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The men who led and the men who led them
Only an arrogant person can confidently lead millions of troops into battle and the allies certainly had their share in world war II. George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, Chester Nimitz and Bernard Montgomery were all men of that type, and their feuds with each other were legendary. However, there were also humble, practical men serving as military leaders, and they were the ones who really held the war effort on track. Dwight Eisenhower and George Marshall did not lead troops into battle, in fact both would have probably been failures had they done so. Nevertheless, it was the global strategy of Marshall and the incredible political and diplomatic skills of Eisenhower that kept the focus that led to victory.
In this tape, we see footage of these men in action, as well as commentary from General Schwarzkopf that places those actions in perspective. Survivors who knew the generals are also interviewed, so that we can understand their actions from the perspective of their underlings and the foot soldiers. From this you learn the faults of MacArthur as well as his bravado. He was a man of great personal courage, and he also was the most economical when it came to the lives of his soldiers. For all their pomp and bluster, Patton and Montgomery did not risk their lives in battle to the extent that MacArthur did.
It is one of the saddest facts of history that George Marshall is not appreciated for the hero that he was. Granted that his was not battlefield glory like that of Patton and MacArthur or the prestige of the presidency like Eisenhower. Marshall's glory was that of the statesman-general, done largely in public, but always overshadowed by those with more pomp and better press. The sections that dealt with his actions were the parts that I enjoyed most. In my opinion, he should be considered one of the greatest American heroes of all time.
In times of great national crisis in the United States, great leaders have always emerged. For all their faults, the military men described in this tape led their nations to victory in a global conflict, so we should concentrate on that aspect of their careers. Nevertheless, their petty sides are also interesting, and from this tape you can experience both.