General Eisenhower's Battle for Control of the Strategic Bombers in Support of Operation Overload - A Case Study in Unity of Command

Abstract

Joint Pub 1, Joint Warfare of the Armed Forces%of the United States, has a one page summary of the OVERLORD campaign entitled, "OVERLORD: A Classic Joint and Combined Operation." In the narrative, the author(s) referenced the OVERLORD command structure with its subordinate commands for land, air, and naval forces and "(after much dispute) what we would call today operational control over US and UK strategic air forces." This paper is an examination of the parenthetical "after much dispute." Moreover, it is an appreciation of the dynamics surrounding General Dwight Eisenhower's strategic leadership and his quest to achieve unity of command. Eisenhower believed unity of command was fundamental to the success of OVERLORD; he threatened resignation without it.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1999
Accession Number
ADA364514

Entities

People

  • Michael J. Finnegan

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Agreements
  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Area Bombing
  • Bombing
  • Case Studies
  • Department Of Defense
  • New York
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personality
  • Rail Transportation
  • Second World War
  • Strategic Bombing
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.