Forrest C. Pogue (1912 – 1996) was an official US Army historian during World War II, and attained the rank of master sergeant.

He was a proponet of oral history techniques, and collected many oral histories from the war, under the direction of chief Army historian S. L. A. Marshall. During D-Day, Pogue was aboard a hospital ship off Omaha Beach, interviewing the wounded about their recent experiences in battle.

He mentored another WWII historian and author Stephen Ambrose. He is perhaps best known for his authorized biography of WWII general George Marshall. He also authored the official WWII history of SHAEF, titled The Supreme Command.

Bibliography

A partial list of books:

• Four-volume authorized biography of General George Marshall, Viking, 1963–87:
  • George C. Marshall: Education of a general, 1880-1939
  • George C Marshall: Ordeal and Hope, 1939-1943
  • George C. Marshall: Organizer of Victory 1943-1945
  • George C. Marshall : Statesman 1945-1959

• Pogue's War: Diaries of a WWII Combat Historian, University Press of Kentucky, 2001 ISBN 0-8131-2216-3

• The Supreme Command, Chief of Military History Publication 7-1, 1954

[edit Memorial Marker

In 2006, Forrest C. Pogue was honored in Marion, Crittenden County, Kentucky, with a memorial marker in front of the library there. It can be viewed at www.dycusburg.com.