Roosevelt's Centurions

FDR and the Commanders He Led to Victory in World War II

By: Joseph E. Persico

Narrated by: Dan Woren

“FDR’s centurions were my heroes and guides. Now Joe Persico has written the best account of those leaders I've ever read.”—Colin L. Powell

All American presidents are commanders in chief by law. Few perform as such in practice. In Roosevelt’s Centurions, distinguished historian Joseph E. Persico reveals how, during World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt seized the levers of wartime power like no president since Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Declaring himself “Dr. Win-the-War,” FDR assumed the role of strategist in chief, and, though surrounded by star-studded generals and admirals, he made clear who was running the war. FDR was a hands-on war leader, involving himself in everything from choosing bomber targets to planning naval convoys to the design of landing craft. Persico explores whether his strategic decisions, including his insistence on the Axis powers’ unconditional surrender, helped end or may have prolonged the war.

Taking us inside the Allied war councils, the author reveals how the president brokered strategy with contentious allies, particularly the iron-willed Winston Churchill; rallied morale on the home front; and handpicked a team of proud, sometimes prickly warriors who, he believed, could fight a global war. Persico’s history offers indelible portraits of the outsize figures who roused the “sleeping giant” that defeated the Axis war machine: the dutiful yet independent-minded George C. Marshall, charged with rebuilding an army whose troops trained with broomsticks for rifles, eggs for hand grenades; Dwight Eisenhower, an unassuming Kansan elevated from obscurity to command of the greatest fighting force ever assembled; the vainglorious Douglas MacArthur; and the bizarre battlefield genius George S. Patton. Here too are less widely celebrated military leaders whose contributions were just as critical: the irascible, dictatorial navy chief, Ernest King; the acerbic army advisor in China, “Vinegar” Joe Stilwell; and Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, who zealously preached the gospel of modern air power. The Roosevelt who emerges from these pages is a wartime chess master guiding America’s armed forces to a victory that was anything but foreordained.

What are the qualities we look for in a commander in chief? In an era of renewed conflict, when Americans are again confronting the questions that FDR faced—about the nature and exercise of global power—Roosevelt’s Centurions is a timely and revealing examination of what it takes to be a wartime leader in a freewheeling, complicated, and tumultuous democracy.

The Miraculous Men Who Saved The World

A well written historical look at the men and the man who led the world through the most perilous time in history.

Fantastic!!

My 3rd listen just a great book extremely well written and as far as I'm concerned narrated by the most talented guy in that business Dan Woren he's the best!!

Info I didn't know

What did you like best about Roosevelt's Centurions? What did you like least?

I read this book as part of a History Book Club's pick and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I'm not a fan of FDR, but respected the portraits of the generals that served him. Many interesting things about their lives that I've never heard made the read most interesting.

Roosevelt's Centurions - Lincoln and his Generals

I enjoyed this book and its approach to WWII from FDR's interplay between other world leaders and the coalition military leaders. As always, Type A personalities have their magnificent strengths and victories, and terrible flaws and errors. For example, FDR selection of strong, capable leaders for military leaders and political savvy versus his underestimation of Stalin, use of firebombing, and placing Japanese and Japanese-Americans in concentration camps. However, he did not hold back his unvarnished admiration for FDR even when he criticized him. Overall, I recommend the book but get another opinion on his conclusion on important events and these leaders' actions.

Fully Enjoyed This Book!

I loved it! The meticulous and personal details of the personalities of people involved was artfully woven into a story . I also admire the historical perspectives the book brings into focus.