General Matthew B. Ridgway's astonishing ability to visualize a military campaign matured based on his leader development, the lessons that he learned from failure and from personally mastering operational art. During World War II, Ridgway commanded the 82nd Airborne Division in Operations HUSKY and NEPTUNE, and then the XVIII Airborne Corps in Operation MARKET, the "Battle of the Bulge" and Operation VARSITY. This monograph, through an investigation into available primary sources: field orders, after action reports, and personal accounts reinforced with secondary source analysis, demonstrates that Ridgway overcame inadequacy. Although he completed all the military education available in his era, it was only after the intense crucible of three combat operations that he eventually applied operational art successfully. Evidence shows that Ridgway achieved tactical success but did not adequately apply operational art for HUSKY, NEPTUNE and MARKET. Ridgway learned from his failures and progressively improved his application of operational art during the Bulge and VARSITY. Not until his fifth experience, Operation VARSITY, did he master operational art. Within U.S. Army Mission Command, the most important subcomponent of visualization depends on eleven elements of operational art. These elements are the template this monograph uses in considering the factors of Ridgway's maturation of operational art through five combat operations. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
