Eisenhower's Guerrillas
The Jedburghs, the Maquis, and the Liberation of France
New York : Oxford University Press, [2016]
Format: Book
Description: xiii, 384 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
The challenges facing General Dwight Eisenhower before the Invasion of Normandy were not merely military but political as well. He knew that to liberate France, and to hold it, the Allies needed local help, which would necessitate coordinating with the highly independent French resistance groups known collectively as the maquis. The Allies' objective was to push the Germans out of France. The French objective, on the other hand, was a France free of all foreign armies, including the Allies. President Roosevelt refused to give full support to Charles de Gaulle, whom he mistrusted, and declined to supply the timing, location, and other key details of Operation Overlord to his Free French government. Eisenhower's hands were tied. He needed to involve the French, but without simultaneously involving them in operational planning.
Into this atmosphere of tension and confusion jumped teams consisting of three officers each -- one from the British Special Operations Bureau, one from the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, one from the Free French Bureau Central de Renseignement -- as well as a radioman from any one of the three nations. Known as the Jedburghs, their primary purpose was to serve as liaisons to the maquis, working to arm, train, and equip them. They were to incite guerilla warfare.
Benjamin Jones' Eisenhower's Guerrillas is the first book to show in detail how the Jedburghs -- whose heroism and exploits have been widely celebrated -- and the maquis worked together. Underscoring the critical and often overlooked role that irregular warfare played in Allied operations on the Continent, it tells the story of the battle for and liberation of France and the complexities that threatened to undermine the operation before it even began.
Into this atmosphere of tension and confusion jumped teams consisting of three officers each -- one from the British Special Operations Bureau, one from the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, one from the Free French Bureau Central de Renseignement -- as well as a radioman from any one of the three nations. Known as the Jedburghs, their primary purpose was to serve as liaisons to the maquis, working to arm, train, and equip them. They were to incite guerilla warfare.
Benjamin Jones' Eisenhower's Guerrillas is the first book to show in detail how the Jedburghs -- whose heroism and exploits have been widely celebrated -- and the maquis worked together. Underscoring the critical and often overlooked role that irregular warfare played in Allied operations on the Continent, it tells the story of the battle for and liberation of France and the complexities that threatened to undermine the operation before it even began.
Contents:
Prologue : Eisenhower's dilemma -- Guerrilla warfare and the design of the jedburghs -- Enter the Americans -- Recreating France and the rise of the résistance -- North African rehearsal -- The politics running into D-Day -- The struggle for control -- The free French battle for Brittany and Eisenhower battles for the free French -- Setting the trap -- The fog of war in eastern France -- Conclusion : Eisenhower's Guerrillas in history and memory.
Subjects:
World War, 1939-1945 -- Secret service -- France.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- France.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- France.
Guerrillas -- France -- History -- 20th century.
Special forces (Military science) -- France -- History -- 20th century.
Special operations (Military science) -- France -- History -- 20th century.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Secret service -- France.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- France.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- France.
Guerrillas -- France -- History -- 20th century.
Special forces (Military science) -- France -- History -- 20th century.
Special operations (Military science) -- France -- History -- 20th century.
ISBN:
9780199942084
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
HISTORY War WWII Jon | Ballentine Indoors | Nonfiction | In |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 347-358) and index.