Pershing and His Generals

When the United States entered the Great War in April of 1917, there were few officers with any staff training, and none had actually served on large, complex staffs in combat. This work traces the development of the staff of the AEF and describes how Pershing found the generals to command those divisions that fought on the Western Front in World War I. Many of Pershing's generals had been colonels only a few months prior to assuming command of divisions. John J. Pershing's task was to mold a diverse group of men into effective staff officers and into general officers to face the rigors of modern combat. How he accomplished this task, and how well the AEF did, is the focus of this work on the AEF's command and staff structure.

"Pershing's Herculean tasks of finding new leadership and eliminating deadwood, training the troops (and their leaders!), tapping civilian talent for special skills, organizing new staff functions and assimilating new technologies, so reminiscent of World War II, are well described here in Cooke's usual clear and workmanlike narrative; in a work essential for the World War I bookshelf and of interest to the general reader as well."-, ?[C]ooke's typical approach to command and staff in the AEF contains a number of useful insights. He develops interesting information about topics not previously addressed. He brings scholarly and practical experience to the subject.?-Journal of Military History, ?Pershing's Herculean tasks of finding new leadership and eliminating deadwood, training the troops (and their leaders!), tapping civilian talent for special skills, organizing new staff functions and assimilating new technologies, so reminiscent of World War II, are well described here in Cooke's usual clear and workmanlike narrative; in a work essential for the World War I bookshelf and of interest to the general reader as well.?-???, "ÝC¨ooke's typical approach to command and staff in the AEF contains a number of useful insights. He develops interesting information about topics not previously addressed. He brings scholarly and practical experience to the subject."-Journal of Military History, "[C]ooke's typical approach to command and staff in the AEF contains a number of useful insights. He develops interesting information about topics not previously addressed. He brings scholarly and practical experience to the subject."-Journal of Military History

JAMES J. COOKE is Professor of History at the University of Mississippi. His most recent books are 100 Miles from Baghdad (1993), The Rainbow Division in the Great War (1994), and The U.S. Air Service in the Great War, 1917-1919 (1996), all publsihed by Praeger.