Hello and welcome to Life of the Week from History Extra,

where leading historians delve into the lives of history's most intriguing and significant figures.

Few men did more to shape the course of the 20th century than Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Not only did Ike mastermind to the Allied invasion of Western Europe on D-Day,

but he went on to become president of the United States, as it cemented its status as the world's

most powerful nation. Here in conversation with Spentemism for our latest Life of the Week episode,

Ewan Morgan dissect the life and legacy of a celebrated but sometimes controversial leader.

So, Ewan, we're here today to talk about one of the titans of America's 20th century,

and that is Dwight B. Eisenhower.

So I wonder if you could start by giving us a quick introduction to Eisenhower. Who was he in a nutshell? Okay, well, Dwight the Eisenhower was born to,

I suppose, what you might term, a lower middle class family in Texas,

but the family soon after his birth moves to Abilene, Kansas.

And Eisenhower grows up in this prairie small town.

He goes to West Point and becomes quite a significant football player until he

suffers a bad injury. The Great War then occurs, but Eisenhower doesn't get out to France.

And after the war, he stays in the military, but of course there is a little opportunity for promotion,

and for the next 20 years, his career is somewhat in the doldrums.

Then with the coming of World War II, his potential is quickly recognized, and he has a

meteoric rise to become a general of the army.

And he is chosen by the army chief of staff, George Marshall, to oversee the invasion of North Africa

and then the invasion of Sicily and ultimately Italy.

And it's this success that determines Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president,

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