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American Military Experience
Dogface Soldier: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr.
On July 11, 1943, General Lucian Truscott received the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross, for valor in action in Sicily. During his career he also received the Army Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Purple Heart. Truscott was one of the most significant of all U.S. Army generals in World War II, pioneering new combat training methods—including the famous “Truscott Trot”— and excelling as a combat commander, turning the Third Infantry Division into one of the finest divisions in the U.S. Army. He was instrumental in winning many of the most important battles of the war, participating in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Anzio, and southern France. Truscott was not only respected by his peers and “dogfaces”—common soldiers—alike but also ranked by President Eisenhower as second only to Patton, whose command he took over on October 8, 1945, and led until April 1946.
Yet no definitive history of his life has been compiled. Wilson Heefner corrects that with the first authoritative biography of this distinguished American military leader. Heefner has undertaken impressive research in primary sources—as well as interviews with family members and former associates—to shed new light on this overlooked hero. He presents Truscott as a soldier who was shaped by his upbringing, civilian and military education, family life, friendships, and evolving experiences as a commander both in and out of combat.
Heefner’s brisk narrative explores Truscott’s career through his three decades in the Army and defines his roles in key operations. It also examines Truscott’s postwar role as military governor of Bavaria, particularly in improving living conditions for Jewish displaced persons, removing Nazis from civil government, and assisting in the trials of German war criminals. And it offers the first comprehensive examination of his subsequent career in the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served as senior CIA representative in West Germany during the early days of the Cold War, and later as CIA Director Allen Dulles’s deputy director for coordination in Washington.
Dogface Soldier is a portrait of a man who earned a reputation for being honest, forthright, fearless, and aggressive, both as a military officer and in his personal life—a man who, at the dedication ceremony for the Anzio-Nettuno American cemetery in 1945, turned away from the crowd and to the thousands of crosses stretching before him to address those buried there. Heefner has written a definitive biography of a great soldier and patriot.
Yet no definitive history of his life has been compiled. Wilson Heefner corrects that with the first authoritative biography of this distinguished American military leader. Heefner has undertaken impressive research in primary sources—as well as interviews with family members and former associates—to shed new light on this overlooked hero. He presents Truscott as a soldier who was shaped by his upbringing, civilian and military education, family life, friendships, and evolving experiences as a commander both in and out of combat.
Heefner’s brisk narrative explores Truscott’s career through his three decades in the Army and defines his roles in key operations. It also examines Truscott’s postwar role as military governor of Bavaria, particularly in improving living conditions for Jewish displaced persons, removing Nazis from civil government, and assisting in the trials of German war criminals. And it offers the first comprehensive examination of his subsequent career in the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served as senior CIA representative in West Germany during the early days of the Cold War, and later as CIA Director Allen Dulles’s deputy director for coordination in Washington.
Dogface Soldier is a portrait of a man who earned a reputation for being honest, forthright, fearless, and aggressive, both as a military officer and in his personal life—a man who, at the dedication ceremony for the Anzio-Nettuno American cemetery in 1945, turned away from the crowd and to the thousands of crosses stretching before him to address those buried there. Heefner has written a definitive biography of a great soldier and patriot.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published May 5, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 14, 2017
A very little known General whose leadership lessons should be applied to future military leaders and whose autobiography is one of the best.
December 24, 2012
Five star work.
This is the first book I've come across detailing the life and times of Lucian Truscott. Jr. It is amazing to read the stories of the Generals who led our country in WWII. Like Eisenhower, Truscott came from very humble beginnings and realized if he wanted to truly accomplish something in his life, at the time, the military and West Point were the ticket to adventures and world travels.
Many of us know his as a subordinate to Patton in North Africa and Sicily He was depicted in the movie "Patton" as being to caution and conservative by his commander. Even Bradley was hoping Patton would allow Truscott's men to have a one day reprieve. Not happening.
What the movie couldn't show was that Truscott was the main architect for many of the Battles fought in these theaters. The burden of turning his bosses ideas into reality became his forte throughout his career. Why then haven't we heard of him more? Because he was not a "grandstander" and wasn't someone the press garnered a lot of attention from. After all, he was a subordinate to his superiors and was only a man on the staff as were hundreds of other officers.
What I enjoyed the most of this work by Mr. Heffner. Truscott was the true portrayal of man devoted to serving his country in whatever role the US army assigned him. He fulfilled his obligations and tasks with and undying enthusiasm and zeal.
This is an excellent work I can not recommend enough.
One final footnote I found especially intriguing, was his involvement with the CIA and the inter agency squabble he formulated between himself and Dulles. Eisenhower asked Lucian to look into the insurgency in Hungary and the CIA's responsibilities. His report was all but flattering. Dulles never forgave him
This is the first book I've come across detailing the life and times of Lucian Truscott. Jr. It is amazing to read the stories of the Generals who led our country in WWII. Like Eisenhower, Truscott came from very humble beginnings and realized if he wanted to truly accomplish something in his life, at the time, the military and West Point were the ticket to adventures and world travels.
Many of us know his as a subordinate to Patton in North Africa and Sicily He was depicted in the movie "Patton" as being to caution and conservative by his commander. Even Bradley was hoping Patton would allow Truscott's men to have a one day reprieve. Not happening.
What the movie couldn't show was that Truscott was the main architect for many of the Battles fought in these theaters. The burden of turning his bosses ideas into reality became his forte throughout his career. Why then haven't we heard of him more? Because he was not a "grandstander" and wasn't someone the press garnered a lot of attention from. After all, he was a subordinate to his superiors and was only a man on the staff as were hundreds of other officers.
What I enjoyed the most of this work by Mr. Heffner. Truscott was the true portrayal of man devoted to serving his country in whatever role the US army assigned him. He fulfilled his obligations and tasks with and undying enthusiasm and zeal.
This is an excellent work I can not recommend enough.
One final footnote I found especially intriguing, was his involvement with the CIA and the inter agency squabble he formulated between himself and Dulles. Eisenhower asked Lucian to look into the insurgency in Hungary and the CIA's responsibilities. His report was all but flattering. Dulles never forgave him
September 29, 2021
Overall this book did a good job of giving a broad overview of Truscott's career. I was already pretty familiar with Truscott's WWII record from the many other books I have read about WWII. I was wanting to learn more about his personality so I could get better "feel" for Truscott the man, however this book did not do as much as I was hoping for. Truscott was one the best generals of WWII and has been overlooked and under appreciated by the general public. This book is a good start to gaining the appreciation for Truscott that he deserves.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews