2023 Summer Recommended Reading with Brigadier General Chad T. Manske, USAF (Ret.) Continues with a focus on Military History. Brigadier General Manske was the former Commandant of National War College, is a prolific reader, author and publisher of dozens of book reviews and articles, and is the Special Advisor to the NDU Foundation CEO (https://ndufoundation.org/bio/staff/manske_chad).
Though much of the World War II history has already been written, studied, and analyzed, researchers and historians continue finding new angles to hypothesize and generate arguments for readers and consumers thirsty for the same. Previously classified materials, documents, letters, and diaries continue surfacing, providing new insights into the events shaping the Greatest Generation. One such diary has recently been published for Lt Gen James M. “Jumpin Jim” Gavin! Entitled, Gavin at War, it was written without thought of being published, which some Gavin enthusiasts will find interesting since Gavin himself wrote and published five books in a span of 30 years between 1947 and 1976. One could draw the logical conclusion that a war diary dating from April 8, 1943 (fittingly written while still at Fort Bragg, NC), through September 1, 1945, by THE commander of the 82d Airborne Division Commander at that time (think of all those historical airborne jumps!), would surely have gone to print shortly after the last entry. And yet, no. Some will argue that Gavin’s, On to Berlin, is in fact that historical account, and yes, there is much there. However, the innermost thoughts and opinions on the progress and preparation for jumps, Gavin’s opinions of his peers, subordinates, and superiors, and his personal thoughts on his marriage and other liaisons is detailed in Gavin at War. It reads much like an abbreviated stream of consciousness in part, and in others like a well-edited short story—which is how most diaries read.
Gavin was the youngest major general to command an American division in World War II. At the tender age of 37 he pinned his second star on, though at times, and understandably so, he feels like an ‘old man.’ Gavin brought his own typewriter to war with him and never hand-wrote his entries. He didn’t write every single day, but there are numerous stretches between battles and other big events where there is no account. Never having read any of Gavin’s books, as a reader of this diary I don’t feel I have missed out on too much of him as a person. He is both critical of himself and others, and in separate research I did on him, he prided himself on striving for perfection while achieving excellence. And because of this, Gavin seems to have been universally respected.
Among the clearest takeaways we get from this diary are, first, his devotion to his biggest mentor and superior (and later for a short time, a peer), GEN Matthew Ridgway. Respect for the man he idolized is evident in the numerous entries he pens. Second, he has a soft spot for the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), as they were called then. Of the thousand or so men that Gavin would make combat jumps with during the war, and all with the 505th (which was actually the only regiment to make all four), only 23 would survive in the division, commemorated by a photograph in the book. Those jumps were in Sicily, Salerno, Normandy (on D-Day), and the Nehterlands. Gavin holds the distinction of having made more combat jumps than any other general—ever. And on his gravestone at the West Point Cemetery on one side, is his master parachutist badge with those four stars signifying those jumps emblazoned upon them.
Gavin didn’t suffer those around him unprepared for the rigors and privations of war. He overprepared his men and ensured they had the equipment and training necessary for the tasks they were asked to perform. Many of his contemporaries would rarely go to the lengths he did in this regard, and as a result he was loved by his men. Gavin did not have a great marriage going into the war and mid-way through his entries speak of this and how matter-of-factly he and his wife Irma will divorce when he returns. This may have given him the interpersonal license to see others during his overseas service.
As a retired Airman, I found one particular entry interesting. While in Leicester, England on March 29, 1944, awaiting and preparing for D-Day, he discusses the debates around a separate Air Force after the war, to which he “is in agreement with them that there should be.” This argument extends into whether Airborne troops should also be folded in the Air Force, and is OK with the idea as long as they are not to be “the stepchildren of the air forces.”
Gavin’s career encompassed all of the historical battles of the war—Operation Husky, Market Garden, D-Day, and the Battle of the Bulge, among others. Yet his diary never comes off with the pomposity one might expect, likely because his brief writings on these events here lacked the context one might have in looking back at them all. Gavin’s military decorations would astonish many: two Distinguished Service Crosses and two Silver Stars, in addition to others. His diary notes he was ‘very proud’ to have earned the Purple Heart, too.
After the war, Gavin would earn a third star, marry again, and finish out a distinguished career. This service would include an ambassadorship to France by JFK, when DeGaulle was the French president. The book notes how Gavin conceived the idea for the Peace Corps to help Kennedy’s presidential campaign, which the latter endorsed and rewarded Gavin with the Paris assignment. Gavin would also be associated with the global consulting firm, Arthur D. Little for decades, both as its leader and a consultant. A final battle Gavin could not win, though, was the one with Parkinson’s Disease which would take his life in 1990.
This book is perfect for World War II enthusiasts, military fans, and particularly, for those who revered Gavin as the Father of Airborne!
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Brigadier General, USAF (Retired) Chad Manske was the former Commandant of National War College, is a prolific reader, author and publisher of dozens of book reviews and articles, and is the Special Advisor to the NDU Foundation CEO (https://ndufoundation.org/bio/staff/manske_chad).