Description
Book SynopsisTransforming citizen-soldiers into an effective combat unit
Trade ReviewWeaver has written an excellent account of the Pennsylvania National Guard's role in the European campaign. He has also demonstrated that there is still much important work to be done on the U.S. Army's participation in the 'good war.'April 2011
* The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography *
Overall, Guard Wars is an excellent addition to any World War II library. The book is a study in preparedness, and many of its lessons are relevant today. Fall 2011
* Journal of Army History *
Weaver has written an absorbing book that includes fascinating details about the pre-war National Guard, its relations with the Regular Army, and the uncomfortable amalgamation of the two caused by the national emergency. Weaver's research is wide-ranging and his writing skill is admirable; his analyses and conclusions are all reasonable and supported by the evidence he presents.
* The Journal of America's Military Past *
Micheal E. Weaver's Guard Wars does a fine job of bringing the Twenty-Eighth Infantry Division to life.
* H-Net Reviews Humanities and Social Sciences *
Table of ContentsList of Maps
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction: Background and Issues
2. Relations with the Army and State Identity
3. Readiness and Training: 1939–1941
4. Peacetime Maneuvers: 1939–1941
5. The Pennsylvania National Guard and American Society
6. Social Class, Recruiting, and Ideology
7. The October Purge
8. Stateside Training: 1942–1943
9. Training in Wales: 1943–1944
10. From Normandy to the West Wall
11. Battle of the Hürtgen Forest: A Leadership Failure
12. Battle of the Bulge: Stubbornness and Flexibility
13. Winter Battles
14. Conclusion
Appendix 1: The Execution of Private Slovik
Appendix 2: The Reestablishment of the Pennsylvania National Guard
Notes
Bibliography
Index
