Military Review English Edition November-December 2015 | Page 132

commander in the 1st Cavalry Division. He also served in
a variety of staff positions, many of them in Europe, which
greatly benefited him in the latter years of his career.
During the 1980s and the early 1990s, Galvin served
in a succession of commands that were
all important in the prosecution of the
Cold War. He commanded the 24th
Infantry Division, 1981–1983; served as
the commanding general of VII Corps,
1983–1985; commanded U.S. Southern
Command, 1985–1987; and culminated his career as commanding general of
United States European Command and
NATO supreme allied commander,
Europe, 1987–1992. Those who served
in the armed forces during this period
know the tremendous effect Galvin had
throughout the Cold War.
Balck began his service in the
German army in 1913. As one might
expect, his formative years as an officer were spent on the
World War I battlefields. During the Great War, he led
soldiers as a platoon leader and company commander,
where he earned numerous decorations. His performance
clearly impressed his superiors, as he was one of the only
four thousand officers selected to continue service in the
German army following the war.
Balck gained acclaim as a commander during World
War II. He began the war as a lieutenant colonel in command of a rifle regiment. By the end of the war, he had
risen to the rank of general der panzertruppe (lieutenant
general) in command of a German army group. It was on
the Eastern Front that Balck developed a reputation as one
of his army’s most exceptional battlefield commanders. In
fact, some of his own peers—and several U.S. Army general officers—considered Balck the best field commander in
the German army. He is one of only twenty-seven German
officers to receive the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves,
Swords, and Diamonds (awarded for extreme battlefield
bravery or outstanding military leadership).
Balck was, unquestionably, one of those aforementioned officers not seeking self-promotion. Following the
war, he made no effort to publicly address his battlefield
experience or accomplishments. During the late 1940s
and early 1950s, when the U.S. Army was conducting a
debriefing program of captured German senior leaders,
Balck refused to participate. Finally, from 1979 to 1980,
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Balck discussed his experiences with representatives of
the United States. The results of these discussions were
significant; they eventually found their way to the classrooms of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff
College and greatly influenced U.S.
Army airland battle doctrine.
The stellar military careers of both
men call for further study by military
historians. Perhaps the recent release of
the memoirs of these compelling men
by the University of Kentucky Press
will serve as the initial step in making
further study a reality.
The two books share three main
characteristics. First, each is superbly
written in conversational style. Both
authors are highly adept at reliving
events and telling stories and vignettes. These characteristics make
each book extremely readable and
engaging. An interesting note is that neither memoir was
crafted with the assistance of a ghost writer, which so
many authors use today.
Second, each of these memoirs was years in the making.
A recent trend I have observed is for senior officers who
decide to write their memoirs to publish their reflections
soon after retirement. This is clearly not the case with
Galvin or Balck. Galvin’s memoir was published some
twenty years after his retirement from the U.S. Army, and
Balck’s volume was released in Germany in 1981, more
than three decades after the end of World War II. And,
it was another three and a half decades before Balck’s
memoirs were translated into English and published in the
United States.
Third, both authors include much detail, considering
that the events they address took place so long ago. Galvin
was able to recall these events through his use of thousands
of note cards he accumulated during his service. As events
transpired, he would compose his notes on the cards to
keep a record he could revisit in the future.
For Balck, it was the use of the comprehensive
journals he kept during his military career. Perhaps the
greatest challenge Balck faced was keeping the journals
intact through the years. Before World War II, Balck
personally preserved his journals. During World War
II, however, he had Ѽ