General Fox Conner: Pershing's Chief of Operations and Eisenhower's Mentor (Leadership in Action) Paperback – 15 July 2021

Excellent book involving a largely overlooked figure. The writing style is breezy and engaging, though the WWI military history has great detail. Coroner was instrumental in shaping the military plans for AEF in WWI, and foreshadowing WWII. Would recommend this book to any history buff, especially military history. The shipping was timely.

This is an important and interesting book for a number of reasons. It can be argued that the most important or culminating event in what we call the American Century is WWII. George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower are the major military figures in the successful prosecution of the war effort, especially in Europe. Biographical accounts of these two men feature the role of General Fox Conner, a key member of Pershing’s staff in WWI. He recognized Marshall’s ability early on, and was Eisenhower’s mentor in the postwar period.The military history of this period has contained a frustrating puzzle, in that there was no good biographical account of Conner. This was largely due to the fact that Conner had his papers destroyed. Edward Cox wrote a short biography that was somewhat superficial, due to the lack of detailed information. As a student of this period, I had resigned myself to the fact that this was an unfilled blank in our knowledge.Steven Rabalais has rescued us from this fate, in a detailed, fascinating account of Fox Conner. He has done this by depending on the accounts of those who knew and worked with Conner. We hear the voices of family members, friends, colleagues, critics and enemies. The sheer research effort in finding these sources is astounding. The skillful, and judicious, use of this material is even more impressive.From an historical perspective, the primary value of this work is recognition of how important WWI is in preparing us for success in WWII. Conner saw the inevitability of WWII. He was instrumental in development of staff capabilities for war conducted with allies. He recognized the need for adaptable unit organization. He personally educated Eisenhower with respect to leadership and command.From a literary perspective, this is a beautifully crafted work. It has a style that is captivating. Rabalais has a gift for relating the interplay of the personal with the historical event. Once opened, this is the rare book that you hate to put down or close.

Superb bio of an overlooked military genius, that helped shape and mentor some of the US Army's great leaders.

Well written account of the life, training, and career of one of many of America 's unsung military heroes. I knew that Fox Connor had influenced the careers and destiny of the likes of Gen Eisenhower, but I knew little of his own military career, especially his accomplishments as Pershing's G3. Our level of preparedness was so dismal that when Pershing and Staff arrived in France we had no G1, G2, etc, so we borrowed France's militarydesignations for Admin, Intel, Ops, Sup, etc. That was good reading! Enough maps to satisfy the reader as to which units were where on the Western Front. I think the author did a good job of conveying the disconnect which occurs between a headquarters and the units it supposedly serves. That's always and everywhere. A good read! 👍👍👍👍👍.

This biography of Major General Fox Conner, a fellow Mississippian and Army veteran, is very well done, considering that, like Major General George Thomas, Conner had his personal papers burned after his death. Conner's pre-Great War assignments are covered in some detail, but the greater part of the book is devoted to Conner's Great War experiences. Conner's after war assignments are used to point out the retrenchment made in our military forces and Conner's efforts to get more funding. His "saving" of Dwight Eisenhower from a court martial and subsequent mentorship, even through WW2, of Eisenhower makes one realize how important Conner really was to the Allied victory in WW2. His friendships with George Marshall and George Patton only served to emphasize Conner's importance. I can highly recommend this biography for any reader interested in the Great War and military's struggles to survive the 1920s and 1930s.