Finest Years

Pre-eminent military historian Max Hastings presents Winston Churchill as he has never been seen before. Winston Churchill was the greatest war leader Britain ever had. In 1940, the nation rallied behind him in an extraordinary fashion. But thereafter, argues Max Hastings, there was a deep divide between what Churchill wanted from the British people and their army, and what they were capable of delivering. Himself a hero, he expected others to show themselves heroes also, and was often disappointed. It is little understood how low his popularity fell in 1942, amid an unbroken succession of battlefield defeats. Some of his closest colleagues joined a clamour for him to abandon his role directing the war machine. Hastings paints a wonderfully vivid image of the Prime Minister in triumph and tragedy. He describes the 'second Dunkirk' in 1940, when Churchill's impulsiveness threatened to lose Britain almost as many troops in north-west France as had been saved from the beaches; his wooing of the Americans, and struggles with the Russians. British wartime unity was increasingly tarnished by workers' unrest, with many strikes in mines and key industries. By looking at Churchill from the outside in, through the eyes of British soldiers, civilians and newspapers, and also those of Russians and Americans, Hastings provides new perspectives on the greatest Englishman. He condemns as folly Churchill's attempt to promote mass uprisings in occupied Europe, and details 'Unthinkable', his amazing 1945 plan for an Allied offensive against the Russians to liberate Poland. Here is an intimate and affectionate portrait of Churchill as Britain's saviour, but also an unsparing examination of the wartime nation which he led and the performance of its armed forces.

ISBN 0007263678   Pages 576 ISBN13 9780007263677 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 1106 Publisher HarperCollins Publishers   Published in London Imprint HarperPress   Height (mm) 234 Format Hardback   Width (mm) 161 Publication date 03 Sep 2009   Spine width (mm) 46 DEWEY 941.082092   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC22

		List of Illustrations
		List of Maps
1		The Battle of France		1
2		The Two Dunkirks		36
3		Invasion Fever		60
4		The Battle of Britain		79
5		Greek Fire		111
6		Comrades		150
7		The Battle of America		171
8		A Glimpse of Arcadia		214
9		'The Valley of Humiliation'		234
10		Soldiers, Bosses and 'Slackers'		259
11		'Second Front Now!'		283
12		Camels and the Bear		315
13		The Turn of Fortune		334
14		Out of the Desert		368
15		Sunk in the Aegean		401
16		Tehran		422
17		Setting Europe Ablaze		451
18		Overlord		476
19		Bargaining with an Empty Wallet		493
20		Athens: 'Wounded in the House of Our Friends'		523
21		Yalta		546
22		The Final Act		557
		Acknowledgements		599
		Notes and Sources		601
		Select Bibliography		636
		Index		645

'I would choose this account over and above the rest. It is a fabulous book: full of perceptive insight that conveys all the tragedy, triumph, humour and intense drama of Churchill's time as wartime leader; and it is incredibly moving as a result' James Holland, Literary Review 'One of the best books ever written about Churchill...Hastings's efficient, soldierly prose marches along at a brisk pace and carries the reader with it. He has drawn on copious original sources and consulted experts familiar with them, enabling him to cast fresh light on familiar episodes...a magnificent performance' Piers Brendon, Sunday Times 'The book's portrait of Churchill is scrupulously fair and often deeply moving...in fact Hastings excels with all his character portraits, especially with Roosevelt and Stalin. Hastings is truly a master of strategy and high command' Antony Beevor, Mail on Sunday 'Hastings's brilliant!remarkable book!At a time when our politicians are mismanaging a foreign war, it has many invaluable lessons...a timely as well as a judicious and important book' Michael Burliegh, Sunday Telegraph 'Brilliantly executed...this is a superb book, majestic in scope and depth, studded with insights and judgments that brilliantly illuminate great and terrible events' Evening Standard "This is a rich and rewarding book, the fruit of many years of reflection on the conduct of the war. It is enlivened by countless insights on matters great and small, and by a spare, tenchant style which holds the reader's attention throughout its 600 pages" The Spectator 'The depth of scholarship shows on every page...fascinating' Daily Telegraph 'One of Britain's best historians explains, among other things, why the special relationship was never that special...compelling...filled with passion...this book shows us new reasons to read about Churchill' Financial Times "Hastings is probably as qualified to understand Churchill as any man of his generation can be!(he) captures Churchill's mix of charm, exhibitionism, sentimentality and monstrous egotism!and writes with the calm authority that comes from long experience and wide reading". TLS "Max Hastings stands out as a journalist with a vivid pen who has turned himself into a masterly historian...admirable" Country Life

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