15 Stars: Eisenhower, MacArthur, Marshall: Three Generals Who Saved the American Century Review

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(More customer reviews)"15 Stars" is an examination of how the careers, personalities, and goals of America's first 5-star Army Generals, George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, and Douglas MacArthur, intersected and intertwined at critical moments.
(Previous Generals of the Army were limited, at most, to 4-stars, however, it is generally considered that the highest military rank in the U.S., regardless of the number of stars associated with it, was that of General of the Armies of the U.S. Only two soldiers ever held this title: George Washington and John J. Pershing.)
The 5-star rank was created by Congress in late 1944. Before then a British Field Marshal was considered to outrank a 4-star U.S. General, regardless of his title or how many troops he commmanded. As the Second World War progressed British Field Marshals were being placed in positions of inferiority to U.S. Generals and the British Field Marshals were thus, technically, taking orders from their subordinates. The 5-star rank was intended to remedy this touchy situation.
(There is an apocyphal story that George Marshall objected to the new U.S. 5-star rank being called "Field Marshall" because, as its first recipient, he would then be known as "Field Marshal Marshall".)
The author tracks these three great American icons as they become America's premier soldier leaders during World War II (while often engaging in not always friendly maneouvering against each other): Marshall as America's top career soldier in the U.S.; Eisenhower as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe; and MacArthur as commander in the Pacific.
The author also follows their respective career trajectories after the war as well as all continued to hold positions of prominence during the early stages of the Cold War: Marshall as Secretary of State and proponent of what became known as the Marshall Plan (and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace); Eisenhower as U.S. President; and MacArthur as overseer of Japan and both hero and goat in the Korean Conflict.
The author's portrayal of these men as they interacted with each other, other leaders, and those around them is not all that different from the public's perceptions of these men: Marshall comes off as a calm, often cold, administrator even in times of great crisis; Eisenhower was the genial mediator; and MacArthur, perhaps the most brillant of the bunch, a strutting peacock, feisty bantam rooster, and wily hawk all tightly contained in a regal framework prone to demagoguery.
Nonetheless, the story is told in a fresh and engaging manner that makes it worthwhile reading for a greater understanding (even if not a complete one given the breadth of the subject matter) of how America came out on top in World War II and thereafter.

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