John Coyne McManus (born 1965) is a military historian, author, and professor of military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. McManus has published thirteen books on numerous American military history topics, including: the Allied invasion of Normandy, American infantry soldiers, and the 7th Infantry Regiment.
Education
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, McManus graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in sports journalism. After a short career in advertising and sports broadcasting, he earned a Master of Arts degree in American history from the University of Missouri. Soon after, he completed his Ph.D. in American and military history at the University of Tennessee. While working on his Ph.D., McManus participated in the university's Normandy Scholars program, where he studied the Normandy battlefields firsthand.[1]
Career
McManus served as the assistant director of the Center for the Study of War and Society at the University of Tennessee. In 2000, he accepted a position as an assistant professor of U.S. military history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. McManus currently serves on the editorial advisory board for World War II magazine and World War II quarterly. He is also the official historian of the 7th Infantry Regiment Association.[2]
McManus was also a guest on The Diane Rehm Show in a broad discussion on the continued significance of D-Day.[3]
McManus co-presents the Second World War podcast ‘We have ways of making you talk USA’ alongside James Holland and Al Murray.
Reception
Some of McManus's works are composed of several personal stories of common footsoldiers on the battlefield, often facing insurmountable challenges, as demonstrated in Grunts and The Dead and Those About to Die.[4][5]
Reviews of his work have been favorable.[citation needed] His years of research and analysis concerning specific battles such as the Normandy landings has been called "excellent," and that his scenic descriptions are vivid.[5]
Works
The Deadly Brotherhood : The American Combat Soldier in World War II, Novato, CA: Presidio (1998) ISBN0891417214OCLC56994527
The Americans at Normandy: The Summer of 1944 — The American War from the Normandy Beaches to Falaise, New York: Forge (2004) ISBN0765311992OCLC55510683
The Americans at D-Day: The American Experience at the Normandy Invasion, New York: Forge (2005) ISBN0765307448
Alamo in the Ardennes: The Untold Story of the American Soldiers Who Made the Defense of Bastogne, Hoboken, N.J. : J. Wiley (2007) ISBN0471739057OCLC70122479
The 7th Infantry Regiment: Combat in an Age of Terror: The Korean War Through the Present, New York: Forge (2008) ISBN0765303051OCLC191758472
American Courage, American Carnage: 7th Infantry Chronicles: The 7th Infantry Regiment’s Combat Experience, 1812 Through World War II, New York: Forge (2009) ISBN0765320126OCLC251190743
Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II Through Iraq, New York: NAL Caliber (2010)ISBN0451227905OCLC462902005
September Hope: The American Side of a Bridge Too Far, New York: New American Library (2012) ISBN0451237064OCLC741538553
The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day : The Big Red One at Omaha Beach, New York: NAL Caliber (2014) ISBN0451415299OCLC861208244
Fire and Fortitude: The U.S. Army in the Pacific War, 1941 - 1943, New York: Dutton Caliber (2019) ISBN978-0451475046
Island Infernos: The US Army's Pacific War Odyssey, 1944. New York: Dutton Caliber, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. 2021. ISBN0451475062.
To the End of the Earth: The US Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945. New York: Dutton Caliber, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. 2023. ISBN0593186885.
