Biographical note:

Michael E. Haskew is the editor of WWII History Magazine. He has written over a dozen books on the military history of WWII.

Main description:

West Point’s Class of 1915 is the academy’s most important in history.

The cadets of the United States Military Academy, West Point, are intimately twined with the country’s history. The graduating class of 1915, the class the stars fell on, was particularly noteworthy. Of the 164 graduates that year, 59 (36%) attained the rank of general, the most of any class in. Although Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley, both five-star generals, are the most recognizable, other class members contributed significantly to the Allied victory in World War I, World War II and played key roles either in the post-war U.S. military establishment or in business and industry after World War II, especially in the Korean War and the formation of NATO. For more than half a century, these men exerted tremendous influence on the shaping of modern America, which remains substantial to this day. Individually, the stories of these military and political leaders are noteworthy. Collectively, they are astonishing. West Point, 1915 explores the achievements of this remarkable group.

Review quote:

"West Point 1915 is a stirring, intensely human view of the military leaders of America's Greatest Generation. Clear your calendar because this book is a captivating page turner. I could not put it down. It will be critically acclaimed and is a must read for anyone interested in the historical sinew of the United States. Tracing the lives of West Point's Class of 1915 through the seminal events of the twentieth century, Michael Haskew superbly captures the stunning contributions of ‘the Class the Stars Fell On.' Skillfully focusing on Eisenhower and Bradley, Haskew, nonetheless, brings to life each of the class's 59 (of 164) who achieved the rank of general officer. With the passing of unofficial class scribe Colonel Edmund ‘Det' Ellis in 1995, the collective and interwoven lives of this profound group of patriots went silentâ??until now. West Point 1915 is expertly researched and documented, revealing surprising little-known facts otherwise lost to literary history. Impressively tracing its way through the institution and culture of America's military during our nation's most trying times, West Point 1915 will be celebrated by all who love America and who honor those who have dedicated their lives to preserving our democracy."

â??Gen. Burwell B. Bell (US Army, ret.), former commander of the US Army, Europe; NATO Land Component Command; and the US/South Korean Combined Defense Command

Review quote:

"A superb examination of how West Point turned out the military leaders who led America to victory in World War II."

â??Alex Kershaw, New York Times best-selling author of The Longest Winter

Review quote:

"How did one class fight WWI, win WWII, and guide America from nation to superpower? West Point 1915 illuminates the long-lost answer. Brilliantly researched, this is an intimate glimpse at everyday heroes who led on an epic scale."

â??Adam Makos, New York Times best-selling author of A Higher Call

Review quote:

"If, as the Duke of Wellington said, the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, then the Battle of D-Day was won on the reviewing plains of West Point, where Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley and the rest of the remarkable Class of 1915 learned the leadership skills necessary to lead massive numbers of Allied soldiers to victory. Mike Haskew's crisply written, well-organized account of ‘the class the stars fell on' reminds us again that true leaders are both born and made, and that ordinary men may rise to extraordi

"The US Military Academy at West Point, New York, has long been regarded as a ‘star factory,' and no class exemplified that designation more than the Class of 1915. Most of the members of that classâ??â??men such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, James Van Fleet, and many moreâ??â??cut their teeth as fledgling officers during the ‘Great War,' but it was the next world conflict that propelled so many of them to greatness. Mike Haskew's thoughtful, well-written book has captured who these men were and why they were able to achieve so much. Here is a book that will rescue the educational and personal values instilled by such a fine institution from the dim recesses of time and push these leadersâ??â??and the school that forged themâ??â??into bright light and sharp focus. Today, as the world faces a crisis of leadership and an uncertain destination, we Americans need West Pointâ??â??and the types of leaders it producesâ??â??more than at any other time in many decades."

â??Flint Whitlock, editor, WWII Quarterly