The Light of Battle

April 1, 2024
A new biography of Dwight Eisenhower that concentrates on the months leading up to June 6, 1944, when Allied forces landed at Normandy. Human rights lawyer Paradis, author of Last Mission to Tokyo, begins his meticulously documented book in the previous fall when, under Eisenhower's leadership, Allied armies had taken longer than expected to defeat the Wehrmacht in North Africa and were now stalled after the invasion of Italy. The author writes that the buildup for a spring 1944 invasion of Europe was already underway, but its commander remained a matter of debate. Most readers know how it turned out, and Paradis does not attempt to compete with authoritative biographies by Stephen Ambrose or Carlo D'Este, but he capably narrates a compelling story of the maddening months during which Eisenhower oversaw the organization of Operation Overlord. During this period, he did not command forces in the field, but the author's vivid account of his fierce battles over logistics, personnel, and the expansion of his authority shows how Eisenhower possessed more talent than he demonstrated in combat--and may explain his chain-smoking, insomnia, nightmares, and "trying to keep up with Churchill's drinking." Eisenhower also dealt with French leader Charles De Gaulle, even as Franklin Roosevelt was "suspicious that Churchill was intent on installing De Gaulle as a kind of Cromwell for France." Unlike Roosevelt, Churchill energetically promoted his military ideas which, when accepted, were often disastrous. Everyone believed that four years of Nazi occupation had produced enormous, deadly "Atlantic Wall" defenses, so even a massive effort might fail. In reality, despite difficulties at Omaha Beach, landings at the other locations proceeded smoothly, and there was less planning and more difficulties in the weeks afterward. Paradis is an engaging guide to this key period in both U.S. and European history. An ingenious look at perhaps the most important six months in Eisenhower's career.

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Starred review from May 1, 2024

At the 1943 Tehran Conference, the Big Three Allied leaders agreed to open a second front in western Europe to relieve pressure on Soviet forces. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, fresh off his victories in North Africa, was selected to lead the Allied forces into France. In this command-level study, historian Paradis (law, Columbia; Last Mission to Tokyo) details the level of planning and controversy that went into Operation Overlord, the codename for the Battle of Normandy. The specifics include squabbling between the western Allies about the limits of Eisenhower's authority, and reconciling command style among the armies. Dubbed "the transatlantic essay contest," every little detail about the invasion generated hundreds of reports, memos, and studies. The most vexing problem confronting the Allies was where they would get the vessels they needed to transport the invading forces. Operation Overlord proceeded to take precedence over all other Allied operations, including siphoning troops from the Italian campaign and postponing Operation Anvil, the invasion of France from the south. VERDICT This magnificent study is based on deep archival research and offers a comprehensive look into the planning of the Allied invasion of France. Readers interested in World War II history, especially about D-Day, should enjoy.--Chad E. Statler

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Starred review from May 13, 2024
Dwight Eisenhower’s steady wartime leadership is limned in this meticulous account of the planning of D-Day. Historian Paradis (Last Mission to Tokyo) tracks Eisenhower’s tactful navigation of tricky problems and personalities involved in orchestrating the Allied invasion of occupied Europe. These include his overseeing of multiple countries’ land, sea, and air forces, a finely tuned combination of which Eisenhower theorized would make possible a successful amphibious invasion of heavily defended beaches (a feat military experts had deemed foolhardy since the failure of the British invasion of Gallipoli during WWI) and dealings with Winston Churchill, whose “great literary imagination” made his military calculations unrealistic. Making matters even more complicated were tensions arising from the influx of U.S. troops stationed in Britain, especially outrage among the British public over segregation in the American military and harsher penalties for Black troops accused of rape (Eisenhower commuted one such death sentence when he learned the evidence was nonexistent). Paradis peppers his narrative with glimpses of Eisenhower’s sly humor in letters to his wife, building a sharp portrait of a man whose suspicion of extravagance led to his ascendance on the world stage as a trustworthy figure. The result is a discerning examination of Eisenhower’s personal hand in establishing America’s reputation as levelheaded “leader of the free world.”

June 1, 2024
In this in-depth WWII biography of the Supreme Allied Commander and Thirty-Fourth U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Paradis presents the humble general from Kansas as the ultimate example of a leader beset by stress and logistical nightmares. The author eschews presentism or hindsight to provide an unvarnished look at the work involved in putting together an enormous amphibious assault on a heavily defended coastline studded with the most complex fortifications in human history, manned by a fanatical, battle-hardened army. Paradis does an amazing job describing the day-to-day challenges Eisenhower faced dealing with the superhuman egos of subordinate commanders and political leaders in Washington, London, and Moscow. He also focuses on the very human side of Eisenhower as the only man who could unify the Allies while also contending with everything from family and friends to doubt, racial tensions, the weather, and, especially, managing landing craft and the proper use of air power in the Normandy invasion. Paradis presents an illuminating and compelling synthesis of all the demands placed on the commanding general, culminating in the triumph of D-Day.

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