Forging the Shield: The U.S. Army in Europe, 1951-1962 (Paperback)

Forging the Shield tells the story of the U.S Army in Europe during the critical 1950s and early 1960s. It spans the period between the return of major U.S combat forces to Germany in 1951 and the aftermath of the Berlin crisis of 1961-1962. During that time, the troops in Europe became the public face of the Army to Europeans and Americans as well as to the rest of the world. This important volume tells the story of the U.S. Army in the early days of the Cold War as our commitment evolved into the multigenerational defense of Europe and the values of freedom. The Army in Europe has remained a central pillar of U.S. defense and foreign policy throughout the Cold War and into the new reality of post–Cold War Europe today.

Historians, especially military historians, as well as students studying the Cold War and its aftermath, would find this informative.