That’s sitting in my reading queue and waving at me, Kev.
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Ditto.
Currently working my through this.
Among his many talents, Churchill was a gifted writer. I’m learning a lot about WW1 that I didn’t know.
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I enjoyed this too. The man was undoubtedly a fine writer, a master orator and an inspiring leader. But… Gallipolli?
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Not to mention Trondheim … @bhoyo
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Quite. Among other horrors, such as Coventry.
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Painter and bricklayer. I went to the Wallace Collection in the West End on Monday to see his oil paintings exhibition. Well worth a visit.
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A teeny bit of research will confirm that the Germans were responsible for the bombing of Coventry. The myth that Churchill had prior warning of the attack has been comprehensively debunked based on all the evidence.
As for Norway, the land campaign was a fiasco and highlighted significant shortcomings in the overall conduct of the war, especially in strategy, communications, and coordination. What most people don’t realise is the damage inflicted on the Kriegsmarine by the Royal Navy during the campaign. This significantly depleted the German surface fleet, putting paid to its planned marauding activities in the Atlantic and destroying its ability to support an invasion of England.
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The book that started all this focuses on WW1, so my main point was Gallipoli.
Other disasters remain debatable. But thanks for clearing up that it was the Luftwaffe that bombed Coventry.
It was said of WSC (and I’m paraphrasing) that he had a torrent of ideas every day, and at least one of them was brilliant. The difficulty was in picking that one from the many others.
The above book unpacks the thinking, events and planning leading up to Gallipoli, as well as the event itself. While some accounts blame Churchill (Australian?), his description of the affair shows that all the key decision makers in the Cabinet, include Asquith, and on the military side all signed up, but then objectives, plans and commitments were regularly changed, with disastrous results. Churchill quotes extensively from the ‘Dardanelles Commission’ that looked into the campaign. Having read all Churchill’s WW2 diaries it is clear that the lessons from Gallipoli were prominent in his mind when overseeing military campaigns in WW2, albeit in the position of PM. Very much worth a read.
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And, of course, that was all on Chamberlin’s watch, and was a strong influence on his downfall. At the time WSC was just a backbencher.
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Me too, I bought a signed copy off the back of his presentation. I’m part way through it and I’m yet to be convinced by the main thrust of his argument - that WW2 commenced in 1931. Yes there were many wars in the world in the 1930s, but a world war? Having said that, his fresh perspective is making me think, and I’m learning a lot, especially about the Sino-Japanese conflict.
Fennel’s previous book “Fighting the People’s War” was excellent.
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If I recall William Manchester’s view about Churchill was quite subtle. I don’t have my copy at hand but AI came to the rescue.
“Norway was a failure, but it wasn’t necessarily evidence that Churchill’s strategic judgement was fundamentally bad. It exposed the gulf between Churchill’s appetite for decisive action and Britain’s ability—in April 1940—to execute that action effectively. … The irony is that the failure of Trondheim subsequently became politically toxic for Churchill. Clementine Churchill was sufficiently worried that her husband might be blamed for Norway that she pointed out that his long-standing opposition to Hitler was probably what protected him politically.”
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I wasn’t convinced either but it was an interesting presentation. I’d spent enough on books that week to buy another - still working through the pile !
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Ah thank you - duly moved over to the proper thread.
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Jane Hirshfield - Pebbles & Assays
Maple
The lake scarlets
the same instant as the maple.
Let others try to say this is not passion.
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After another cracking good day at Chedworth Roman Villa I have bought this in-depth book which I regretted not buying on previous visits.
Too bad it was written before the recent N. Wing Mosaic dating revelations but it should be fascinating nevertheless.
Another one for the must-read pending pile..
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I’m pretty sure there have been a number of Rebus novels after that (published in 2008).
