Cover Image

The rise of the G.I. Army 1940-1941 : the forgotten story of how America forged a powerful army before Pearl Harbor /

In September 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland and initiated World War II, a strong strain of isolationism existed in Congress and across the country. The U.S. Army stood at fewer than 200,000 men, unprepared to defend the country, much less carry the fight to Europe and the Far East. And yet,...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Dickson, Paul (Author)
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, [2020]
Edition:First edition.
Subjects:
United States. > Army > History > World War, 1939-1945.
United States. > War Department > Procurement.
World War, 1939-1945 > United States.
Industrial mobilization > United States > History > 20th century.
United States > Armed Forces > Supplies and stores > Management.
Table of Contents:
  • Prologue
  • A rude awakening
  • The Tree Army to the rescue
  • A "phoney" war abroad and a mock war at home
  • For the want of a nail
  • "Your number came up": the 1940 peacetime draft
  • Assembling the new army: "The blind leading the blind"
  • The Battle of Tennessee and the "Yoo-Hoo" incident
  • "Over the hill in October": Treason, sabotage, and the vote
  • Stagecraft: The extraordinary preparations for the war in Louisiana
  • The Battle of the Bayous
  • Promotion and purge
  • The Carolinas: The final scrimmage
  • December 7, 1941
  • "Little Libya", Irish maneuvers, and Operation Torch
  • Victory laps: V-E, V-J, and--later--The Double V.