Author Description

This monumental project is the definitive work on the postwar American military occupation of France. In 1951, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, hero of the liberation of Europe, returned to Paris to command NATO forces. The US Army built a huge infrastructure across France to provide logistical support to the US Seventh Army in Germany during the Cold War. The US Air Force also sent aircraft to France to provide a nuclear deterrent to Soviet aggression. By 1962, the US military had 100,000 troops and family members living in France and employed 22,000 French civilians. This book is built on research in 50 international archives and more than 400 interviews. It is the definitive work on the postwar American military deployment to France and contains authoritative text along with original, professionally made maps, diagrams, and illustrations.