. Again, fully understandable when running an airborne division under fire, but still.

It becomes clear that there was a lot of rivalry and backstabbing behind the scenes between the leaders in the Allied airborne forces. Gavin did not feel comfortable with this at all, but he had to cope with this more than once.

What I found interesting, is that he mentions the qualities of his regimental and battalion commanders in several places. Some of them were found the be lacking in leadership and/or other qualities during training, yet these same names proofed to be more than up to their task once the bullets started flying. This again shows how hard it can be to judge men/women at times.

Gavin used many abbreviations while writing, something that needs a bit of getting used to. It does make reading some of the entries a bit harder. But the editor kept the text mostly as it was, so that is just how it is.

I kept it on 3-stars right now, but 3,5 would have been more appropriate.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

The notes from the editors tend to be a bit hagiographic, but the original text of Gavin’s diary is fascinating and insightful, especially in light of the Army’s current focus on large-scale combat operations.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book : it's the war diary of Gavin. You will learn about the Airborne operations in Sicily in and in Netherlands.
Gavin didn't have much time to write the diary when he was fighting in Normandy. There are few pages about his experience. Don't be disappointed.

[Steven Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing read.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading this book- it's such a great look inside the US Army in WWII. Lewis Sorley, a veteran and Military historian, edits and annotates General James M Gavin's diary, so we are getting the skinny on one of the leaders of American Airborne warfare. Gavin led the 82nd Airborne Division, the first of the US divisions to be created, so he was there for the early stumbles in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy where the Paratroopers proved they could fight, but the Army Air Corps was still learning about using Gliders and Paradrops in actual tactical situations. Gavin says a lot in his diaries- and it's great to see Airborne doctrine change as he learns- and see the lessons applied to D-Day assignments. I found the book a wonderfully intimate- to the point where I was as emotionally involved in his affair with a hot british woman,( having once had one of those) that played out in the background of this book as I was with the more profound military lessons.

The other central theme in this book is the Politics and infighting that was apparently constantly roiling at Allied HQs. It is great to find out what contemporaries thought of each other- and Gavin does not hold back about anything .I usually prefer to read diaries directly- but Sorley earns his keep as a editor/annotator by constantly setting the scene or interjecting why some entry is particularly of interest. This book is catnip to the Military history buff- but I think a more omnivorous reader will enjoy getting the inside skinny from a real pivotal actor in the war.

There are some adult themes but little graphic injury description passages, so this a good book for the Junior Reader over 13/14 years. The The Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast its a feast. Lots of maps and tactical discussion for the gamer to learn from- US Airborne are a favorite for WWII gamers raised on Band of Brothers. The Modeler gets two sets of b/w photos and a narrative that helps in diorama development. The Military Enthusiast gets intimate insight into the life of one of the early evangelists and practitioners of American airborne warfare- a chance to see doctrine develop in real time. It's a fascinating topic and a wonderful read and a strongly recommendation from me.