Historical Analysis of Major General James M. Gavin’s Personal Memoirs
...the new and specialized Airborne Forces. General Ridgeway served the war as an infantry brigade commander, division commander, planner for Operation Neptune (airborne forces insertion on D-Day) and Airborne Corps Commander. In the end it was surmised that many were jealous and had petty rifts with Gavin, especially Eisenhower, which resulted in him being passed over for more senior promotion. Finally, the question presented and definitively answered in consideration of whether or not memoirs should or should not be used as evidence of the critical moments in history. This article is interesting to my fellow paratroopers and me because the airborne insertion techniques developed by Gavin are still used extensively today. He is a hero within the airborne community and is directly responsible for the prestige that we enjoy today as Airborne Soldiers. This article sheds light on the rifts that occurred during the war and how things were recorded. I would venture to say that some of the airborne operations of the war that were considered victories by some were not, yet others that should have been credited to the airborne were somehow discounted or ignored. The lack of understanding on the employment of airborne forces by General Eisenhower and Field marshal Montgomery are inexcusable. It was Eisenhower’s lack of understanding of what occurred day to day on the battlefield and how to move forces more readily that prolonged some portions of the war. Having said that I realize that it is easy to look backwards and see what should have been done. I also understand that instant communication was not the order of the day; however Eisenhower was not by any means what anyone would consider a field general. In today’s modern time we see these as failures and have created an ideal that if one is to command troops he must be aware what is occurring with th...