In the Shadows of Victory II: America’s Forgotten Military Leaders, The Spanish-American War to World War II will soon be available from all booksellers. If you just can’t wait for this fascinating look at over 20 lesser-known stories of American military leaders, you’re in luck! Today you can download an exclusive early excerpt from the World War II section of this book.
Below, you can read and download Elwood R. “Pete” Quesada‘s story of leadership during World War II.
Building on lessons learned in North Africa, Quesada created a close-air-support capability for infantry and armored forces that was unmatched by any military in the world. Quesada developed a near-legendary rapport with ground commanders, pioneering the use of radar to vector aircraft to targets, placing forward air controllers with infantry and armored units, and providing on-call cover to units on the move. During the Battle of the Bulge, in an unprecedented move, all Allied tactical aircraft were placed under his control as the Allies sought to turn back the German attack.
About the Book
The history of the United States is peppered with extraordinary military leaders. Fate has enshrined an exceptional few in the public’s collective consciousness while sometimes ignoring others often equally as deserving, relegating them to footnotes at best. Though the nation owes them considerable debts, there are many examples of men whose singular leadership is now little remembered or forgotten completely.
This volume covers leaders “in the shadows” during the four major conflicts the United States engaged in from the end of the 19th century to the middle years of the 20th: the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, World War I, and World War II. It tells the stories of more than 20 individuals and chronicles their activities through conflagrations spanning five decades. To enable readers to put these exploits into proper context, each chapter traces the roots of the conflict covered and discusses the paths that led to America’s involvement.
Throughout the book, examples are also noted of leaders whose major renown is associated with a specific war—John J. Pershing, America’s towering military figure during World War I, for example—who also rendered exemplary though largely forgotten service during a different conflict (in Pershing’s case, the Philippine Insurrection). Of special interest to many audiences may be the commentaries regarding the World War I services of officers such as Eisenhower, Marshall, Patton, and Bradley—an aspect of their long military careers overshadowed by their World War II renown and too often minimized in consequence.
The book also features brief biographies of officers whose contributions, while less consequential on the world stage than those of colleagues chronicled elsewhere in these pages, are nonetheless deserving of far more recognition than has thus far been accorded them.
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