Boston-based independent scholar Rigby presents a detailed examination of the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) and their key role in the outcome of WWII. Coverage includes biographical sketches of CCS members; workings of the CCS as an integral whole and as a modern bureaucracy; the CCS at work in the war in the Pacific; the CCS as a coalition building and its relative effectiveness in reducing inter-Allied friction; the author's perspective on the CCS organization--not politicians, diplomats, or bureaucrats--as the most important planning agency behind the victories of the Western Allies; methods used by the CCS to supervise subordinate commanders in the field; and how the CCS was increasingly involved in issues of production and diplomacy. Illustrated with b&w photographs. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)