Dogface Soldier
The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr.
Will be published approx. on 16. October 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
400 pages
978-0-8262-2371-5 (ISBN)
Description
On July 11, 1943, General Lucian Truscott received the Army's second-highest decoration, the Distinguished Service Cross, for valor in action in Sicily. During his career he also received the Army Distinguished Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Purple Heart. Truscott was one of the most significant of all U.S. Army generals in World War II, pioneering new combat training methods-including the famous "Truscott Trot"- and excelling as a combat commander, turning the Third Infantry Division into one of the finest divisions in the U.S. Army. He was instrumental in winning many of the most important battles of the war, participating in the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Anzio, and southern France. Truscott was not only respected by his peers and "dogfaces"-common soldiers-alike but also ranked by President Eisenhower as second only to Patton, whose command he took over on October 8, 1945, and led until April 1946.
Yet no definitive history of his life has been compiled. Wilson Heefner corrects that with the first authoritative biography of this distinguished American military leader. Heefner has undertaken impressive research in primary sources-as well as interviews with family members and former associates-to shed new light on this overlooked hero. He presents Truscott as a soldier who was shaped by his upbringing, civilian and military education, family life, friendships, and evolving experiences as a commander both in and out of combat.
Heefner's brisk narrative explores Truscott's career through his three decades in the Army and defines his roles in key operations. It also examines Truscott's postwar role as military governor of Bavaria, particularly in improving living conditions for Jewish displaced persons, removing Nazis from civil government, and assisting in the trials of German war criminals. And it offers the first comprehensive examination of his subsequent career in the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served as senior CIA representative in West Germany during the early days of the Cold War, and later as CIA Director Allen Dulles's deputy director for coordination in Washington.
Dogface Soldier is a portrait of a man who earned a reputation for being honest, forthright, fearless, and aggressive, both as a military officer and in his personal life-a man who, at the dedication ceremony for the Anzio-Nettuno American cemetery in 1945, turned away from the crowd and to the thousands of crosses stretching before him to address those buried there. Heefner has written a definitive biography of a great soldier and patriot.
Yet no definitive history of his life has been compiled. Wilson Heefner corrects that with the first authoritative biography of this distinguished American military leader. Heefner has undertaken impressive research in primary sources-as well as interviews with family members and former associates-to shed new light on this overlooked hero. He presents Truscott as a soldier who was shaped by his upbringing, civilian and military education, family life, friendships, and evolving experiences as a commander both in and out of combat.
Heefner's brisk narrative explores Truscott's career through his three decades in the Army and defines his roles in key operations. It also examines Truscott's postwar role as military governor of Bavaria, particularly in improving living conditions for Jewish displaced persons, removing Nazis from civil government, and assisting in the trials of German war criminals. And it offers the first comprehensive examination of his subsequent career in the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served as senior CIA representative in West Germany during the early days of the Cold War, and later as CIA Director Allen Dulles's deputy director for coordination in Washington.
Dogface Soldier is a portrait of a man who earned a reputation for being honest, forthright, fearless, and aggressive, both as a military officer and in his personal life-a man who, at the dedication ceremony for the Anzio-Nettuno American cemetery in 1945, turned away from the crowd and to the thousands of crosses stretching before him to address those buried there. Heefner has written a definitive biography of a great soldier and patriot.
Reviews / Votes
"Heefner sheds much new light in this fine work of original scholarship. Dogface Soldier may well be the most important military biography since Carlo D'Este's well-received portrait of Eisenhower."-John C. McManus, author of The 7th Infantry Regiment: Combat in an Age of Terror "Lucian Truscott has long been thought of as one of the U.S. Army's most competent commanders, yet, until now, he has fallen into relative obscurity. Wilson Heefner brings Truscott back to life with a first-rate biography that is richly researched and very engaging. Well done!"-Mitchell A. Yockelson, author of Borrowed Soldiers: Americans Under British Command, 1918 "Wilson Heefner has produced a well crafted, deeply researched account of the military career of Lucian K. Truscott, Jr., a World War II division, corps, and army commander, and arguably the U.S. Army's most proficient combat commander in that conflict. That Truscott was a noted horseman, an accomplished writer, and briefly a senior manager with the Central Intelligence Agency during the early Cold War makes Heefner's biography all the more interesting reading."-Timothy K. Nenninger, author of The Leavenworth Schools and the Old Army: Education, Professionalism, and the Officer Corps of the United States Army, 1881-1918 "At last, a biography and a subject worthy of each other! Heefner's exhaustive archival research reveals the life of one of the most important but least known generals of World War Two, General Lucian Truscott. Critically, the author does not finish his account of the general's life with the end of public glory in 1945. Great events were stirring, and Truscott continued to be part of them. He served as the senior CIA officer in postwar Germany at the height of the Cold War, and Heefner has been able to uncover many new details of this period in the general's life. The author integrates these key roles of Truscott's career into a seamless whole-the story of a life devoted to service."-Caroline Cox, University of the Pacific, author of A Proper Sense of Honor: Service and Sacrifice in George Washington's Army "Instead of churning out another biography on Eisenhower or Patton, Heefner once again has written a masterful biography on a lesser known-but nonetheless important-American commander in World War II. Dogface Soldier stands alongside his biographies of Edwin D. Patrick and Walton H. Walker, men who may not be household names but contributed significantly to Allied victory. Truscott earned the respect of such figures as Dwight D. Eisenhower and George C. Marshall, and now Heefner explains what made Truscott worthy of that trust. Historians and military professionals are in debt to Heefner."-Kevin C. Holzimmer, author of General Walter Krueger: Unsung Hero of the Pacific WarMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Missouri
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: From Ninth Grade to College Graduate Student, Interest Age: From 0 to 99 years
Illustrations
15 illus., 23 maps
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8262-2371-5 (9780826223715)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Wilson A. Heefner, (1931-2013) of Stockton, California, was a retired physician. He retired from the U.S. Army in the grade of colonel after forty-one years of service as an enlisted man, infantry officer, and medical officer in the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and U.S. Army Reserve. He is the author of Twentieth Century Warrior: The Life and Service of Major General Edwin D. Patrick and Patton's Bulldog: The Life and Service of General Walton H. Walker.
The American Military Experience Series, edited by John C. McManus.
The American Military Experience Series, edited by John C. McManus.