Shakespeare famously wrote that some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Part military history and part group biography, Generals in the Making tells the true story of how George Marshall, Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, and their peers became the greatest generation of senior commanders in military history.

The general's apprentice : Marshall's years with Pershing -- MacArthur at West Point -- The innovator's dilemma : Ike, Patton, and Billy Mitchell after the war -- Guardians of empire -- "It Was Our Schools That Saved the Army" -- The Army in the Great Depression -- MacArthur and Eisenhower in the shadow of the Rising Sun -- The right man in the right place at the right time -- Patton, Eisenhower, and the largest battle on U.S. soil -- Generals at war.