Churchill, Master and Commander: Winston Churchill at War 1895-1945
An engaging and detailed study of Winston Churchill's career as a military commander, from his early experiences in Britain's colonial wars, through his battlefield experience in World War I to his strategic command in World War II. This book examines how in high office he got it both right and wrong.

From his earliest days Winston Churchill was an extreme risk taker and he carried this into adulthood. Today he is widely hailed as Britain's greatest wartime leader and politician. Deep down though, he was foremost a warlord. Just like his ally Stalin, and his arch enemies Hitler and Mussolini, Churchill could not help himself and insisted on personally directing the strategic conduct of World War II. For better or worse he insisted on being political master and military commander. Again like his wartime contemporaries, he had a habit of not heeding the advice of his generals. The results of this were disasters in Norway, North Africa, Greece, and Crete during 1940–41. His fruitless Dodecanese campaign in 1943 also ended in defeat. Churchill's pig-headedness over supporting the Italian campaign in defiance of the Riviera landings culminated in him threatening to resign and bring down the British Government. Yet on occasions he got it just right, his refusal to surrender in 1940, the British miracle at Dunkirk and victory in the Battle of Britain, showed that he was a much-needed decisive leader. Nor did he shy away from difficult decisions, such as the destruction of the French Fleet to prevent it falling into German hands and his subsequent war against Vichy France.

In this fascinating new book, acclaimed historian Anthony Tucker-Jones explores the record of Winston Churchill as a military commander, assessing how the military experiences of his formative years shaped him for the difficult military decisions he took in office. This book assesses his choices in the some of the most controversial and high-profile campaigns of World War II, and how in high office his decision making was both right and wrong.

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Churchill, Master and Commander: Winston Churchill at War 1895-1945
An engaging and detailed study of Winston Churchill's career as a military commander, from his early experiences in Britain's colonial wars, through his battlefield experience in World War I to his strategic command in World War II. This book examines how in high office he got it both right and wrong.

From his earliest days Winston Churchill was an extreme risk taker and he carried this into adulthood. Today he is widely hailed as Britain's greatest wartime leader and politician. Deep down though, he was foremost a warlord. Just like his ally Stalin, and his arch enemies Hitler and Mussolini, Churchill could not help himself and insisted on personally directing the strategic conduct of World War II. For better or worse he insisted on being political master and military commander. Again like his wartime contemporaries, he had a habit of not heeding the advice of his generals. The results of this were disasters in Norway, North Africa, Greece, and Crete during 1940–41. His fruitless Dodecanese campaign in 1943 also ended in defeat. Churchill's pig-headedness over supporting the Italian campaign in defiance of the Riviera landings culminated in him threatening to resign and bring down the British Government. Yet on occasions he got it just right, his refusal to surrender in 1940, the British miracle at Dunkirk and victory in the Battle of Britain, showed that he was a much-needed decisive leader. Nor did he shy away from difficult decisions, such as the destruction of the French Fleet to prevent it falling into German hands and his subsequent war against Vichy France.

In this fascinating new book, acclaimed historian Anthony Tucker-Jones explores the record of Winston Churchill as a military commander, assessing how the military experiences of his formative years shaped him for the difficult military decisions he took in office. This book assesses his choices in the some of the most controversial and high-profile campaigns of World War II, and how in high office his decision making was both right and wrong.

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Churchill, Master and Commander: Winston Churchill at War 1895-1945

Churchill, Master and Commander: Winston Churchill at War 1895-1945

Churchill, Master and Commander: Winston Churchill at War 1895-1945

Churchill, Master and Commander: Winston Churchill at War 1895-1945

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Overview

An engaging and detailed study of Winston Churchill's career as a military commander, from his early experiences in Britain's colonial wars, through his battlefield experience in World War I to his strategic command in World War II. This book examines how in high office he got it both right and wrong.

From his earliest days Winston Churchill was an extreme risk taker and he carried this into adulthood. Today he is widely hailed as Britain's greatest wartime leader and politician. Deep down though, he was foremost a warlord. Just like his ally Stalin, and his arch enemies Hitler and Mussolini, Churchill could not help himself and insisted on personally directing the strategic conduct of World War II. For better or worse he insisted on being political master and military commander. Again like his wartime contemporaries, he had a habit of not heeding the advice of his generals. The results of this were disasters in Norway, North Africa, Greece, and Crete during 1940–41. His fruitless Dodecanese campaign in 1943 also ended in defeat. Churchill's pig-headedness over supporting the Italian campaign in defiance of the Riviera landings culminated in him threatening to resign and bring down the British Government. Yet on occasions he got it just right, his refusal to surrender in 1940, the British miracle at Dunkirk and victory in the Battle of Britain, showed that he was a much-needed decisive leader. Nor did he shy away from difficult decisions, such as the destruction of the French Fleet to prevent it falling into German hands and his subsequent war against Vichy France.

In this fascinating new book, acclaimed historian Anthony Tucker-Jones explores the record of Winston Churchill as a military commander, assessing how the military experiences of his formative years shaped him for the difficult military decisions he took in office. This book assesses his choices in the some of the most controversial and high-profile campaigns of World War II, and how in high office his decision making was both right and wrong.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781472847331
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication date: 11/23/2021
Pages: 384
Sales rank: 1,098,485
Product dimensions: 9.30(w) x 6.20(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Anthony Tucker-Jones, a former intelligence officer, is a highly prolific writer and military historian with well over 50 books to his name. His work has also been published in an array of magazines and online. He regularly appears on television and radio commenting on current and historical military matters.

Table of Contents

Foreword Andrew Roberts 7

Introduction 9

Prologue: Death or Glory 15

List of Maps 28

List of Illustrations 29

Part 1 Baptism of Fire 31

1 Soldiers of the Queen 33

2 Frontier Wars 40

3 Great Escape 48

4 The Sakabulas 57

Part 2 Fall and Rise 65

5 A Haunting Lesson 67

6 'Cat on Hot Bricks' 80

7 Winston's Mercenaries 87

Part 3 World Order or Disorder 97

8 Flying Police 99

9 Troubled Emerald Isle 104

10 Beneath the Sphinx 114

11 Nazism or Communism 123

Part 4 The Warlord Returns 139

12 Master and Commander 141

13 His Finest Hour 155

14 Strategic Dilemma 168

15 Old Foes 177

16 Hitting Back 187

17 'Bands of Brothers' 196

Part 5 Global Juggling Act 205

18 Mediterranean Showdown 207

19 An American Friend 221

20 Joan of Arc 232

21 Courting the Red Czar 242

22 Loss of Faith 250

23 India in Revolt 264

Part 6 War of Wills 275

24 Strained Relations 277

25 Second Front Now 288

26 'Death Wish' 304

27 Miracle of Deliverance 311

28 'The Whole Scene' 318

Epilogue: Gone Painting 327

Winston Churchill's Military Career at a Glance: 1895-1945 329

Notes and References 332

Bibliography 363

Index 374

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