Subscribe now and receive weekly newsletters with educational materials, new courses, interesting posts, popular books, and much more!
Second World War
The Churchill Project - Hillsdale College > Second World War
Poland vs. Russia & Germany: Did Churchill Pick the Right Enemy?
26
Mar
2024
By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
In June 1941, with Russia invaded and America still neutral, Churchill was desperate for allies. Until 1939, the Russians had not moved beyond their own territory. He had long concluded that Germany not Russia was the main expansionist threat. No one could see far ahead, yet no one worked harder than he for Poland’s independence after the war, and those efforts are on record.
Pericles and Churchill: Matching Leadership, Millennia Apart
15
Feb
2024
By JUSTIN D. LYONS
Pericles sought to preserve Athens, its glory, power and reputation. Churchill demanded struggle not only for Britain, but for the very meaning of Britain—something larger than its borders, more powerful than its military strength and, ultimately more important than its survival: liberty. Churchill’s war was a battle for the freedom of man, to be defended first at home and then upon whatever far-flung fields the conflict would rage.
Great Contemporaries: George Marshall and America at War (2)
05
Jan
2024
1
By RAYMOND A. CALLAHAN
Despite sharp wartime differences, the British never forgot George Marshall. At the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, as he entered Westminster Abbey representing the United States, the vast congregation stood as a mark of respect. When he was hospitalized and dying in 1959, Churchill (by then “Sir Winston”), on a visit to Washington, accompanied President Eisenhower to see him. He left Walter Reed Medical Center with tears in his eyes.
The Churchill Day Book for 1943: Turning of the “Hinge of Fate”
17
Nov
2023
By BRADLEY P. TOLPPANEN
The year 1943 was the final turning point of the Second World War. At 69, Churchill’s schedule saw relentless activity and 147 days abroad. He worked from morning to the small hours. He met staff and advisors, read cables, correspondence, communiques, newspapers, government reports, intelligence data. He chaired meetings of numerous committees, the most important being the War Cabinet. Churchill wrote his own speeches, corresponded and met with world leaders, most importantly Stalin and Roosevelt.
Bowman on Churchill and D-Day: “What’s Not Trite is Not True”
13
Nov
2023
By RICHARD M. LANGWORTH
“Empire First” argues that Churchill was dragged into D-Day by his U.S. and Russian allies: Right to the last, Churchill supposedly preferred the “soft underbelly” route to Germany through Italy. This is not a new charge. What is new is the argument that Churchill was motivated by ignoble self-interest: securing the Mediterranean, Suez and Britain’s Eastern empire.
Robin Prior Describes Britain’s Role in Two World Wars
02
Nov
2023
By CYRIL MAZANSKY
Robin Prior concludes that the critical need in war for the correct political leadership. Lloyd George in the First World War and Churchill in the Second were right for the task. Both managed to gain the support of their citizens. Once that is accomplished, Prior concludes, “democracies at war can be fearsome.”
Meltzer & Mensch: The Long Shelf Life of Russian Disinformation
31
Mar
2023
By MICHAEL MCMENAMIN
The neglect of occupied Persia by serious WW2 scholars “has permitted certain conflated, sensational parachutists and Nazi ‘black ops’ to achieve folkloric stature.... The archival records say unequivocally that Operation Long Jump was never seriously conceived, never planned, and never executed.” Meltzer and Mensch know this. But thanks to them, “Russian disinformation” continues to have a very long shelf life.
Alan Saltman Looks at Churchill’s Decision to Fight On—Again
09
Mar
2023
1
By William John Shepherd
Once Churchill became prime minister, ignominious vassalage à la Vichy France was never a serious possibility. But Saltman's psychological profile of why Churchill fought on omits a crucial dimension: Churchill’s belief in constitutional democracy. That didn’t come from his upbringing or the military, but from his wide reading of the classic philosophers, and broad understanding of representative government.
Great Contemporaries: Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound
02
Mar
2023
By ROBIN BRODHURST
Churchill and Pound were vividly contrasting types, but in the emergency of a world war they fitted together. Each recognised the strengths and weaknesses of the other. Churchill famously wrote that he felt he was walking with destiny. It was equally true to say of Pound: “He is not a Roosevelt figure; rather he is like Truman, and like Truman, he stayed in the kitchen and he took the heat.”
“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: Fleet Admiral William Leahy
12
Jan
2023
By LARRY KRYSKE
The crippled President claimed Leahy was his “leg man,” but really used him to help understand complex military issues associated with waging a world war against two technologically advanced and aggressive nations. Leahy was also to serve as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff above General Marshall, Admiral King, and General Arnold of the Army Air Corps. Leahy rarely took a contentious point of view during JCS deliberations. Instead he preferred to persuade FDR in private on courses of action he favored.