Amazon.com
"After the end of the World War of 1914 there was a deep conviction and almost universal hope that peace would reign in the world. This heart's desire of all the peoples could easily have been gained by steadfastness in righteous convictions, and by reasonable common sense and prudence."
But we all know that's not what happened. As Britain's prime minister for most of the Second World War, Winston Churchill--whose career had to that point already encompassed the roles of military historian and civil servant with a proficiency in both that few others could claim--had a unique perspective on the conflict, and as soon as he left office in 1945, he began to set that perspective down on paper. To measure the importance of The Second World War, it is worth remembering that there are no parallel accounts from either of the other Allied leaders, Roosevelt and Stalin. We have in this multivolume work an account that contains both comprehensive sweep and intimate detail. Almost anybody who compiles a list of such works ranks it highly among the nonfiction books of the 20th century.
In the opening volume, The Gathering Storm, Churchill tracks the erosion of the shaky peace brokered at the end of the First World War, followed by the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis and their gradual spread from beyond Germany's borders to most of the European continent. Churchill foresaw the coming crisis and made his opinion known quite clearly throughout the latter '30s, and this book concludes on a vindicating note, with his appointment in May 1940 as prime minister, after which he recalls that "I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial."
Their Finest Hour concerns itself with 1940. France falls, and England is left to face the German menace alone. Soon London is under siege from the air--and Churchill has a few stories of his own experiences during the Blitz to share--but they persevere to the end of what Churchill calls "the most splendid, as it was the most deadly, year in our long English and British history." They press on in The Grand Alliance, liberating Ethiopia from the Italians and lending support to Greece. Then, when Hitler reneges on his non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union (the very signing of which had proved Stalin and his commissars "the most completely outwitted bunglers of the Second World War"), the Allied team begins to coalesce. The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese makes the participation of the United States in the war official, and this is of "the greatest joy" to Churchill: "How long the war would last or in what fashion it would end no man could tell, nor did I at that moment care. Once again in our long island history we should emerge, however mauled or mutilated, safe and victorious."
But as the fourth volume, The Hinge of Fate, reveals, success would not happen overnight. The Japanese military still held strong positions in the Pacific theater, and Rommel's tank corps were on the offensive in Africa. After a string of military defeats, Churchill's opponents in Parliament introduced a motion for a censure vote; this was handily defeated, and victory secured in Africa, then Italy. By this time, Churchill had met separately with both Roosevelt and Stalin; the second half of volume 5, Closing the Ring, brings the three of them together for the first time at the November 1943 conference in Teheran. This book closes on the eve of D-day: "All the ships were at sea. We had the mastery of the oceans and of the air. The Hitler tyranny was doomed."
And so, in the concluding volume, Triumph and Tragedy, the Allies push across Europe and take the fight to Berlin. President Roosevelt's death shortly before final victory against Germany affected Churchill deeply, "as if I had been struck a physical blow," and he would later regret not attending the funeral and meeting Harry Truman then, instead of at the Potsdam conference after Germany's defeat. Churchill himself would not be there for the conclusion to the war against Japan; in July of 1945, a general election in Britain brought in a Labor government (or, as he refers to them, "Socialists"), and he resigned immediately, for "the verdict of the electors had been so overwhelmingly expressed that I did not wish to remain even for an hour responsible for their affairs."
Book Description
Churchill's six-volume history of World War II -- the definitive work, remarkable both for its sweep and for its sense of personal involvement, universally acknowledged as a magnificent historical reconstruction and an enduring work of literature. From Britian's darkest and finest hour to the great alliance and ultimate victory, the Second World War remains the pivotal event in our century. Churchill was not only its greatest leader, but the free world's most eloquent voice of defiance in the face of Nazi tyranny. His epic account of those times, published in six volumes, won the Nobel Prize in 1953.
Customer Reviews:
The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-21
This book begins with the phrase "if ever there was a war that could have been prevented it was this one." or something to that effect. This I thought to be rather shocking when one understands that WWII is always held up as the world's most justified war; or the war that had to be fought. Winston goes on through this series of books to point out all the spots and circumstances where the proper world reaction could have prevented World War II.
I am one of those fortunate people who have this entire set in hardback. At one time I had two sets but I gave one to a friend. Admittedly, as Uncle Joe Stalin said, Winston can be a bit of a windbag. There are times where he goes on and on. But if you are a World War II history buff that is exactly what you want.
Winston was not only a politician but an intellectual and an historian. We have no ex-presidents who have ever accomplished anything comparable to this. I don't know of any other country or nation that does either.
If you learn to read Winston's style you will also find quite a bit of information in his historical output that you will have great difficulty finding any where else.
If you love books and history and you're not hurting for money this set is worth the investment. Do yourself a favor.
The Second World War (Six Volume Boxed Set).......2007-03-23
These are good books. Mr. Churchill wrote wonderful.
I marked it 4 stars because of printing quality.This edition has small font and paper is not good enough.
Not really comfortable to read.
I think it is better to buy books off-line ( in store) you may look at it first.
Churchill - brilliant writer and thinker.......2007-01-18
Churchill's excellently written magnum opus on WW2 is definitely worth while reading, and I recommend the box for all who want a detailed and insightful description of one of the most traumatic events in the history of man. His literary style is beautiful, sometimes even poetic and it is a long wonderful journey for the reader. Churchill must have been in his best mood when he wrote it, not least because of the many humourous anecdotes and comments. He is surely an outstanding scholar and for me, being an amateur historian, the books gave me all the necessary background for further explorations in the subjects.
The Second World War by Windston S. Churchill.......2007-01-05
Bought this set for a friend who absolutely thinks it is the best. He has been reading Churchill biographies and now to hear everything from his point of view has been very informative. Recommend this set highly.
A mile-high pile of stinking propaganda...........2006-10-04
...from the incompetent drunkard who destroyed the British Empire. This is a worthless series of phony history, valued only by myopic, hero-worshipping American neocons. Churchill was a prime actor in the events he was describing and as such, wrote a self-justifying history designed to make himself look like Pericles, Jesus and Alexander the Great rolled into one. Objective history is written by objective historians, and Churchill was not one.
Look- Churchill was an amusing alcoholic who made some witty remarks when he was plastered, and the man wasn't without a certain rat-like cunning, especially in the way that he manipulated America into violating its neutrality and skillfully turned world opinion against German "barbarism" (even though it was the British who were the first to bomb German civilians, in the hope that the Germans would retaliate in kind, thereby solidifying British support for an unpopular war.) But to say that Churchill is the apotheosis of political leadership and wisdom is a sad joke. He was a drunkard who sometimes got so pickled that he had to hire an impersonator to deliver some of his most famous speeches over the radio. He was a war criminal whose monomaniacal hatred of Hitler worked against his own people's interests and ended up bankrupting his country, destroying the British Empire and allowing half of Europe to be taken over the Soviets. What a victory! If any business or political leader today says he wants to emulate Churchill, he should be fired or impeached because either Chapter 11 or national ruin is just around the corner. But hey, if you're into long-winded, dishonest self-aggrandizement, then I highly recommend it.
Book Description
From the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944 the Second World War had only fourteen months to run. This final volume of the account covers events right up to the unconditional surrender of Japan. Churchill's six-volume history of World War II - the definitive work, remarkable both for its sweep and for its sense of personal involvement, universally acknowledged as a magnificent historical reconstruction and an enduring work of literature.
Download Description
The end of World War II, the crushing of Germany and the devastating bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.and the entrance into an uneasy and clouded peace as Churchill is dismissed from his office and the Allies embark upon a tragic, misguided and atomic-haunted Cold War. The concluding volume of Churchill's great chronicle of the War which was responsible for his winning the Noble Prize in Literature.
Customer Reviews:
Churchill comes full circle.......2007-08-13
Volume 6 "Triumph and Tragedy" covers the time frame of June 6, 1944 to July 26, 1945 and closes Churchill's account. The war is moving towards its' climax as the Allies land and push forward towards Paris and then on towards Berlin. Failure in Italy to pursue the Germans was reached as `Anvil', Riviera landing Southern France, reduced troop strength and was one of the factors that change the future of Poland and the rest of the Balkans. The Moscow conference has Churchill and Stalin discussing percentages of influence. At Quebec Churchill was very anxious to forestall the Russians in certain area of Central Europe. Unfortunately Churchill's influence consisted mainly in a warning voice. He was caught between a rock and a hard spot as he tries to appease Stalin and also not to sever England's life line with FDR and America. Yalta brought hopes and promises to a war weary world. Perhaps if Roosevelt had lived maybe these could have been achieved but his death left many agreements open ended and unfulfilled. Truman steps into office and the problems of `Unconditional Surrender' surface as surrender with Germany and Japan becomes eminent. Poland, one of the main reason for England's entering the War, is once again on stage for their sacrifice. The future of Europe and the World is being decided and the Cold War stands in the wings.
Churchill's and England's influence has waned. Even as Potsdam was failing all he can find is a concerned voice. England was deep in debt and tired of War. With Germany surrendering, there was no more desire to fight another battle especially with Russia. The Atomic bomb is dropped on Japan's two cities and Churchill finds that he has been voted out of office. On July 26, 1945 he bids farewell to the Nation that he served and steps out of what he considered as an unfinished office. He states that the "power to shape the future would be denied him". He wished he could have stayed to help with the needed peace but out of office all he could do was speak. He was not to return again for another 6 years and by then it was to late for another coalition government.
This is an important volume and series in understanding a great deal about WWII history and the start of the Cold War. The volume is well name. Victory blocked Nazism and then unleashed the power of the atom. The World would never again be the same. Old fears were replaced with new ones and national hegemony reared its' ugly head. The peace that Churchill wanted was not to be. Well worth reading and adding to the history shelf.
The End.......2007-05-10
This is the final volume of Churchill's war memoires, telling the story of the war from D-Day until its conclusion. The ending is somewhat curtailed due to the fact that the Conservatives lost the 1945 General Election, with the result that Churchill ceased to be Prime Minister before the end of the war with Japan.
Churchill's account is at its best when he relates the problems with the fate of Greece and Poland, also when he tells of the deteriorating relationships with the USSR. What does become apparent is that Great Britain was by now a part-player in the end of the war, tolerated at the top table only because of her efforts in the war. The country, and its influence, was near exhaustion.
The problems with Churchill's previous volumes persist in this one. For example, an inadequate account of the bombing campaign: Dresden is dealt with in one sentence, and the assessment of the campaign as a whole is brief and uneasy. The Final Solution is accorded the briefest of mentions. The development of the atom bomb is hardly referred to until the success of the first test explosion.
These "faults" do not detract totally from the interesting parts of the book. But what is already good could have been far better. In the end, all six volumes are a fascinating account of the war from one of its key figures.
G Rodgers
The abrupt conclusion leaves unanswered questions.......2007-01-08
The sixth and final volume of Churchill's Second World War sees us through from D Day to victory. While the progression of the war itself is covered in much the same fashion as the first five volumes, it is here more than anywhere that Churchill starts looking forward to the post war world and the final disposition of power in Europe. Well before the actual end of the conflict, with victory certain, we see how the Soviet Union began closing off its regions of control from Allied scrutiny despite all efforts at openness and fairness from Britain and America. In particular, the Polish question weighed heavily on Churchill's mind and he devotes several chapters entirely to that problem. We see that Poland was the standard example of how Communist puppet governments were set up behind closed doors, while Stalin maintained an entirely straight face in claiming only a desire for peace and security. Churchill ends by noting the irony that as the war closed it was thought that The United States would possibly serve as a political buffer between the British and Soviet governments.
One can sense the frustration Churchill had as events were increasingly out of his control. By war's end Britain was decisively third ranked in terms of troops in action. After leading the only significant resistance to German war making for two full years, he found himself in disagreement with both major allies on various issues, major in the case of the Soviets and considerably less significant with regard to the U.S., but his feeling of encroaching loss is felt in this volume. Though he would later return to the Prime Minister's office, he ends the narrative as abruptly as he did his period of leadership (though he does skip ahead to the end of the Pacific war), with the great post-war questions unanswered.
Winni; as he was known to the British during WW11.......2005-03-14
I was born toward the end of world war two, and I'll never forget how this brilliant and intrepid man, through his daily, radio speaches, made the British people feel that they would never be defeated by Hitler. Winston Churchill, saw, before anyone else in England, that Germany would invade the rest of Europe and Great Britian in his iniquitous bid to conquer, control and kill millions of innocent people, without a thought of anything else but his evil ideas of what he, a mad-man, wanted at any cost.
As I grew older, my family told me more about the war. An uncle, who was in the Royal Air force, had his plane shot down and he spent nearly five years in a German P.O.W camp. My mother, when the dreaded dozzel bug bombs bombarded London day and night, had one drop very near her. She was pushing a pram with my twin sister and me in it, two older sisters were with her as she heard the engine stop and watched it fall; it was a dud and never exploded or we wouldn't be alive today. What terror she must have felt; I can not imagine. But Winston Churchill's daily radio addresses made her and so many other people gather their courage and continue on despite the very real danger of living in London.
Winston Churchill was a hero, beyond compare, to the people of Great Britain, during its time of greatest peril.
So many brave Americans went to fly for the Royal Air Force before America had entered the war. And so many of them perished -- such heros!!! To fight and die for England and freedom before they had to: brave crusaders!!
Then America also was at war with Germany and brought so much hope to the British people. They fought and so many of them died.
I read so much about this time in history. And these books, although definately not light reading, tell about a time when not only the men, but the women and even the children did whatever they could to rid this world of such evil. And so much of the braveness, the will to go on, despite everything, of the British people was because of this great man: Winston Churchill, who told them, and made them believe, every night by his radio speaches, that they could and would beat the Nazi threat.
Missing the point.......2003-11-22
I just had to add my two cents after finishing the sixth volume all of about 15 minutes ago. I ask my fellow reviewers who accuse Churchill of a completely selfish designation of "tragedy" on his loss of power in Britain to make sure they have actually read the right book; I can't see how it can be anything other than incredibly obvious that the "tragedy" he refers to is the inability of the Allies to halt Russian encroachment and lay the foundation for a peace which wouldn't be eventually and unavoidably interrupted by the potential for World War Three. This conclusion to Churchill's brilliant series is once again fantastic in scope and offers invaluable perspective. Most importantly, it is also incredibly prescient, as shown by 30 years of Cold War which we only escaped a decade ago.
Amazon.com
Winston Churchill was not only a statesman and leader of historic proportions, he also possessed substantial literary talents. These two factors combine to make The Gathering Storm a unique work. The first volume of Churchill's memoirs, this selection is broken into two parts. The first, "From War to War," consists of Churchill's critical observations on the settlement of World War I and its place in the causes of the Second World War. The second volume contains letters and memoranda from the British government--of which Churchill was part--as the country plunged unprepared into war. This stands as the best of history: written as it was made, by the man who made it.
Book Description
The step-by-step decline into war, with Churchill becoming prime minister as "the tocsin was about to sound."
Download Description
The first volume of Churchill's Noble-Prize winning six-part chronicle of World War II. THE GATHERING STORM depicts the rise of Hitler and the indifference of the leaders of the European democracies to the clouds of the gathering storm. Churchill incorporate contemporary documentation and his own reminiscence in this opening memoir.
Customer Reviews:
A unique work with a message for us in today's world.......2006-12-20
This is the first volume of Churchill's Noble Prize winning six part chronicle of World War II. The Gathering Storm depicts the rise of Hitler and the indifference of the leaders of the European democracies to the clouds of the gathering storm. Churchill incorporates contemporary documentation and his own reminiscence in this opening memoir. Churchill was a great statesman with great literary ability - a winning combination. The Gathering Storm a unique work and has a message for us in today's world.
Read and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler
"We were to learn what total war means".......2006-10-05
Churchill gathered his researchers and secretaries and wrote an account of the events of World War II. These memoirs would span a work of six volumes, and added with his other literary achievements win for him the Noble Prize in Literature. The 'Gathering Storm', Volume I, starts with the end of World War I..the war to end all wars..and concludes on May 10,1940 with Germany's invasion of the Low Countries(Holland/Belgium) and France. May 10 was also the day that Neville Chamberlain resigned as Prime Minister and Churchill was asked, by the King, to form a new Government...in effect becoming the new head of Government or Prime Minister.
This is a work that is well worth reading. The contents and wisdom are just as relevant today as then. Churchill was relentless in his opinions, good and not-so-good, and did all in his power to try and stem the coming war. He had the advantage of being in the early government as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1911 to 1915. Driven into the wilderness years by forcing the Darnanelles,..a plan he still maintained would have worked if not for the 'timid observationists'..he would still keep active in governmental affairs and had enough connections to keep up-to-date with current events. Chamberlain, in 1939, would put him back into the Admiralty as First Lord..ironically going full circle back to his old office. Now with victory and hindsight, he was in the enviable position to see and write about the events that took place, and what could have happened if certain plans had or hadn't been implemented.
Churchill states that all the trials he went through prepared him for the great task of war. Had he remained in office, the position of Prime Minister would never have come his way. He would have been swept out of office with the failed administration. Those 'invisible wings' of fate were watching out for him. He was freed from party antagonisms and with six years of warning, about the oncoming events, no one could reproach him. What he had warned about was now real and the future was not certain. Churchill felt he knew a great deal about it all and was sure he could not fail. As Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, he now had the power to direct the whole scene. That was one of the areas I felt he craved more than any. The power to move the action forward on the offensive instead of always on the defensive.
Churchill wrote of the events that were transpiring with Germany's disregard for the Treaty of Versailles, Locarno and the failure at Munich. The rise of Hilter and his ascension to Chancellor, the absorption of Austria, the neutralization of Czechoslovakia, and the fall of Poland. The timidity of England and France to respond to the treaties and strike a blow for freedom in retaliation. He doesn't hold back his opinions and what he felt should have been done. As First Lord of the Admiralty he pushed for taking the port at Narvik Norway and found this plan changed from a sea strike to a failed pincer attack. He watched with frustration the failed, yet fortunate, attempt to tangle and embed the war on the Norwegian front. It was fortunate because shortly the war was to break full upon the Western Front and all was needed there. Norway ended the twilight or false war and moved the events forward into an all out compaign of total war.
The face and technology of war has changed over these many years. I doubt we'll ever see countries signing peace documents on battleships again. Unfortunately the reality is that war is still very much alive and with us. These facts alone make these volumes important reading. Possibly the most important aspect is that we can learn from a great man's experiences and hopefully not repeat the past. Well worth adding to the library.
"History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.".......2006-09-04
And he did. This compulisively readable account of Europe between the wars and from 09/39 to 05/40 covers European diplomatic history, shifts in British politics, Britian's unwillingness to prepare for war, Hitler's rise to power and German re-armament. It ends with the invasion of France/the Low Countries and Chuchill's ascent to Prime Minister of a National Government. For all it's readablity and heavy use of documentation and primary sources, this is still a memior and sometimes self-serving.
The Tragedy.......2006-07-22
In his preface Churchill states that one day president Roosevelt asked him for suggestions as to what the war should be called. He replied at once " the Unnecessary War "
While hindsight is always 20-20, it is impossible to read this brilliant account without coming to the conclusion that Churchill was giving way to understatement. The absurd idiocies of the governments of the victorious Allies of The Great War from 1918 to 1939 were so blatantly appalling as to be beyond belief.
To name just one, there was strong pressure in the British Parliament and Press to have France, in the interest of fair play (?) reduce its army by half and allow Germany to double its own.-- As Hitler was rallying millions to his banner.
The chapter on Hitler is perhaps the best. To quote Churchill again: " When eventually he came to power there was no book (Mein Kempf) which deserved more careful study from the rulers, political and military , of the Allied powers. All was there . . . "
But the Allies, embroiled with their own party strifes, took little notice.
Juncture after juncture, The Second World War could have easily been avoided. Repeat, easily.
For readers only familiar with Churchill's reputation as an orator, this is a chance to get to know why so many justly regard him as one of the greatest prose writers of the 20th century.
Furthermore, neither Hitler, Roosevelt, nor Stalin had the means or inclination to give an insider's first rate account of the war. Here you will see it from the summit, blow by blow.
It is indeed a tragedy, but one superbly told.
Drift to disaster.......2006-07-03
This is the first volume in a six-part work covering World War Two. It's best looked upon as Churchill's war memoirs rather than an attempt at a definitive history of the conflict. Of course, Churchill was a major figure in the war, and therefore cannot be regarded as a dispassionate analyst: he was far too close to the events and lacked the research that subsequent years have provided. All these observations are truisms, but it's worth stating that the reader should expect a very personal and Anglo-centric account.
This first volume covers the period from 1919 to the fall of the Chamberlain Government following the disasterous campaign in Norway in 1940. A major chunk of the book is taken up by Churchill's account of the faults and consequences of the Versailles Treaty, the rise of Nazi Germany and the growing threat to peace. There is very little on events in the Far East. There's not much either to throw doubt upon Churchill's role as the unheeded herald of the menace posed by the dictators, but he does have the grace to concede that the trials of World War One and the horrendous losses suffered in that war had scarred deeply the collective psyche. The reluctance to re-militarise can be better understood in that context.
Events have since shown of course that few politicians have the courage either to act contrary to what they perceive as public sentiment, or to clear their minds of preconceptions when all the evidence does not suit them. Either of these traits on their own are problematic, but it seemed that both were working at the same time in the inter-war period, to disasterous effect. As Churchill points out, few (including those on the Left) demurred from the prevailing wisdom: this must be borne in mind when British politicians of all types during the post-war period posed as implacable pre-war anti-appeasers.
Of course, few of the democracies were without these traits, and few come out of Churchill's account with total absolution - barring perhaps Czechoslovakia. Even Poland took part in the post-Munich dismemberment of that country. Churchill's account is of a tragedy, but not one which started in 1919. Rather the "peace" between the two World Wars was nothing more than a pause in the greater tragedy of twentieth-century history.
His account is passionate, lively and accessibly written. As I stated above, not one for a student wanting a definitive story, but is nonetheless gripping.
G Rodgers
From the Publisher
Winston Churchill is one of the most extraordinary leaders the tumultuous twentieth century produced. Why did he see so clearly when those around him acted so blindly? What enabled him to stand steadfastly when those around him vacillated? How was he able to inspire whole nations to endure the unendurable and to achieve the unachievable when those around him surrendered all hope? In this remarkable new study of Churchill's legacy, Stephen Mansfield addresses these questions and shows us what lay at the core of Churchill's extraordinary character. The result is an inspiring portrait of a truly great leader.
Customer Reviews:
Nicely done.......2007-07-31
Mr. Mansfield has done a very nice job. He writes with the presupposition that history is the outworking of the providence and plan of God, a presupposition I accept, and which I believe is overwhelmingly confirmed by history itself. We all view the world through our presuppositions, and none of us can claim "neutrality." Those who "ding" Mansfield for his Christianity or for illuminating the Christian faith of his subject miss the point of the book. Would you have us all live in the ghetto where the only view allowed is secular humanism? Thankfully, we still live in a country where one is allowed to have Christian presuppositions. It was Mansfield's purpose to write from this point of view. If you "ding" him for having that purpose, then are you not saying that there should no freedom to express opinions different from your own? I am most amused by the reviewer who implies that Mansfield cannot understand England because of that country's current spiritual condition. Surely Churchill's England was different from today's England. England's decline (and our own here in America) can be directly traced to abandoning the Author of our lives and freedoms. Mansfield makes the point that Churchill understood England's place in preserving the freedoms of its Christian heritage, not only for itself but also for the western civilization, against the Nazi threats (definitely not the forces of goodness and light).
This history is written by a Christian (Mansfield) about a Christian (Churchill). If Churchill was, indeed, someone who experienced true conversion to Christianity, then his faith would have permeated all that he was and did. It would and did give him the necessary heart and spirit to persevere under severe trial. Conversion is not a matter which has no impact upon the personal and professional life of a man - it will govern all that he is - his thinking and life.
What a great little book! I am also delighted to discover that Churchill, when asked whom he should like to be if he could not be himself, thought about it and answered "Mrs. Churchill's second husband." All of his manly achievements notwithstanding, that aspect of his character put him over the top in my estimation.
Riveting biography and writing.......2007-05-13
I'd recommend this book not "only" because of the great information on Churchill's life struggles and events. I'm recommending this book mainly due to the writer's superb writing. I never thought I'd read a biography in one sit. You just can't stop reading, your eyes roll through the text with so much ease and pleasure. You feel Churchill's hardships, his courage, his character. Great book.
provoking, intelligent, and sophisticated........2007-02-10
This book challenges you and tests your knowledge and paradigms.
I found it thought provoking, intelligent, and sophisticated.
This should be a must read for everyone who seeks truth and meaning.
Way to go Mr. Mansfield!!!
Diamonds Refined.......2005-12-04
Delight is an expected find when reading works on or about Winston Spencer Churchill. Joy is a confirmation when these works attain to the stature and measure of the man. Refreshment is the derivative when joy and delight meet in a polished offering such as 'Never Give In.'
Stephen Mansfield has once again done well and served all parties equally in dispensing this gleaned narrative of the Twentieth Century's self-recognized 'Great Man.'
A man's man for all seasons, highlights of the legendary Churchill are brought forth in a parade of honed chapters refined like glistening diamonds. Those seeking heavyweight analysis will even so finish the book satisfied, while newcomers will be impressed especially in these breathtaking times.
Mr. Mansfield wisely moves through Churchill's life subject by subject, examining deftly moments which shaped the Character that so helped weld the first half of this century just gone. Superlatives tax the description of this work that may, in the field of Churchillian retrospectives, become the essential tome for both those initiating study, as well as we who yearn for one more look at a superb man under fire.
The most excellent aspect of the work is Mansfield's examination of Churchill's testimony regarding Jesus, a subject far too long neglected. As is the practice learned from the Master, the best is always saved till last.
TL Farley,
author,
When Now Becomes Too Late {prophecy}
Distant Reaches {adventure}
For Leaders, not avid Historians.......2004-05-31
In reading the reviews under this section, I find that a reader either loves this book or hates it - there is very little middle ground.
I believe those who discount this book are looking for an objective work on the history of Churchill. While this is a very fascinating subject, the market is saturated with such works, so if that is what you are looking for, go elsewhere...
Those who love the book don't seem to place such emphasis on its historical precision; rather on the value of the information as it pertains to their own lives and leadership styles.
I found this book to contain many great nuggets of wisdom and my highlighter saw much action as I poured through the pages.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their leadership qualities. If you are looking for a historical masterpiece, this isn't it nor did the author intend it to be...
Customer Reviews:
History at its best!.......2007-02-08
Churchill's Second World War is an amazing work about an even more amazing time in our nation's history. This is the "Lord of the Rings" only real and a much longer story. Nonetheless, it is every bit as interesting and exciting (more so, I dare say). Time flies while reading as every page is riveting. I am in awe.
Book Description
In honor of the sixtieth anniversary of the end of World War II, Nobel Prize winner Winston Churchill's essential, abridged memoirs of that time are reintroduced with an updated cover and a new low price. The quintessence of the war as seen by it's greatest player, in a one-volume abridged edition that captures all the drama of the original volumes.
Customer Reviews:
Very biased and incomplete, but good.......2007-07-15
I read this good book, here in Brazil.Among the World War II great leaders, only Churchill wrote a book about that war.
About american eugenics , race and gender relations, there isn't a single word against or about, in this big book, with more than 1,000 pages.There's some maps inside.This book isn't only about World War II, but also about the war's roots and fruits, includind about Cold War.
This book is very biased.The Churchill's mistakes in World War II, were enormous.About France's battle in 1940, seems that Churchill was in another planet then, not as England's leader then.Ever big Churchill's or England's failure, has almost nothing or no place at all, in this book.About war production and military weapons, there's almost nothing.
Secrets about Colossus computer and the breaking of german Enigma code machine or "purle" japanese code,were war secrets and also had no place on this book.
Even with so many bias and other failures, this book remains good and easy to read.
A magnificent book by a magnificent man!.......2007-01-10
Winston Churchill was a man of destiny, and he came to realize that, although he seldom hints at it. Without him Western Civilization would be drastically different today, for the worse.
Somehow he makes the day-to-day machinations of world governments read like a suspense novel. Yet he is concise, reserved and free from hyperbole. I think this is possible because he so clearly saw the Big Picture and knew deep down what really was at stake. The story didn't need to be enhanced for those who could understand, and those who couldn't . . . oh well.
This made the early decades of the Twentieth Century come alive for me. I now feel like I lived through those times.
I loved the book, and I love the man!
All the ww2 history.......2007-01-05
Churchill was not only a participant, but an excellent observer of this period. There are some good maps and pictures.
Memoirs of the Second World War - Stalin, Soviet Union, Poland.......2005-08-24
I find it indeed difficult to assess this book by Winston Churchill. I have read it with very mixed emotions. Nonetheless, I firmly believe that for any serious student of the history of World War II Winston Churchill's "Memoirs of the Second World War" is a must reading - unless he or she decides to study the full fledged, six volume, "The Second World War" itself.
However, if one is to base his entire knowledge of the war on this writing alone, treating it as the history book per se, one is likely for a big disappointment. The value of this book as a source of historical facts is questionable; its value, in my view, lies in that it is the first hand, direct, presentation of the views and ideas on the war politics by one of its biggest actors. Churchill wrote himself: "This is not history, this is my case." I agree. It is, at the same time, the best source of information one can probably get on the "state of competence" of one of the "Big Three". For in this writing Winston Churchill reveals to a large degree what he himself knew, or did not know, about various aspects of the unfolding events. However, the objectivity of his writing is to a certain degree weakened by his concerns for relations with some of the other big players in World War II. The name of Dwight Eisenhower immediately comes to mind here. At the time of this book's publication Eisenhower was the president of USA. Whatever disagreements Churchill may have had with him in 1944 and 1945, and the many he had indeed, he went long ways to smooth his criticism to not in the smallest way offend his former ally and the sitting president of the country with which he practiced the policy of "Grand Alliance". That this may have distorted the whole picture seems beyond much doubt.
I am in no position to evaluate Churchill's ideas and beliefs and confront them with the facts, in their entirety. Whether, for instance, his explanation of the fall of Singapore is correct or not is beyond my expertise. But on two subjects: Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union and the so-called "Polish Question" I do have opinions of my own.
We now know quite well who Joseph Stalin really was and what was the true nature of the Soviet regime in those years. From that perspective Winston Churchill's assertions about Stalin himself seem rather disconcerting. Especially so, since Churchill seem to have been reasonably well versed in matters relating to the Soviet Union and its foreign policies. Unlike many left-leaning politicians both in USA and Western Europe at the time he apparently had no illusions about the character of communist experiment in Soviet Russia. This was particularly true with regard to Stalin's foreign policies. Churchill realized Stalin was "de-facto" ally of Nazi Germany all the way until the day Hitler invaded the Soviet Union.
But with the Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union on June 21, 1941, virtually overnight, this hideous man becomes Great Britain's ally in the fight against Germany. And now that Stalin was on the same side of the barricade he became more than an ally. He, in the eyes of Churchill, seemed to have transformed into a better man. Politically and morally. Churchill spares no effort to present Stalin as an extremely intelligent man, not without sense of humor, a man with whom one can reason, negotiate and settle. On several occasions Churchill underlines importance of maintaining friendly relationship with the Soviet leader as if attempting to convince the reader, and possibly himself, that personal relationship could significantly alter the outcome of negotiations. Did he believe this or was he merely trying to justify his own conduct vis-à-vis Stalin? At any rate, I do not subscribe to a notion that just because someone finds himself on the right side of a political cause - and in the case of Stalin this was not his own choice, Hitler put him there - it makes him automatically a better being. Whoever Stalin was before German invasion he retained that character afterwards. And that simple fact demanded appropriate conclusions be drawn and remembered.
Poland, and "Polish Question", receives mixed treatment by Winston Churchill. It might even be more instructive to recognize what Churchill does not write about in the case of Poland than what subjects he dwells upon. The name of the general Wladyslaw Sikorski, Prime Minister and Commander in Chief of the Polish Government in Exile right from the Polish defeat in September 1939 until his death in the airplane accident in 1943 is not mentioned even once, not even in passing. And it is worth remembering that Poland was Great Britain's first, and for some time practically the only, ally in the war against Hitler right from the beginning till the very end. Not a single word is dedicated to the role of Polish airmen who fought with such distinction during the famous Battle of England. They were the heroes of the day then and Churchill knew perfectly well they were the best "scoring" fighters whose contribution to the victory was substantial if not decisive. More disturbing still is his complete silence on the subject of Katyn massacre. In April 1943 the Germans discovered mass graves in the forest of Katyn near Smolensk in then occupied Russian territory. Poles were inquiring with the Soviets since June 1941 about the faith of about 15,000 officers listed as Soviet prisoners of war only to be told they must have had "escaped to Manchuria". The German discovery of some 4,000 murdered and Sikorski's subsequent request for independent investigation by the International Red Cross was the pretexts for Stalin to break relations with the Poles and that was the beginning of all the subsequent troubles around the Polish Question. The truth of the Katyn massacre got swept under the carpet for years.
It is not until the summer of 1944 when the Soviets advanced to the territories of the pre-war Poland that this subject starts looming high on the agenda. Churchill apparently then realized that Stalin had his own plans concerning Poland where creation of a subservient government toped the list. To be fair Winston Churchill deserves credit for writing (and acting at the time) extensively about the Warsaw Rising of 1944. For two months the 50,000 Home Army soldiers armed with ammunition to last for just a few days fought valiantly inflicting great casualties on the Germans while the Red Army stood on the east bank of Vistula River doing practically nothing. Churchill was sincerely horrified at Stalin's refusal not only to come to military assistance himself but even to allow the Allies' planes attempting to drop supplies to land on the Soviet airfields. Churchill desperately tried to help. But Stalin had a much different agenda and for this purpose he didn't mind to allow almost a quarter million of Varsovians to perish. Roosevelt meanwhile apparently did not care. Churchill's exasperation over this issue is clearly visible and the pages dedicated to Warsaw Rising are some of the most emotionally charged in the entire book.
But it is Churchill's position on the question of new Poland's frontiers that causes most of my dismay. He openly agreed that the Soviet Union deserved additional territory at their Western frontier to boost their external security against any future threat from Germany. This was agreed in principle right from the start. It is true that in those territories ethnic Poles never constituted a majority. But that's a very poor argument. Neither Russians were a majority there. These were Belo-Russians, Ukrainians, Ormians, Jews, in short a multitude of ethnic groups who for centuries lived under the Polish-Lithuanian rule. The Russian rule they knew only since the partitions of Poland at the end of XVIII century. If anything, there would be a legitimate "border dispute", if you will, between Poland and Ukraine or Poland and Belarus. But there was not even a hypothetical question of national independence for these two nations. As it turned out, therefore, a double standard was employed: Poland was to be a one-nation, one ethnic group state while it was all right for (Soviet) Russia to be a multinational "federation". In the end Winston Churchill agreed to legalize Soviet annexation of Polish territories invaded on September 17, 1939 the basis of which was (now infamous) Molotov- Ribbentrop Secret Protocol of August 23, 1939.
With everything in the book read and digested the final impression of this, no doubt very remarkable, statesman I get, is one of a man visionary at times, perseverant, man often times of principle and yet also of a man who for the purpose of "higher good" would bend or re-interpret the facts falling victim to illusions. The same man who so forcefully condemned policies of appeasement towards Germany up until Munich agreements of 1938 would practice his own appeasement policies towards Stalin later on, clearly as a result of his own fallacies about the character of Joseph Stalin and the nature of the Soviet system. But this very same man retained the ability to disillusion himself and change own stands thus proving quite remarkable degree of intellectual and political flexibility. Unfortunately for him, as well as for the world, it is rarely sufficient to change ones mind. For if the circumstances have also changed it is usually too late. It was another matter to exact certain commitments from Stalin when the outcome of the struggle with Hitler's Germany was up in the air, quite another when Stalin's armies were approaching Vistula river. There clearly was a chance to block aggressiveness of the Soviet Union and prevent Iron Curtain from descending upon Central Europe and spare the Europe and the world Cold War - if both Churchill and Roosevelt acted firmly early on. But the many illusions about the man and the system they dealt with and lack of sufficient foresight, prevented them from achieving desirable political arrangements, namely independence of Poland and other Central European countries, something that soon afterwards became to haunt the Western Democracies for nearly half the century.
While Churchill as a politician remains controversial, Churchill as a writer, and his book, fall very close to being a masterpiece. Rich, eloquent language, clarity of point, all-in-all good balance between detail and generality and, above all, passion with which he writes about subjects he was so intimately involved with - make for terrific reading experience. If not for the certain obstructions in his "pursuit of truth", the want not to offend then still living former allies and the apparent want to justify own conduct, that all resulted in certain distortion of the picture, I would give the book highest score of 5 stars.
Memoirs of the Second World War.......2005-08-15
Winston Churchill has helped to create the world we all live in now so to better understand it, it is neccesary to read what one of the authors had in mind.
Customer Reviews:
As good as there is on Winston Churchill.......1999-09-24
This volume is the finest hour in the massive "official" biography which was started in the mid 1960's by Winston's son Randolf and continues to this day with the relese of the "document" volumes of the later years of Churchill's life.
Most of the narritive volumes in the biography (there are eight) nessasarily cover a long period of time; after all, Churchill lived into his ninth decade. But Finest Hour covers only a little over two years, from September of 1939 to Pear Harbour in 1941. They were, however, two of the most important years in Churchill's life. There were also two of the most important years for the free world.
This volume, like the others in the series, is magnificently written and reproduces the drama and fear of living in those deadly times. From the begining of the second world war to the entry of the United States in the conflict, every action of Churchill is closely examined. Particular attention is paid to the spring, summer and fall of 1940, as Churchill readied his nation for invasion even as he inspired his people to never surrender. Churchill would say that that that summer would be his nations finest hour, when the tiny Island stood up alone againsed the most deadlly power in the world, and won. Gilbert's message is clear: yes, it was the nation's finest hour, but it was also Churchill's. Only he could lead the nation, not only because of his moral position (he had opposed Hitler from the begining) and oratical skills but also because, after appeasement, his nation wanted to beleive in him. He gave them something to believe in.
The book is highly detailed, at times going to an actual day by day description of Churchill's life. The casual reader who simply wants to learn more about Churchill would do well to read Gilberts one volume Churchill: a life or William Manchester's biography. But for anyone truly interested in World War Two and how the allies won, this book is a must read. More importantly, if anyone wonders why Churchill will soon be named man of the century, reading this bok will provide all the answers.
It is without question the finest biography of its kind that I have ever read.
Book Description
THIS CD CONTAINS: Historical Winston Churchill Memoirs SpeechesSecond World War News of the years: 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945Speeches of the years: 1934, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1954, 1963
Customer Reviews:
Grim determination.......2007-06-08
Despite the sometimes ponderous language the man's grim determination never to give in on important matters is evident. His respect for parliament, the niceties of formal relationships and his conviction that democracy is the only acceptable form of government also stand out. His tremendous stamina is amazing. I'm glad I bought the book.
Invaluable.......2007-05-30
What can one say about this prolific writer and historical figure! I am so glad that someone has slogged through and excerpted the most uplifting and insightful of Winston Churchill's writings and speeches. I gave a copy of this to a LCDR in Iraq, who said it was the perfect book for him. When inspiration is necessary, this is a great book!
a must read.......2007-01-11
given the recent turn of events in the world, I became very interested in Churchill. This book does a good job of presenting some of his most famous speeches and giving the reader a look at a tremendous speaker and exceptional human being. His complete speeches fill several books, so this is a lot more user friendly for those who want the more condensed version.
Churchill was a tremendous figure. Who talks like this now? What politician has the moral courage to go against what is popular or easy to do what he believes to be right?
I really wish we had leaders like this in our time. Churchill lead England through a brutal period of a year and a half when nobody was standing against Hitler in Europe. He never sugar coated things. He believed absolutely in what he had to do, and more importantly, he explained things clearly to people and made them understand that he needed them. Just check out his speechs during the Battle of Britain. He drives you with his words, spurring his listeners to action.
Anyone who loves history should buy this book and add it too their library. It's powerful stuff.
Didn't play.......2006-07-25
The disc never played. I was sent a replacement and that didn't play either.
The greatness of Churchill's speeches.......2006-03-02
One can feel it from the very first speeches. Churchill had a spirit , a life, a kind of vitality and energy in all that he did. Even in the most ordinary matters he conveys a certain excitement and drama. This is of course especially true in the great speeches that rallied the British people in the Second World War. The Dunkirk speech, the "we will never surrender" words, the "Finest Hour" words of determination and defiance. Along with the great sweep of heroic feeling there is a language somehow so visceral, so capable of stirring the emotions.
And it is important to remember that these speeches were not simply brilliant rhetorical performances, but were historical actions of the first order which had meaning in the great struggle to save freedom and human civilization.
Book Description
The eight uneasy, dangerous months from May to December 1940, as Britain stands isolated and Germany follows its war path.
Download Description
The second volume of Churchill's Nobel-Prize winning six-part chronicle of World War II. Their "finest hour" refers to Britain that struggled alone to survive overwhelming German advantage; detailed reconstruction of the bombing of London, the Battle of Britain. Churchill, here wartime Prime Minister, incorporate contemporary documentation and his own reminiscence.
Customer Reviews:
"Victory at all Costs!"............2006-11-15
In the first half of Vol. 2, 'Their Finest Hour', Churchill covers the Battle of France. As new Prime Minister he sets up his Coalition Government to fight the 'common cause' and prepare for the War. Germany was already in France and the Western Front was under attack. The Belgian Government was striving to remain neutral and soon all was being lost in the 'deluge of disaster'. The Germans broke the Maginot line and soon the Battle of France was lost. There was the successful deliverance of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk and the preparations to defend the home front.
The second half deals with the Battle of Britain with Hitler preparing for 'Operation Sea Lion'. In order for the invasion of England to be successful, Germany first had to control the air. London and various areas were shaken but neither the spirit nor the Country destroyed. Italy was on the move, in the Mediterranean, and invading the African coast. The Battle of Britain was won and the RAF had 'Their finest Hour', but the War was far from over. This volume covers the timeline of May 10, 1940 to Jan. 5, 1941.
It should be noted and remembered that England stands in a different position militarily than France. England is a small, ancient, insular island that has withstood many centuries of assaults and attempted invasions. So when Hitler and his forces sought to make the same attempt, not only the RAF and the Royal Navy but history was standing against them. Also it wasn't just England alone that was fighting. It was also their devoted Commonwealth, Dominions and Empirical Attachments that were involved in the war. England was pulling resources from all over their Empire. For instance, Australia and New Zealand were fighting on the African coast and in Greece.
America, under FDR, was moving closer to the war with the Lend-Lease Act and Japan was watching in the wings. Hilter was changing his war direction and moving into the Eastern Front. Stalin was changing his alliance with Hitler and moving closer to Britian and the United States. The impact and weight of the World's destiny was in the balance and starting to slowly shift. Nothing was yet certain and U-Boat packs still prowled the ocean.
This is another of those 'deserves to be read' books. Churchill fills in the volume with his correspondence and hindsight. It is good to read and become acquainted with Churchill's thoughts and this fateful time, in history, so that hopefully there will be no repeating of these terrible events. Well worth adding to the Library.
Britain's first solo stand.......2006-09-12
The second volume of Churchill's history of the Second World War continues in much the same style as the first. Now Prime Minister, Churchill tells of the formidable, even overwhelming obstacles that an increasingly alone Britain faces in its struggle against Nazi Germany. He begins the narrative with France as an ally and Italy still out of the war. But, as most readers will already know, France falls and splits apart. Italy does join the war effort on the side of Germany. America and the Soviets stay out, and Britain stands more or less alone.
After the fall of France, the main topic remains the Battle of Britain, the air war fought over English skies. Nonetheless, Churchill shines his laser-like focus on all areas of the war effort. One could say he primarily covers British efforts, but to say otherwise would be absurd, as this volume covers the months when there were few other efforts to be found. Nonetheless, from his supreme vantage point in the Prime Minister's office Churchill presents as the absolute right man for the job. As in the first volume, more so even, primary source documents are included extensively and Churchill's own words at the time are allowed to show the reader not only what was happening, but also how a government dealt with it directly. Any interested reader can find countless books covering the war from a more remote narrative viewpoint and may even find clarity that sometimes does get lost in the detail here, but nowhere in easily accessed book form will anyone find this story from the top, and that remains the greatest strength of the series.
Myth-Making.......2006-08-30
This is the second volume of Churchill's war memoirs, basically covering the year 1940, particularly the fall of France, Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, and Churchill's attempts to coax aid from the United States and to draw that nation closer to active participation in the conflict.
The defeat of France and the need for US aid was really a consequence of the lack of preparedness for war discussed by Churchill in volume 1 of the series. Churchill was clear that US involvement on the side of the Western Allies would be a major factor in the defeat of Germany (particularly as no-one at the time could predict precisely when Hitler would attack the Soviet Union). These considerations make this a somewhat troublesome volume because it reflects and perhaps contributed towards some of the more prevalent myths and half-myths regarding this period of history: such misinterpretations have entered the collective British psyche almost as Gospel.
The first such one is the "triumph" of Dunkirk and France's responsibility for the military collapse in 1940. True, Dunkirk was an amazing achievement in the face of great adversity, but as Churchill points out, the British as well as the French were culpable for the defeat. The French were in overall charge, but the British failed to be as active as they should have been in planning the defence of the West, and the size of the BEF was small compared to the effort made in 1914. The magnificent effort to save the BEF and the rhetoric around it, necessary to raise morale at the time no doubt, have masked the collective responsibility for the disaster.
The myth that Britain "stood alone" has also become deeply rooted. Of course, it was not true - Britain at one and the same time had the largest territorial empire the world had known, yet was "alone". One must remember that the Viceroy of India had declared war on behalf of millions of Indians. Canadian, Australian and New Zealand troops were in Britain in 1940 as well as exiled European troops. This is not of course to denegrate the courage and effort of the British, but the myth is powerful - at its worst producing an insular arrogance which manifests itself still. Even Churchill's terminology is confused: at various times he refers to the "British", "the British race", "the British Empire", and "the British Commonwealth of Nations".
Interesting too is Churchill's criticism of Soviet policy: a country whose impatience later in the war over the lack of a second front masked the fact that it had formed an alliance with Germany in 1939.
Perhaps for the reasons above, this is a more problematic read than Volume 1. Nonetheless it's beautifully written and very interesting - not least because once again it reads as a fascinating period piece.
G Rodgers
The Finest (but last) Days of the Aristocracy.......2005-04-30
Americans have a warped view of history, and little understanding of the role of aristocracy and class in history--our own or Britain's. Churchill was a card carrying member of the aristocracy; one of the small group of men who ran England up to, and through, World War II. Their Finest Hour is an amazing documentation of the very height, and at the same time, end, of the all powerful aristocracy in England.
Churchill's second volume of his Six Volume history of the Second World War begins with May, 1940, as the German army is rolling through Luxembourg and Belgium (both clinging to their neutrality right up to the minute the German tanks crossed the border), toward a woefully unprepared France (still reliant upon the Maginot Line, which in turn depended on Luxembourg and Belgium neutrality.
Churchill has just assumed the post of Prime Minister, after having spent the prior year (and several before that) as an outsider bemoaning the refusal of Britain (and France) to prepare to meet the rising German threat. Those years of exile are the subject of volume one.
The present volume focuses on the extraordinary difficulties Churchill and others in the British government faced once the war actually began. Once France was forced to surrender, Germany was left in what most of us think of as continental Europe without any enemies. It had allied itself with fascist Italy, made peace with Stalin, conquered Poland and France, neutralized Spain, and occupied Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Norway, and the Netherlands.
In this sense, Britain stood alone. There was a very real risk that Germany could invade and conquer Britain in the Summer and early Fall of 1940. The German bombing of London was increasingly effective, and the British army was in total disarray, having just been forced to abandon France, leaving most of its equipment behind. Just how worried Churchill was comes through clearly and terrifyingly in this volume. Had Germany succeeded, the world might look very different today--the Second World War would have been transformed into a truly intercontinental war, with Asia and Europe allied against North America.
Of course, Britain was not really "Alone." Greece and Turkey were firm allies; Bulgaria and Yugoslavia stood against Hitler and Italy; and Britain controlled most of what we today think of as the third world--from Gibraltar at the southern tip of Europe, to Egypt, to South Africa, India, Malaysia and Burma, and Australia. Only by adopting a firmly eurocentric view of the world (which Churchill clearly had) can he title this volume "Alone."
Churchill and the rest of his government were able to move seamlessly into power, and immediately take control of this world wide empire precisely because of the peculiarly insular class system that ruled Britain. Even as an outsider, Churchill clearly had full access to all of the centers of power. He could not bend and shape them, but he was fully in the loop. Personal relationships and lifelong associations meant that he regularly met with leaders at all levels of the power structure--including most importantly (but by no means exclusively) top politicians and naval personnel. This sort of access by "losing" politicians in the United States today is unimaginable. Can anyone seriously envision Bush allowing the head of the CIA to meet regularly with Howard Dean to review the intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?
The only weakness in this volume is Churchill's over reliance on his own contemporaneous telegrams and memos. he was absolutely prolific, apparently having dictated dozens of multi-page memos daily--yet still finding time to run the government. While fascinating historically, they really are bureaucratic memos. The first volume, by relying more on narration and less on historical documents, allowed Churchill greater reign to his incredible skill with the English language. Here, long sections read like just what they are--official documents written in haste, for the historical record.
That said, his brilliant use of words shines through. The most stirring passage is toward the end--his eulogy in November, 1940, for Neville Chamberlain, who more than anyone was responsible for "appeasing" Hitler. Rather than lapse into "I told you so", he marshals some of the most stirring words ever written to praise Chamberlain; urging history to judge him on the strength of his character rather than the results of his actions, which are subject to the fickleness of history.
In sum, this is a remarkable book, chronicling a remarkable time in history, written by a remarkable man who played a central roll in events. I can think of no other book by anyone at anytime which brings together all three of these elements--and is well written!
The Finest of the Series.......2004-02-04
After reading this book, you truly begin to see how narrow minded the average American perception of World War II really is. Not to discount the magnificant American battles such as the landing at Normandy or the Battle for Midway, but the Battle for Britain was absolutely the finest display of honor and courage throughout the entire war. This tiny island and it's courageous people stood alone and stood tall against not only the behemoth Nazi-German menace, but at the same time fought the Mussolini in northern Africa and awaited the Japanese onslaught in their Australasian colonies. It's an absolutely inspiring work, and it's an absolute sin that American schools don't teach the story of how the British people shined so brightly during their darkest hour.
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The World Crisis, 1911-1918
Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches
My Early Life: 1874-1904
The River War: An Account of the Reconquest of the Sudan
Memoirs of the Second World War (An Abridgement of the Six Volumes of the Second World War)
