In September 1939, 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, less than a year after Pearl Harbor, the American army had begun to swing the momentum against the most powerful military in the world. How did it happen? Beginning with FDR's selection of George C. Marshall to be Army Chief of Staff, Paul Dickson looks back on the remarkable peace-time draft of 1940, and the massive mock battles in Tennessee, Louisiana, and the Carolinas which honed the skills of emerging leaders Eisenhower, Bradley, and Clark.

"The best history is character-driven, and in this Mr. Dickson excels…. An indispensable account."—Wall Street Journal