Tedder: Quietly in Command

Arthur Tedder became one of the most eminent figures of the Second World War: first as head of Anglo-American air forces in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and North Africa; then as Deputy Supreme Commander to General Eisenhower for the Allied campaign that began in Normandy and ended in Berlin. During those anxious, exhilarating years, he was, as The Times of London wrote, 'the most unstuffy of great commanders, who could be found sitting cross-legged, jacketless, pipe smoldering, answering questions on a desert airstrip.' After the war, promoted to five-star rank and elevated to the peerage as Lord Tedder, he was made Chief of the Air Staff, holding this appointment for longer than anyone since his time: four critical years (from 1946 to 1949) that saw the tragic start of the Cold War and the inspiring achievement of the Berlin Airlift. In 1950, he became Britain's NATO representative in Washington: a year that saw the start of a hot war in Korea that threatened to spread around the globe. In 'retirement', Tedder served as Chancellor of Cambridge University, Vice-Chairman of the British Broadcasting Corporation's Board of Governors and Chairman of the Standard Motor Company. He also famously produced one of the most valuable memoirs of the Second World War. This book provides the first comprehensive account of a great commander's public career and uses hundreds of family letters to portray a private life, both joyful and tragic.

List of Illustrations Foreword by Sebastian Cox Acknowledgements Part 1: 1890 to 1914: Rising 1. A Boy of Philosophical Calm, Artistic and Fanciful: From Glenguin to Croydon, July l890 to July l909 2. An Amiable Chap, with Many Interests but Few Achievements: Cambridge, October l909 to June l9l2 3. A Sudden Sense of Absolute Intimacy, Harmony and Understanding: From England to Fiji via Germany, June l9l2 to December l9l4 Part 2: 1915 to 1919: Flying 4. Learning the Grammar of Command: From Wyke Regis to Calais, January l9l5 to January l9l6 5. We Are a Pretty Cosmopolitan Lot: From Reading to Auchel, January to December l9l6 6. Unimpressive, a Wet Blanket, Not Much of a Leader?: From the Western Front to Shawbury, January l9l7 to May l9l8 7. A Paper War on the Edge of a Gentleman's War in a Vile Place: Egypt and Palestine, May l9l8 to March l9l9 Part 3: 1919 to 1940: Climbing 8. Shaping a Squadron in Peacetime at Home, on the Brink of War Abroad: From Bircham Newton to Constantinople, March l9l9 to August l923 9. Good Stuff Separated from Scallywags for the Air Force: From Greenwich to Andover, September l923 to December l93l 10. Fathering Air Armament and Organising an Expansion of Flying Training: From Eastchurch to Egypt, January l932 to October l936 11. The Finest Strategical Position in the World Under the Command of our Next CAS but Two: Singapore, October l936 to July l938 12. Spotting Winners and Advancing Aircraft Production: From London to Harrogate and Back, July l938 to November l940 Part 4: 1940 to 1943: Commanding in Cairo 13. A Man of Nuts and Bolts, of Pen and Ink, with Strong Hands, Velvet-gloved: Cairo and the Western Desert, December l940 to June l94l 14. Ending the Bad Old Days before there was Mutual Understanding and Faith among the Services: Cairo and the Western Desert, June to September l94l 15.Condemned by Churchill, Saved by Freeman and Auchinleck: Cairo and the Western Desert, October l94l to January l942 16.Winnie and Joe See Arthur as a Fighter: Cairo and the Western Desert, February to October l942 17. Seeking an Exciting New Command, Avoiding a Dismal Desk in Whitehall, Suffering a Grievous Loss: From Cairo to Algiers, October l942 to January l943 Part 5: 1943 to 1944: Commanding in Algiers 18. Torch Bearers and Desert Heroes Jointly Countering the Shibboleth of Pershing: Algeria and Tunisia, January to May l943 19. Honouring a Man of Cold Courage, Jollying a Suspicious Dutchman: From Algeria to Sicily, April to September l943 20. An Alarming Avalanche, Another Dardanelles, a New Job: From Algeria to Italy, August l943 to January l944 Part 6: 1943 to 1945: Commanding Eisenhower 21. A Lousy Organisation, Smearing the RAF's Good Name: Bushy Park and Castle Coombe, December l943 to May l944 22. A Great and Noble Undertaking Challenged by a Toy that Would Profoundly Affect Both War and Peace: From London to Paris, May to August l944 23. Aunt Sallies,

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