The General Who Wore Six Stars
The Inside Story of John C. H. Lee
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Potomac Books Inc
Published:1st Mar '18
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Lt. Gen. John C. H. Lee wore six stars on his helmet, three in front and three in back-an unusual affectation. He was a stickler for discipline and a legendary military figure whom servicemen and historians loved to hate. Yet Lee was an intensely religious person and an advocate of opportunity for African Americans in the era of Jim Crow, setting him apart from the conservative officer corps at this time. Lee was also responsible for supplying the Allied armies in Europe during World War II from D-Day through Germany’s surrender. In this long-overdue biography of the brilliant and eccentric commander, Hank H. Cox paints a vivid picture of this enormous logistical task and the man who made it all happen.
The General Who Wore Six Stars delves into the perplexing details of how Lee let his idiosyncrasies get the better of him. This “pompous little son-of-a-bitch,” as some historians have called him, who was “only interested in self-advertisement,” famously moved his headquarters to Paris, where during the height of the American Army supply crisis, twenty-nine thousand of his Service of Supply troops shacked up in the finest hotels and, due to sheer numbers, created an enormous black market. Yet, Cox argues, Lee’s strategical genius throughout the war has been underappreciated not only by his contemporaries but also by World War II historians. The General Who Wore Six Stars provides a timely reassessment of this intriguing individual.
"The General Who Wore Six Stars increases our historical understanding of one of the key, yet relatively unknown, individuals responsible for victory in Europe and reminds the military professional that logistics cannot be relegated to an afterthought."-Maj. Kyle Hatzinger, Army Magazine "Hank Cox is a talented writer, and he conveys great respect for Lee's many accomplishments, which far outweighed his eccentricities. . . . For those interested in learning how the Army tackled its considerable logistic challenges during World War II, this volume is a must-read."-Roger D. Cunningham, Journal of America's Military Past "The General Who Wore Six Stars will probably serve as the standard biography of Lee for some time."-A. A. Nofi, Strategy Page "The General Who Wore Six Stars belongs in the personal library of every serious scholar of World War II. . . . Readers will admire C.H. Lee's sanguinity in the face of nearly universal vituperation and have no doubt about his personal impact on the war in Europe."-Thomas E. Hanson, Michigan War Studies Review "This biography should be required reading for anyone interested in better understanding U.S. Army operations in World War II."-James Lankford, On Point “Valuable, informative, and comprehensive. . . . [Lt. Gen. John C. H. Lee] accomplished the nearly impossible task of supporting logistically the greatest, most complex, and most demanding enterprise in human history.”-Gen. Frederick J. Kroesen, U.S. Army (Ret.)
“This is a gem of a book that needed to be written. . . . Cox makes a persuasive case that the general was the pivotal figure in assuring that the combat forces were able to move with the speed in which they did from Normandy to Berlin. For anyone interested in expanding his or her knowledge of how the Allies were victorious, this well-written history is essential reading.”-Martin Lowery, executive vice president of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
“A fascinating and very important story! Hank Cox has done a masterful job telling this little-understood story of how wars are won by the vital and sustaining power of manufacturing, transportation, and military supply and logistics, . . . [which] are vitally important to military victory and winning wars, then, now, and forever.”-Daniel M. Kush, consultant for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, specializing in government, public, and media relations
ISBN: 9781612349633
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
280 pages