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Churchill in WWII
“Trumpets from the Steep”: Churchill’s Second World War Memoirs
24
Feb
2023
By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
Churchill had a right to make his case. He had attacked an allied fleet, fired generals, lost battleships, stalled on launching fronts, argued with Roosevelt and Stalin and carpet bombed Germany. He felt the need to defend his actions, knowing critics would gladly seize on and emphasize his mistakes.
On Reputation: “If Churchill Had Not Been Ousted in 1942”
08
Feb
2023
1
By MANFRED WEIDHORN
“Suppose Churchill had lost those votes of confidence in 1942. Simply by being in place while the consequences of his earlier efforts played out, his successor surely would have the credit. The reasoning would have been—in a delicious irony—that the triumphs could not possibly be of Churchill, because 1939-42 proved that he simply did not know how to win.”
Great Contemporaries: The Age of Lloyd George (Part 4)
15
Sep
2022
By RAYMOND A. CALLAHAN
“David Lloyd George's personal failings are clear, but a historian’s verdict ought to be that, in utterly unprecedented situations, he rose very well to the challenges—and far better than any conceivable alternative leader. Overshadowed now by the memory of Churchill, he deserves respectful remembrance in his own right.”
Rhetoric: How Churchill Scaffolded His First Speech to Congress
19
Aug
2022
By RICHARD COHEN & RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
“The orator is the embodiment of the passions of the multitude. Before he can inspire them with any emotion he must be swayed by it himself. When he would rouse their indignation his heart is filled with anger. Before he can move their tears his own must flow. To convince them he must himself believe.” —WSC, “The Scaffolding of Rhetoric,”1897
Great Contemporaries: Paul Reynaud, Some Answers and a Question
25
Jan
2022
Great Contemporaries: Montgomery, Right Man at the Right Time (Part 2)
30
Sep
2021
1
By RAYMOND A. CALLAHAN
“He’d never get us killed, stupid like…” Britain’s soldiers needed a general who wouldn't squander their lives. In Montgomery they found one.
Great Contemporaries: Montgomery, Right Man at the Right Time (Part 1)
23
Sep
2021
By RAYMOND A. CALLAHAN
Montgomery took command of the 8th Army at a time when Britain and Churchill desperately needed a victory. It was left to him to deliver it.
Great Contemporaries: Claude Auchinleck, Soldier of the Raj (Part 2)
16
Sep
2021
By RAYMOND A. CALLAHAN
London has no statue of Claude Auchinleck, the man who stopped Rommel and the last commander of the Indian Army. Perhaps there should be one.
Great Contemporaries: Claude Auchinleck, Soldier of the Raj (Part 1)
09
Sep
2021
Great Contemporaries: William Stephenson, “A Quiet Canadian”
02
Sep
2021
By RON CYNEWULF ROBBINS
A Canadian hero dear to Churchill, Stephenson deserved better than he received at the hands of biographers and a disbelieving public.
Great Contemporaries: Archibald Wavell, Man of Silences (Part 2)
29
Jul
2021
By RAYMOND A. CALLAHAN
Churchill believed any obstacle could be surmounted, while Wavell prepared for the worst. Both traits had served Britain well.
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Longest Campaign: Winston Churchill and the Atlantic Battle, 1940-43
26
Jul
2021
By CHRISTOPHER M. BELL
The protracted Atlantic battle hinged on desperate choices between defense and taking the fight to the enemy. The crux came in 1943.