The Second World War

by Churchill, Winston; Churchill, Sir Winston S.

• ISBN13: 9781472520876
• ISBN10: 1472520874
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-12-12
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

"I am perhaps the only man who has passed through the twosupreme cataclysms of recorded history in high executive office... I was in thissecond struggle with Germany for more than five years the head of His Majesty'sGovernment. I write therefore from a different standpoint and with moreauthority than was possible in my earlier books. I do not describe it as ahistory, for that belongs to another generation. But I claim with confidencethat it is a contribution to history which will be of service to the future." Sir Winston Churchill

 

From the origins of the conflict, the rise of Hitler and thefutile attempts at appeasement, through the darkest days of Britain's lonestand against the Axis powers, the great alliances with the USA and SovietRussia and the triumphs of D Day and the eventual liberation of Europe to theterrible birth of the Cold War under the shadow of nuclear weaponry, this isWinston Churchill's landmark history of World War II. At once a personalaccount and a majesterial history, TheSecond World War remains Churchill's literary masterpiece.

Author Biography

Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two occasions, from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951-1955. Celebrated as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th Century, he was also a gifted orator, statesman and historian. He was awarded the Novel Prize for Literature in 1953.

Table of Contents

Extract from Preface to The Gathering Storm

Book I: Milestones to Disaster, 1919 - May 10, 1940

I. The Follies of the Victors, 1919-1929

II. Peace At Its Zenith, 1922-1931

III. Adolf Hitler

IV. The Locust Years, 1931-1933

V. The Darkening Scene, 1934

VI. Air Parity Lost, 1934-1935

VII. Challenge and Response, 1935

VIII. Sanctions Against Italy, 1935

IX. Hitler Strikes, 1936

X. The Loaded Pause, 1936-1938

XI. Mr Eden At the Foreign Office. His Resignation

XII. The Rape of Austria, February 1938

XIII. Czechoslovakia

XIV. The Tragedy of Munich

XV. Prague, Albania and the Polish Guarantee

XVI. On the Verge

XVII. Twilight War

XVIII. The Admiralty Task

XIX. The Front in France

XX. Scandinavia. Finland

XXI. Norway

XXII. The Fall of the Government

Book II: Alone, May 10, 1940 - June 22, 1941

I. The National Coalition

II. The Battle of France

III. The March to the Sea

IV. The Deliverance of Dunkirk

V. The Rush for the Spoils

VI. Back to France

VII. Home Defence and the Apparatus of Counter-Attack

VIII. The French Agony

IX. Admiral Darlan and the French Fleet

X. At Bay

XI. Operation "Sea Lion"

XII. The Battle of Britain

XIII. "London Can Take It"

XIV. Lend-Lease

XV. Desert Victory

XVI. The Widening War

XVII. The Battle of the Atlantic

XVIII. Yugoslavia and Greece

XIX. The Desert Flank. Rommel. Tobruk

XX. Crete

XXI. General Wavell's Final Effort

XXII. The Soviet Nemesis

Book III: The Grand Alliance, Sunday, December 7 1941 and Onwards

I. Our Soviet Ally

II. My Meeting with Roosevelt

III. Persia and the Desert

IV. Pearl Harbour!

V. A Voyage Amid World War

VI. Anglo-American Accords

VII. The Fall of Singapore

VIII. The U-Boat Paradise

IX. American Naval Victories. The Coral Sea and Midway Island

X. "Second Front Now!"

XI. My Second Visit to Washington. Tobruk

XII. The Vote of Censure

XIII. The Eighth Army at Bay

XIV. My Journey to Cairo. Changes in Command

XV. Moscow: The First Meeting

XVI. Moscow: A Relationship Established

XVII. Strain and Suspense

XVIII. The Battle of Alamein

XIX. The Torch Is Lit

XX. The Casablanca Conference

XXI. Turkey, Stalingrad and Tunis

XXII. Italy the Goal

Book IV: Triumph and Tragedy: 1943-1945

I. The Capture of Sicily and the Fall of Mussolini

II. Synthetic Harbours

III. The Invasion of Italy

IV. Deadlock in the Mediterranean

V. Arctic Convoys

VI. Teheran: The Opening

VII. Teheran: Crux and Conclusions

VIII. Carthage and Marrakesh

IX. Marshal Tito: The Greek Torment

X. The Anzio Stroke

XI. "Overlord"

XII. Rome and D-Day

XIII. Normandy to Paris

XIV. Italy and the Riviera Landing

XV. The Russian Victories

XVI. Burma

XVII. The Battle of Leyte Gulf

XVIII. The Liberation of Western Europe

XIX. October in Moscow

XX. Paris and the Ardennes

XXI. Christmas at Athens

XXII. Malta and Yalta: Plans for World Peace

XXIII. Russia and Poland: The Soviet Promise

XXIV. Crossing the Rhine

XXV. The Iron Curtain

XXVI. The German Surrender

XXVII. The Chasm Opens

XXVIII. The Atomic Bomb

Epilogue: 1945-1957

Index