Eisenhower And Manstein: Operational Leadership Lessons Of The Past For Today's Commanders

By Major William E. Herbert IV

The United States Military, the ultimate Instrument of national resolve, is centered on servicemen and women. Without effective leadership these men and women are ill equipped to succeed in combat and are unjustly put in harm’s way. The commander at the operational level is the link between national policy and action. His actions, character and decisions are of historical importance. While this paper will not cover the full spectrum of operational leadership; the most important traits of operational leadership will be explored. Additionally, this paper will highlight recent failures in operational leadership and compare and contrast them with lessons learned from two diametrically opposed operational leaders of World War II, General Dwight Eisenhower and Field Marshall Erich von Manstein. Analysis will concentrate on the specific operations of the Normandy invasion and Kharkov. The analysis will not deconstruct the operations but rather center on the operational leadership traits each commander displayed and their importance to the operation. Finally the paper will show how the lessons of sixty-five years ago are applicable today and for the future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lucknow Books
• Release date: Aug 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781782897316

Major William E. Herbert IV

See Book Description

Book preview

This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHING—www.picklepartnerspublishing.com

To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books – [e-mail]

Or on Facebook

Text originally published in 2007 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

EISENHOWER AND MANSTEIN: OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP LESSONS OF THE PAST FOR TODAY’S COMMANDERS

By

William E. Herbert IV Major U.S. Army

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

ABSTRACT 5

INTRODUCTION 6

TRAITS OF OPERATIONAL LEADERSHIP 7

VISION 7

STRENGTH OF CHARACTER: 7

COURAGE 8

GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER 10

FIELD MARSHALL ERICH VON MANSTEIN 13

LESSONS LEARNED 15

CONCLUSION 16

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 17

BIBLIOGRAPHY 18

ABSTRACT

The United States Military, the ultimate Instrument of national resolve, is centered on servicemen and women. Without effective leadership these men and women are ill equipped to succeed in combat and