Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England

Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England
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A magnificient recounting of cowardice and heroism

"Speak for England, Arthur!"

History repeats itself

Good look at the war before The War

Britain's descent into WWII from a non-Churchillian viewpoint

Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England
Lynne Olson
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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General | World War II | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0374179549
Release Date: 2007-04-17

Book Description

A riveting history of the daring politicians who challenged the disastrous policies of the British government on the eve of World War II

On May 7, 1940, the House of Commons began perhaps the most crucial debate in British parliamentary history. On its outcome hung the future of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s government and also of Britain—indeed, perhaps, the world. Troublesome Young Men is Lynne Olson’s fascinating account of how a small group of rebellious Tory MPs defied the Chamberlain government’s defeatist policies that aimed to appease Europe’s tyrants and eventually forced the prime minister’s resignation.

Some historians dismiss the “phony war” that preceded this turning point—from September 1939, when Britain and France declared war on Germany, to May 1940, when Winston Churchill became prime minister—as a time of waiting and inaction, but Olson makes no such mistake, and describes in dramatic detail the public unrest that spread through Britain then, as people realized how poorly prepared the nation was to confront Hitler, how their basic civil liberties were being jeopardized, and also that there were intrepid politicians willing to risk political suicide to spearhead the opposition to Chamberlain—Harold Macmillan, Robert Boothby, Leo Amery, Ronald Cartland, and Lord Robert Cranborne among them. The political and personal dramas that played out in Parliament and in the nation as Britain faced the threat of fascism virtually on its own are extraordinary—and, in Olson’s hands, downright inspiring.

Customer Reviews:

A magnificient recounting of cowardice and heroism.......2007-09-27

In her introduction to this magnificient history, Lynne Olson gives a hint as to her person politics when she says "[u]sing tactics that have striking resonance today, Chamberlain and his subordinates restricted journalists' access to government sources . . ." She then goes on to tell a story - - - a truly wonderful and great story - - - of how a few dedicated Britons battled hundreds of devoted political party hacks and the press that was enslaved to them in order to save Britain and Western Civilization. Olson's sttempted dig at today's White House actually turns out to be a tale about our present U. S. Congress and how the majority puts party loyalty above the safety and security of the nation.

Regardless of contemporary politics, "Troublesome Young Men" is a masterpiece. Olson painstakingly recounts how a very few, amazingly few Members of Parliament, sensing the danger of Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement to dictators, tried to get the nation to listen and then, finally, to topple Chamberlain's government from power.

The student of histroy will be reminded by Olson's book that one of the great difficulties of studying history is that there is so much of it!

For those few American public school students today who are still taught anything of the run up to World War II, which killed a mere 55 million and might well have been avoided if only European politicians weren't so stupid, the name Neville Chamberlain might bring to mind the image of a decidedly old fashioned gentleman holding a furled umbrella and a piece of paper and the words "peace in our time". And that's the sum total of their knowledge.

In fact, Chamberlain came as close to being a dictator in a parliamentary government as anyone since Cromwell in the 17th Century. But Chamberlain's power was assured by a rigid party system that essentially destroyed any Tory who did not do the party's will. This couple with a large majority in Parliament rendered Chamberlain essentially invulnerable. regardless of how threatening Chamberlain's policy of appeasing Hitler was. Chamberlain, like so many of today's American politicians, believed he could negotiate peaceful resolutions with Hitler and other tyrants.

There was also another set of circumstances that made Britons likely to look away from looming danger: Britain had lost a million dead in WWI, with another million or so permanently disabled. Two million British women were unable to find husbands. The terror of war had touched virtually every household and no matter how great the danger, ordinary citizens and hack party politicians alike wanted to avoid war.

So Britain moved deliberately toward its own destruction ... save for a few, relatively young Members of Parliament who risked their political careers to sound a warning.

It is these men, some of whose names became familiar in later years (Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, etc.) who became thorns in the side of the party establishment and tried to warn of the dangers of appeasement.

Winston Churchill who led England during the six years of WWII was not a prime mover among these "troublesome young men". In fact, many of the dissidents - and there were less than two dozen for most of the time - didn't want Churchill.

The story has been largely untold and in recent years not told at all.

Olson's approach is flawless. Her 46 pages of notes and bibliography attest to the depth and meticulousness of her research. She paints excellent, detailed portraits of each of the troublesome young men, most of whom have been lost to history. Who, for example, knows of Ronald Cartland? This young, newly elected Member of Parliament was the first to speak out against Chamberlain - and he suffered for it. How many of us know that Harold Macmillan, who acheived a modicum of fame in his own right as a Prime Minister, shared his wife with another man for nearly forty years? Macmillan and his wife lived together and she was the perfect political wife, but her love and lover was Robert Boothy, a friend and politicl ally of her husband.

On the pivotal day of May 8, 1940, Olson's surprisingly plain text almost makes real the heavy air of Parliament as hundreds of members crammed the benches to hear the speeches for and against Chamberlain. You can also smell the tobacco smoke clinging to the clothes, the odor of liquor on the breath of members and perhaps the occasional whiff of cologne or perfume from the few women in Commons and those in the gallery.

The event itself was dramatic, of course, but using her plain, but well constructed language, Olson squeezes out every drop of drama. It is, frankly, a breathtaking exhibition of prowess in prose.

This is not a book about Churchill, but truly a book about those who made it possible for him to come to power.

These few rebels, fighting against the lethargy and stupidity of their party were frightened for the future of Britain, indeed for all Western values. As Leo Amery so eloquently put it: " Somehow or other, wer must get into the Government men who match our enemies in fighting spirit, in daring, in resolution and in thirst for victory . . . It may not be easy to find these men. . . ."

If only we had such "troublesome young men" today in the halls of our Congress, our civilization would not once again be in danger because of those who put party allegiance ahead of the nation's well-being.

Lynne Olson has written a masterpiece. The left-wing may deride it for being about "dead white men", a male-dominated society, war and the like, but every intelligent, reasoning person owes it to themself to read it and ponder the lessons of the past as a guide for the future.

Jerry

"Speak for England, Arthur!".......2007-09-20

This book should put to rest forever the mistaken notion that Churchill's ascension to be Prime Minister was a foregone conclusion in 1940. In great detail, the author has laid out all of the work done by many (the "troublesome young men" of the title) Tory backbenchers, and also some opposition party leaders, that led to the fall of Chamberlain. Even then, there was no clear cut successor, and the book implies that, if Anthony Eden had been a bit more agressive, he might have been PM. We are treated to thumbnail biographies of all of the major players, and that helps in seeing how they acted (or didn't act) in the late '30s. It's also astonishing to see how Churchill, when he became PM, stayed with the Chamberlain loyalists in his cabinet, and almost effectively shut out of power those who gave that power to him. This book has eerie parallels to today's political scene, where a large number of politicians and their media followers wish to appease those who would seek to do us harm, while a smaller but determined band of folks are attempting to keep the country safe from further terrorist attacks. There's no question on which side Churchill would be if he were still alive.
Ede

History repeats itself.......2007-09-15

While reading this outstanding book I was struck by the polemics surrounding World War II and how similar they are to the current Iraq War/War on Terrorism debates. British party loyalty rather than country loyalty ruled the day and provided an environment for Hitler to unfold his war plans. As I read this book I wondered if we were doing the same thing.

Good look at the war before The War.......2007-09-12

I started skimming this book in the bookstore and couldn't stop thinking about it after I had left. I bought it and practically devoured each word. It's not perfectly written - sometimes the timetable was confusing and histories were concluded too early for my taste. However, I found myself growing desperate to know the outcome of all their machinations - beyond the obvious - and increasing appalled at the blindness of so many people. The author doesn't suffer from hero worship for any of these chaps (save one, Cartland) which is refreshing in a book of this sort.

If you think Chamberlain was given a bad rap, you'll hate this book (actually, you might want to read this book). If not, you might find it as enthralling as I did.

Britain's descent into WWII from a non-Churchillian viewpoint.......2007-08-31

This was an informative and insightful book. So much of the history of this period is known to us today from Churchill's perspective that it is interesting to view the events from the perspective of others who were key players in them. For much of the book, Churchill is the looming presence off-stage. Only as the troublesome young men become disenchanted with the vascillating Eden does WSC move to the center.

The author's description of the period of the "phony war" (September 1939 -- May 1940) was quite interesting. She includes not only the significant events but also the small ones that provide a complete picture. Stories about children being evacuated are common, but I had not read before about the number of Londoners who had their pets put down when the war began. The comment by an American about the weirdness of walking streets with no children or dogs was telling.

I was startled by an error also noted by another reviewer. The sinking of Royal Oak at Scapa Flow by a U-boat was a noteworthy event. However, it would not have been particularly noteworthy if, as the author states, Royal Oak had been a destroyer. The ship was an R-class battleship -- virtually obsolete by 1939, but still a capital ship. No destroyer that ever sailed has had a crew as large as the 800 sailors who were lost. Who was responsible for this mistake?

Lastly, I enjoyed the way the author traced the lives of the young men as they became old men. The portrait of Super Mac was especially good. I began the book expecting it to end in 1940, but I was pleased to find that completed the stories of the main characters.

The Second World War, Volume 2: Their Finest Hour

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"Victory at all Costs!".....
Britain's first solo stand
Myth-Making
The Finest (but last) Days of the Aristocracy
The Finest of the Series

The Second World War, Volume 2: Their Finest Hour
Winston S. Churchill
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Second World War, Volume 3: The Grand Alliance
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The Second World War, Volume 5: Closing the Ring
The Second World War, Volume 6: Triumph and Tragedy

ASIN: 0395410568

Book Description

The eight uneasy, dangerous months from May to December 1940, as Britain stands isolated and Germany follows its war path.

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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.

Churchill and Finland: A Study in Anticommunism and Geopolitics

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Churchill and Finland: A Study in Anticommunism and Geopolitics
M. Ruotsila
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Finland | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0415349710

Book Description

This book examines the intertwined dynamics of Churchill's anticommunist and geopolitical thought. It looks at the ways in which he attempted to use Finland as both tool and ally in the anticommunist projects of the twentieth century. Finland appeared a staunch ally in Churchill's recurring efforts to destroy or negate international communism, but the broader concerns of geopolitics and Great Power diplomacy complicated what might have been a simple task of teaming up with like-minded Finns. The resulting tensions are explored and explained in this study of comparative anticommunism based on Churchill's private papers and on additional British, Finnish and American documents.

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It's caviar.
Wonderfully conveys the intensity of the situation
John Lukacs is a unique intellect
Churchill, Halifax and Britain's Fate
Great subject, lousy book

Five Days in London May 1940
John Lukacs
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Duel: The Eighty-Day Struggle Between Churchill and Hitler
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Churchill: Visionary. Statesman. Historian.
The Last European War: September 1939 - December 1941
Hitler: 1936-1945: Nemesis

ASIN: 0300080301

Amazon.com

In his six-volume history of World War II, Winston Churchill deemed the year 1942 as "the hinge of fate," the year in which the German and Japanese armies began to be turned back. John Lukacs suggests that the last days of May 1940 were more important still in turning the tide of war in democracy's favor, for it was in those few days that Churchill convinced his cabinet that Britain should fight on, alone, if need be, against Adolf Hitler's regime. Even as a quarter of a million British troops were being evacuated from Dunkirk, Churchill struggled to reverse the British government's policy of appeasement. In this, he faced opposition from several quarters, including prominent figures within his own Conservative Party. Writing with evident admiration for Churchill--who, he points out, was not well liked, and who had been prime minister for only two weeks when war broke out--Lukacs gives his readers a fly-on-the-wall view of the heated conferences between such well-known participants as Harold Nicholson, Lord Halifax, Neville Chamberlain, and Alexander Cadogan.

"Churchill understood something that not many people understand even now," Lukacs writes in the closing pages of his book. "The greatest threat to Western civilization was not Communism. It was National Socialism. The greatest and most dynamic power in the world was not Soviet Russia. It was the Third Reich of Germany. The greatest revolutionary of the twentieth century was not Lenin or Stalin. It was Hitler." By convincing his government that his view was correct, Churchill afforded Western civilization a slim chance at survival--no small achievement, and one well worth honoring with this fine study. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

The days from May 24 to May 28, 1940 altered the course of the history of this century, as the members of the British War Cabinet debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue the war. The decisive importance of these five days is the focus of John Lukacs`s magisterial new book.

Customer Reviews:

It's caviar........2007-09-18

Several reviewers here don't appreciate scholarly writing. Lukacs (and his editor) didn't adulterate concise prose to produce a coffee table book. There are no fictions here; its conclusions are based on carefully and voluminously researched facts. Lukacs HAD to include concrete historical reference; his argument would have been incomplete without it, his conclusions unconvincing.

Yes, he's old fashioned, even Edwardian; he takes care to say only what he knows and nothing more. Yes, the form he insists on for each chapter erects a scaffold that detracts from his aedifice and might better have been removed after construction. His distinction between sentiment and opinion adds little to his argument. But his conclusion is unassailable and as formidable as a Roman arena. If he writes like a scholar, he is one. Those who object should remember that each of us is entitled to one's own style. To hold otherwise is to telegraph envy or confess to low standards.

He might well be the best living historian, for he's a master of his discipline. What he has done here is to write concisely about events that are exhaustively researched and confer new significance. That is what historians are supposed to do. He knows what he's talking about, and, when you finish reading, you know, too.

Wonderfully conveys the intensity of the situation.......2007-08-05

I bought this book some years ago and have read it twice, gripped both times by the situation Churchill and the UK were in, and by Lukacs' skillful writing. Lukacs succeeded in communicating the intensity of the situation whilst not being portentous. I came back to the book because of Ian Kershaw's latest book which includes as its first issue the same decision: whether or not to seek terms from the Hitler through Mussolini's mediation. I shall be intrigued to see if Kershaw can add anything to Lukacs' account.

John Lukacs is a unique intellect.......2007-03-20

A fascinating 'microscopic history' of larger-than-life personalities - Hitler and Churchill. The book gives the reader a real understanding of these few days where the world was held in the balance. A must-read for anyone more than casually interested in WWII.

Churchill, Halifax and Britain's Fate.......2006-12-31

Hardly anyone remembers the Earl of Halifax, but he had more support among Tory MPs in 1940 than Churchill did, and he probably could have become Prime Minister after Neville Chamberlain resigned. Halifax believed that some settlement between Britain and Germany was possible that would allow Britain to preserve its independence. Churchill knew that this was a dangerous illusion.

That's the central conflict of this book: How Churchill, the new PM, won out in the War Cabinet over Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, and brought the politicians and then the public around to the view that Britain could resist Nazism and fight for its independence. Churchill's leadership was far from preordained, and Lukacs shows how he established it.

His writing is superb, and his thinking is sharp. Even when I was unconvinced by one of his points, I found it worth thinking about. And he is excellent in establishing the atmosphere of May 1940, when Britain's future was darker than ever before or since. It's very hard for a historian to get away from presentism, the sense that what came to pass was inevitable, but Lukacs manages it well.

This is the best kind of popular history.

Great subject, lousy book.......2006-11-04

This book was a big disappointment. It's premise is that the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax was willing to consider a negotiated settlement with Hitler while Churchill thought that even consideration of a settlement would be the beginning of a "slippery slope" leading to conditional surrender. So far so good, but Lukacs tells the story with no drama and liberally pads it with boilerplate descriptions of the course of the Second World War in the first half of 1940. I suspect he lifted these from his other published works. The book just doesn't have enough original content to be worth reading.

The Churchill War Papers: At the Admiralty : September 1939-May 1940 (Churchill War Papers)

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For the researcher or the enthusiast

The Churchill War Papers: At the Admiralty : September 1939-May 1940 (Churchill War Papers)

Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Churchill War Papers: The Ever Widening War, Volume 3: 1941

ASIN: 0393035220

Customer Reviews:

For the researcher or the enthusiast.......2000-07-14

Martin Gilbert, now Knighted as Sir Martin Gilbert, is one of the great historians of our time, and he has written the definitive biography of Sir Winston Spencer Churchill. He has been at work for 38 years, and the task is not yet complete. The biography itself was completed in 1988, the production of these companion volumes continues.

The biographic work itself is 8 volumes in length, and presently there are 15 additional companion volumes that contain every note and correspondence imaginable. These books get right down to the one-sentence telegrams of congratulation. To give you a sense of their scope and detail, this volume that covers 9 months runs to 1,370 pages with notes.

The books are fascinating for what they contain, and for the completeness they represent. All the information is here, these were not meant to be widely read, but to be documentary, so there is nothing missing. I also enjoy them as they give the reader a glimpse in to the world of the Biographer, a man who in this instance has spent nearly 40 years of his life on his subject.

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful collection for Churchill specialists.......1998-01-08

Never Surrender is yet another volume in what already is the longest biography in the world. (At least according to the good people at the guiness book of world records. ) It is a collection of all the speeches and papers of Winston Churchill during the most critical phase of his Prime Ministry, and perhaps the most critical phase of World War Two. In this volume we get to witness Churchill's reaction to Dunkirk, the fall of France, and the Battle of Britain, and we also get to witness Churchill's heroic response to them. In this volume we see Churchill at his absolute best.

The offical biography is written by Martin Gilbert, a task he assumed after Randolf, Winston Churchill's son, died. The bigraphy consists of eight biographic volumes, and each volume has a few volumes of relevant documents to support it. Never Surrender is one of the document volumes which support the biographic volume "Finest Hour: 1939-1941" which is perhaps the finest volume of the entire biography. With all biogrphic volumes and the supporting books, The entire biography now stands at 23 volumes. Roughly 7-10 more are expected.

Book Description

Lord Hugh Dowding, Air Chief Marshall of the Royal Air Force, Head of Fighter Command, First Baron of Bentley Priory, lived in the grip of unseen spirits. In thrall of the supernatural world, he talked to the ghosts of his dead pilots, proclaimed that Hitler was defeated only by the personal intervention of God, and believed in the existence of fairies. How could it be that such a man should be put in charge of evaluating technical developments for the British air ministry? Yet it was he, fighting the inertia of the bureaucrats who ruled the Air Force, who brought the modern multi-gunned fighter into existence. And he insisted that his scientists investigate the mysterious invisible rays that would prove to be the salvation of Britain: radar.

Dowding, who provided the organization and training that led to victory, has been all but ignored by U. S. biographers of Churchill and historians of the Battle of Britain. Yet his story is vital, both for its importance to the defense of Britain-indeed the entire free world—and for the intriguing character study that emerges from his ongoing conflict with Churchill and the British government during the crisis years of the empire.

Customer Reviews:

Marvellous.......2007-02-04

I discovered Lord Dowding as the author did through Dowdings book "Lynchgate". The Battle of Britain, whilst not the saviour as most believe put a serious dent in Hitlers War Machine. Britain was to remain free and a "stepping stone" back into Europe.

Without Lord Dowding none of this would have been achieved. Bombing had been shown to be the way of modern warfare and fighters stuck in a time warp could not catch them. Dowding's obstinacy and prescience established a data-linked system of radar, operation rooms and fighters. Without him the World may have been a much different place.

Since owning and reading the book, I have lent it out to various people, some who admit to only occassionally reading! Everyone has been awe stuck by the story. Our debt of gratitude to those who fought the Second World War is aptly enhanced.

Excellent Book About A Little Known Hero.......2007-01-10

Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding has long been known to me as one of the most important men in the defeat of Hitler and Nazi Germany, yet few Americans know who he is.

David E. Fisher writes is an engaging style. There are several fine books that detail Hugh Dowding's contributions to the RAF's defeat of the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain, and his immediate dismissal afterwards.

Fisher writes a lot about Dowding's belief in the supernatural, but it is done in a sensitive and fair manner.

Fisher has done his research. This book is a great way to learn about one of the most decisive battles of WWII, and about one of its greatest heroes.

Bright book, would be terrible to miss.......2006-07-25

How can a summer be bright and terrible? Fisher writes convincingly that the long, dry, summer of 1940 over England offered the world a turning point, the Battle of Britain. The star was Hugh "Stuffy" Dowding, the aging officer responsible for the fighter defense of England. Faced with the assumption that fighters were too slow, too under armed, and too late - "the bomber will always get through" - and faced with an overwhelming enemy, Dowding had to Marshall has scarce "chicks", lull Hermann Goring into believing that England had no resistance left, and postpone Operation Sea Lion. This bright, terrible summer provided the backdrop for this well-documented battle. Fisher offers four parts - winter, spring, summer and fall - to create a complete context for this fascinating historical story.

The strategy was to fight strategically, with a few well-positioned squadrons taking on waves of German bombers and fighters. The "secret" to the success was the intricate defense communications system, based on nascent radar, a system that provided enough time for fighters to rise up to meet the Huns. Even at the time, Dowding's plan was not universally accepted. Even his success in turning the tide and postponing the inevitable invasion did not save him his job. Other people clamored for more credit, including Winston Churchill, rankled peers, a disgruntled scientist, and the legless fighter pilot, Douglas Bader. "Bomber" Harris and the "big wing" theory may have earned more press, but Fisher makes his point clearly, if personally and even conversationally, that Dowding saved the day, on stubborn spunk and science. Dowding leveraged his experience in the first Great War to manage a career based on science more than diplomacy or tact. He was loved by the men he led, and reviled by many of the peers he challenged.

Fisher even forgives Neville Chamberlain's aligned "appeasement" as a method for England to buy time in the run up to full-scale war. Clearly England was not yet equipped to defend itself at the time of Munich, but it is hard to know if Hitler would have been ready to go. Fisher is a scientist, a professor of cosmochemistry, who teaches about war and science, and he has a skill at putting together the scientific and technological advances that saved England as well as those half-baked ideas that fortunately did not stop radar and Dowding's communication system from stopping the onslaught. Fisher has a light, pleasant, non-technical writing style. The reader feels as if Fisher is telling a story, perhaps to a classroom of students. He details Dowding's life, including Dowding's fascination with spirit life, séances, and mediums. Fisher takes on some of the conventional wisdom as to heroes and chumps and leaves the reader satisfied with a thorough, personal story, even with Fisher's self-admitted bias about some incidents and people.

The final flare of the Battle of Britain, the second week in September 1940, when Hitler finally had to acknowledge that the invasion was off, provides a fitting climax to a climactic story. This is interesting history, enjoyable, educational and informative, vivid yet not graphic, personal, candid, and willing to look at both sides of the numerous accounts of this period. Having read many of them myself, I recommend this one as a satisfying experience.

Bright, Terrible and Brilliant.......2006-03-20

This is a brilliant account of the Battle of Britain. As Hitler unleashed the Luftwaffe against Britain, the Summer of 1940, writes David Fisher, was too long and too short; too bright and too terrible: "Too long," because it seemed like an eternity before the onset of the high Fall winds that would roil the North Atlantic and make a cross-channel invasion impossible. "Too short," because there was insufficient time to mass-produce Spitfires and Hurricanes, train pilots, and build and staff radar stations. "Too bright," because an unusually dry and clear Summer ("where the bleep are the clouds, the fog, the rain") created perfect conditions for the Luftwaffe assault, and "too terrible," because of the all the planes that were falling from the sky.

"Brilliant" is a good word to describe the man who was most responsible for England's defense: Hugh Dowding. And he was prescient, too. Dowding saw early that fighter squadrons, not bombers, were the key to the island nation's defense, bucking conventional wisdom in the Air Ministry. He out-argued Winston Churchill (Churchill!) to prevent the senseless transfer of precious British fighter planes during the Battle of France: "if the present rate of wastage continues for another fortnight, we shall not have a single Hurricane left in France or in this country." He envisioned the essential role of radar - at a time when others, including Churchill, were promoting fanciful schemes like the death ray - and overcame inane resistance (`make sure they don't interfere with the grouse hunting") to construct a chain of radar towers on the eve of war. His strategy of sending small numbers of Spits and Hurris ("penny packets") to contest the Luftwaffe proved to be masterful. Hermann Goring became deluded into believing England's fighter squadrons had been decimated. When Goring went for the kill, Dowding summoned the reserves he had been holding back, and -- aided by the early warning of radar - trounced the Luftwaffe and ended the Battle of Britain.

Surprisingly, Dowding was cashiered (or more politely, "retired on schedule") shortly thereafter. Hitler's failure in the Battle of Britain engendered The Blitz. Churchill demanded an immediate defense. Dowding said there was no effective defense against the nighttime bombing until better fighter planes were produced, equipped with individual radar sets and better armaments. Events would prove Dowding right. But he had made many enemies in the top echelons of the Air Ministry, and had little support in resisting Churchill. Indeed, his antagonists in the Air Ministry even conspired to revise the history of the Battle of Britain to make his successful strategy seem a failure.

Dowding was an eccentric guy. He claimed to communicate regularly with his dead wife as well as the pilots (his "chicks") who perished over England. Shortly after retirement, he married a young widow at the recommendation of her recently killed fighter-pilot husband. At the end, many of his contemporaries thought he'd gone off the deep end. But at the time of its greatest peril, he was the guy who, in Fisher's words, "made the life-and-death decisions that saved England." And altered the course of the Second World War.

Nice addition to every WWII library.......2005-12-27

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in WWII, especially the ETO. There are a couple of nice pluses in this book.

First, the story is broader than usual. There are certainly other good histories of the Battle of Britain, but this is the best treatment I have seen of the lead-up to the battle on the British side. Specifically, the development of RADAR and the Spitfire.

The other nice facet of this book is that the author definitely makes his opinion known, keeping the book from being too dry, but at the same time, he is clear in distinguishng between his opinions and the facts.

Once I started this book, I just ripped right through it.

Average customer rating:

Churchill at War 1940-1945
Lord Moran
Manufacturer: Constable and Robinson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Irish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Bluffing Mr. Churchill (Inspector Troy Series)

Average customer rating:

Atmospheric thriller set in the London of 1941
Good on atmosphere, but the characters & plot didn't grab me
Lawton Is Now on My "A" List
Vastly inferior to the earlier Inspector Troy books
DUPLICATION

Bluffing Mr. Churchill (Inspector Troy Series)
John Lawton
Manufacturer: Atlantic Monthly Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Black Out
Old Flames
Flesh Wounds: An Inspector Troy Novel (A Black cat book)
Riptide
A Little White Death

ASIN: 0871139073

Book Description

The new installment in the highly acclaimed Inspector Troy series, a riveting spy novel of murder and intrigue in World War II London

With his Inspector Troy series, John Lawton has been compared to top historical espionage writers such as John le Carré and Len Deighton. Now Lawton offers us "one of the most entertaining thrillers . . . in years" (Sunday Telegraph).

It is 1941. Wolfgang Stahl, an American spy operating undercover as an SS officer, has just fled Germany with Hitler's henchmen on his trail. He is carrying valuable cargo—the blueprint of the Führer's secret plan to invade Russia. Stahl's man in the American embassy, the shy and sheltered Calvin M. Cormack, is teamed with a boisterous MI5 officer, Walter Stilton, to find the spy and bring him to safety. Their investigation takes them across war-torn London, from the shelled-out blocks to the ubiquitous pubs to the underground counterfeiting shops; and in Cormack's case, into the arms of Kitty, his partner's rambunctious daughter. As Cormack and Stilton close in on Stahl, bodies begin turning up—and the duo realize they may not be the only ones in pursuit of the spy. Someone, it seems, wants the German dead. When his partner is suddenly murdered in the line of duty, Cormack must turn to the ingenious devices of his lover Kitty's old flame—Sergeant Troy of Scotland Yard. Toge! ther, they investigate the trail of murders and come to a horrifying realization—are Cormack and his spy being played by one of their own in the American embassy?

Brilliantly re-creating London in the time of ration tickets and bread lines, Bluffing Mr. Churchill is a blistering page-turner peopled by characters to which we find ourselves magnetically drawn. Says the London Observer, "The sense of London during the Blitz is strong and the story, with its mix of real history and believable invention, is fast-paced, twisting and tense."

Customer Reviews:

Atmospheric thriller set in the London of 1941.......2005-07-22

This is my first read of the "Inspector Troy" series which I gather has many fans.

The time is 1941. An Austrian close to SS factotum Reinhard Heydrich is a spy for the Americans and about to be uncovered. Hurriedly, he fakes his death in an air raid and runs. To where, we don't yet know.

Calvin Cormack, a U.S. Army intelligence officer in Zurich is told to go to London. In London, Cormack, the son of a Congressman who is against American involvement in Europe, is teamed with Walter Stilton, a seemingly plodding Special Branch Inspector.

Stahl, the fugitive Austrian, is in England: so Cormack believes.

The search by Stilton and Cormack begins and the bodies start dropping soon enough. Cormack is drawn into the family life of Stilton and Lawton weaves a plot that beautifully brings in English life, American politics and the family of Freddie Troy. Troy is a homicide detective for Scotland Yard.

Lawton does a nice job of sketching out his characters. Interestingly, Troy plays an almost secondary role, although he is the ultimate hero of the book. The novel does move along nicely, but it is so laden with detail that it does seem to slow down from time to time.

Overall, Lawton does a wonderful job of creating the atmosphere of 1941 London. The characters are all believable, the story more complex on a personal level than most mysteries and the plot doesn't have any disturbing jumps. Overall, a very entertaining read.

Jerry

Good on atmosphere, but the characters & plot didn't grab me.......2005-01-06

I haven't read any of the other Inspector Troy novels; I picked up this one because the jacket's reviews were attractive. I realize now that the review excerpts focused on what I liked about the book (its terrific recreation of a time & place) and were silent on what didn't grab me (the characters & plot).

It's almost worth reading just for the "feel." This is what it must've been like to sit around the kitchen table of a middle-class London policeman in Spring of 1941.

But while the novel is literate and well-written, there's something distancing about it. I found Troy the less interesting and less sharply delineated of the two major characters (Troy and an American soldier, Cal Cormack), and Lawton spends much more time on Cormack. The spy / murder-mystery plot plays out without much momentum; better are the glimpses of the internal politics of the police force and diplomatic services.

I expect I'd like Bluffing Mr. Churchill much more if I already had some investment in the continuing characters. I doubt I'll hunt out the other books in the series.

Lawton Is Now on My "A" List.......2004-10-28

I began this series out of sequence with "Old Flames", a very clever 1950s spy thriller. This novel picks up Inspector Troy's career at an earlier stage, during WW II, but before the action of "Black Out". Though Troy doesn't get center stage, this is still an excellent story, with its fascinating picture of early 1940s London and the last few months before its two biggest players, the US and USSR, entered the war.

Recommended, in spite of a couple of others here thinking that a prior UK publication is grounds to knock a perfectly good novel.

Vastly inferior to the earlier Inspector Troy books.......2004-08-04

I liked Black Out and Old Flames, but this book just isn't worth the money. John Lawton ought to give me a free coupon to his next book--it HAS to be better.

Poor plot, very little time with Inspector Troy, and everybody and every situation is one-dimensional.

Re-read the earlier books and wait for your library to order this one.

DUPLICATION.......2004-06-08

WARNING TO LAWTON FANS. THIS BOOK IS IDENTICAL TO "RIPTIDE."

The Sinking of the Lancastria: The Twentieth Century's Deadliest Naval Disaster and Churchill's Plot to Make It Disappear

Average customer rating:

Lest We Forget
A forgotten tragedy brought back to life
Dead in the water...
Well written account of a sad event

The Sinking of the Lancastria: The Twentieth Century's Deadliest Naval Disaster and Churchill's Plot to Make It Disappear
Jonathan Fenby
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Naval | Military | History | Subjects | Books

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Shadow Voyage: The Extraordinary Wartime Escape of the Legendary SS
The Cruise of the Sea Eagle: The Amazing True Story of Imperial Germany's Gentleman Pirate
Seize the Trident
Picture History of the French Line
RMS Lusitania: The Ship and Her Record

ASIN: 0786715324

Book Description

On June 17, 1940, just after the Dunkirk evacuation had supposedly ended in success, several thousand of the many British troops still left in France boarded a five-decked cruise liner called the Lancastria. Right after they boarded, the ship was dive-bombed by the German Luftwaffe, and a short time later the 17,000-ton Lancastria sank. German fighter planes strafed the oil slick sea, setting it ablaze as British troops banded together singing “Roll Out the Barrel” in the hopes of mustering any hope that still remained. In the end, with 4,000 soldiers, women, and children dead—with some estimates as high as 6,000—the disaster would eclipse that of both the Lusitania and the Titanic.

Although the story was picked up in the United States a few weeks later, it was reported only once by any British news outlet, and as the war progressed the tragedy eventually vanished. Author Jonathan Fenby argues that this was the result of a ruthless but necessary kibosh put in place by Winston Churchill in order to preserve British morale. Through firsthand interviews with survivors, some of whom had never spoken about it to anyone until being interviewed for this book, Fenby reconstructs the entire tragic saga.

Customer Reviews:

Lest We Forget.......2007-06-17

As British soliders and noncombatants fled the Nazi overthrow of France, the horror was compounded by the sinking of the sturdy Cunard liner where they thought they had found sanctuary. Thousands died, and a well-intentioned and much beloved Prime Minister misled his people about the gravity of this particular aspect of the event. The pride that the British felt in the rescue of some troops from Dunkirk was a valuable commodity in the grim days that followed, Would the truth have prevented the British people's standing firm and protecting their island until a concerted effort by the civilized world could defeat the evil that had enslaved some of Europe and annihilated the rest? I suspect knowing the truth would only have hardened their resolve. For us today, there is a realization that we should never forget the sacrifices made to rid the world of the Nazi madness. Denby has illuminated this dark moment in history for all to see, exposing the fact that cover-up is never a good thing, no matter how bitter the truth may be. A great job by a very thorough writer.

A forgotten tragedy brought back to life.......2007-02-21

In June 1940 Britain's war efforts against Germany were truly on the back foot and the Dunkirk evacuations were in full swing. Only by recovering our troops could we hope to regroup, rearm and then rejoin the fight. Off Normandy, an armada of small boats did an amazing job of work ferrying as many troops as possible safely home to England. Further away, off St. Nazaire a few large ships were also working to that same common cause.

Then, on 17 June 1940, more people died - as one particular troopship was bombed, sunk and then strafed, than on the more famous losses of the Titanic and Lusitania combined. Sadly, apart from the survivors, the relatives of those who perished plus a few divers who visit the wreck, few people have ever heard the name of that ship.

She was the Cunard passenger liner "Lancastria" and in this book the author brings her back to life in a most vivid and poignant fashion.

Nowadays, more and more people are asking questions about what "really" did happen with regard to specific incidents during both world wars - and quite right too. Furthermore, divers have begun to ask all the right questions about the shipwrecks they are visiting. It is accounts, such as this that go a long way towards answering those questions and filling in the gaps created by the historical events which followed the sinking of this once great ship.

Altogether, this is more than just a book about a ship that was lost in dreadful circumstances. With the skills of a consummate wordsmith, author Jonathan Fenby has carefully brought this tragedy back to back to life because people had forgotten it had happened. In so doing, he has created an historical document of great importance - a document which is of great interest to divers and historians alike.

If you really want to know how the Lancastria met her end, this book is possibly the only document you will ever need.

NM

Dead in the water..........2006-08-13

An excellent and fast moving account if you want an informative read on a little known event in British WW2 history. The loss of the Lancastria, the straffing of defenceless people and the stories of the survivors in this nightmare sinking highlights war at it worst and amply illustrates how everything can change in the blink of an eye.

Well written account of a sad event.......2006-02-02

A well researched account of this unfortunately little known incident. Much of it heart-wrenching.
One slight problem - to follow what happened to a particular person entails a bit of page-turning, back and forth, to follow an individual's story..

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