On Sept. 1, 1939, Nazi Germany shattered the precarious peace of Europe with its 1.5 million-man Blitzkrieg invasion of Poland. On that fateful day, the U.S. Army numbered fewer than 200,000 men, a force smaller than that of Portugal. Equipment and tactics were obsolete, units scattered and at half-strength, and most officers valued horse cavalry more than tanks. In “The Rise of the G.I. Army, 1940-1941,” veteran author Paul Dickson resurrects a critical but overlooked period, recounting the remarkable story of American mobilization...

Source: The North Africa Journal July 15, 2020 23:03 UTC