Devers ’ s character emerges throughout the text in Wheeler ’ s “ just the facts ma ’ am ” approach to his subject . The very sparseness of the prose , and its lack of hagiographic commentary , highlights this remarkable man ’ s integrity and generosity . For example , when Devers moved with his family to West Point after World War I to serve on the faculty , we learn that he and his wife Georgie had employed a former sergeant ’ s wife , a part-Cherokee woman , as a servant in their quarters at Fort Sill . Wheeler does not embellish this , but we learn she had been divorced before the move , and it seems clear that Jacob and Georgie Devers were employing , in today ’ s vernacular , a single mother with three young daughters to feed . We then learn that the couple moved this woman and her daughters into their home at West Point and took care of them until the woman married another sergeant . Wheeler also makes clear throughout the book that Devers had no aversions to expecting much from his own family . Devers ’ long work hours and long separations must have been hard on his wife and daughter , but they too “ soldiered on .” This attitude reflects a different age , when military careerists like Devers were expected to put the Army and the Nation first and their families second . Devers was no different from his peers in this respect , but his easy-going , problem-solving nature is at the heart of Wheeler ’ s thesis . Devers ’ s willingness to solve the most difficult problems , and to maintain a sort of ruthless cheerfulness while he did it , rubbed others the wrong way , especially men like Eisenhower , Omar Bradley , and Patton .
Wheeler ’ s minimalist approach even applies to his selection of photographs for the book . In one , Devers holds a trophy as a member of the War Department Polo Team . Next to him , with a stone face , if not a grimace , is Patton . Devers , on the other hand , presents his usual “ smiling Jake ” persona , accepting the trophy and looking like the most relaxed , comfortable person in the world . It is no wonder that he created a Cassius-like cadre who envied and begrudged him his success and ever-present cheerfulness .
An area in which Devers normally gets little credit is artillery development in the interwar period . Most U . S . military historians agree on the excellence of American artillery equipment , tactics , and procedures before and during World War II . Dr . Jonathan House wrote , “ Between 1929 and 1941 , a series of instructors at the Field Artillery School [ at Fort Sill ] gradually developed a means of concentrating any amount of available artillery fire on a target of opportunity . … Fire direction centers gave the U . S . Army a new and unprecedented degree of infantry-artillery integration .” 1 After Devers ’ s graduation from the Command and General Staff School , he reported to that very artillery school and served there until 1929 . Wheeler argues that later innovators built on the foundational work of instructors who included Devers , which allowed this “ unprecedented ” application of firepower on the modern battlefield . Devers later commanded the Armored Force in the first years of World War II and proved instrumental in the adoption and introduction of the excellent 105 mm self-propelled artillery gun known as the “ Priest ” into the U . S . inventory .
Throughout the book , Wheeler maintains an objective tone about his subject and does not give in to “ hero-worship ” prose . However , by the end of the book , the reader has a clear idea about why Devers has been forgotten in the narrative of World War II . That he never wrote a self-serving autobiography reflects his “ team ” approach to things ; he would emphasize the accomplishments of his subordinates and teams over highlighting his own achievements . One reason , perhaps , that Devers rubbed his contemporaries the wrong way is revealed in this passage by Wheeler at the end of the book : “ Jacob Devers did not forget his boyhood friends or community . He did not cheat on his wife . He did not blame his subordinates for his own mistakes or failures . He was not … disloyal to his superior officers . He did not forget to take care of those who served him .” The standard he set for himself separated him from his peers .
Devers lived an extremely long and healthy life , dying at ninety-two , but he never felt compelled to set the record straight , probably because he was happy with four stars and secure in the knowledge of his contributions to victory in World War II . Wheeler ’ s book is highly recommended for all history audiences — an extraordinary story about an extraordinary man who simply did not see himself that way .
Note
1 . Jonathan M . House , Toward Combined Arms Warfare : A Survey of 20th Century Tactics , Doctrine , and Organization ,
Research Survey No . 2 ( Fort Leavenworth , KS : Combat Studies Institute Press , 1984 ), 75 .
126 November-December 2016
MILITARY REVIEW