Never Surrender: Winston Churchill and Britain's Decision to Fight Nazi Germany in the Fateful Summer of 1940

by John Kelly

A remarkably vivid account of a key moment in Western The critical six months in 1940 when Winston Churchill debated whether the British would fight Hitler.

London in April, 1940, was a place of great fear and conflict. Everyone was on edge; civilization itself seemed imperiled. The Germans are marching. They have taken Poland, France, Holland, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia. They now menace Britain. Should Britain negotiate with Germany? The members of the War Cabinet bicker, yell, lose their control, and are divided. Churchill, leading the faction to fight, and Lord Halifax, cautioning that prudence is the way to survive, attempt to usurp one another by any means possible. Their country is on the line. And, in Never Surrender , we feel we are alongside these complex and imperfect men, determining the fate of the British Empire.

Drawing on the War Cabinet papers, other government documents, private diaries, newspaper accounts, and memoirs, historian John Kelly tells the story of the summer of 1940—the months of the “Supreme Question” of whether or not the British were to surrender. Impressive in scope and attentive to detail, Kelly takes readers from the battlefield to Parliament, to the government ministries, to the British high command, to the desperate Anglo-French conference in Paris and London, to the American embassy in London, and to life with the ordinary Britons. He brings to life one of the most heroic moments of the twentieth century and intimately portrays some of its largest players—Churchill, Lord Halifax, FDR, Joe Kennedy, Hitler, Stalin, and others. Never Surrender is a fabulous, grand narrative of a crucial period in World War II history and the men and women who shaped it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Biography, British Literature, Politics

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2015

About the author

John Kelly specializes in narrative history. He is the author of The Graves Are Walking: The Great Famine and the Saga of the Irish People; The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death; The Most Devastating Plague of all Time; Three on the Edge; and more. Kelly lives in New York City and Sandisfield, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Peace in our time"....a phrase that would forever besmirch the name of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain after the Munich Accord. Before the ink was dry on that agreement, Hitler was attacking Poland and the war was on. Chamberlain received a vote of "no confidence" and enter Winston Churchill. The first few months of the war, known as the "phony war" gave the Allies (at that point only Britain and France) some time to consider their plans of action.

This book covers one year, 1940, when the hardest decision Britain ever had to make was discussed and rediscussed. The author takes us into cabinet meetings, military briefings and meeting with the leaders of France and it makes the reader realize that there was much dissension between the two allies. France was being bled dry (again) and Britain hadn't really seen much action at this point. But Churchill and his cabinet knew that the islands of Britain were on Hitler's radar and they could not afford to offer much help to floundering France, especially after Dunkirk. France was on the brink of coming to a negotiated peace with Hitler but Churchill was having none of that and his speeches to that effect still resonate down through history. He prepared the people of Britain, standing alone, to meet the enemy when they arrived.

The inner working of the British government during this seminal year are fascinating as they wavered in their planning to meet what most felt would be humiliating defeat. How wrong they were! I highly recommend this history of one of the most turbulent times in British history.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subtitled, “Winston Churchill and Britain’s Decision to fight Nazi Germany in the fateful summer of 1940,” this book examines the early months of WWII from the perspective of Britain, although the fate of France also features highly. In some ways, this excellent book reminded me of others I have read about the early days of the war and, in particular, the fall of the Chamberlain government; such as, “Troublesome Young Men” by Lynne Olson or “Minsters at War,” by Jonathan Schneer. However, this is a more general look at the beginning of the war and would be a good place to start if you had little knowledge of the time period, as well as appealing to those who have read several books on the subject.

It begins with the uneasy peace after WWI, with the Treaty of Versailles, before leading on to the outbreak of the Second World War. As the author points out, WWI really broke out suddenly, from the point of view of the public’s perception, whereas the Second World War began slowly, with a much longer build up to hostilities and hopes of avoiding confrontation. Indeed, even up to the time that war was declared, there were still attempts at appeasement and sheer hopefulness that it would not happen. The winter of 1939/40 was severe and that was also the period that encompassed the ‘phoney war’, when England was at war with Germany, but little seemed to be happening to affect those at home. However, with the Spring of 1940, ‘campaign season’ in Europe saw events changing dramatically.

This book encompasses both high level politics and the war diaries of people as diverse as William Shirer, Harold Nicolson and crime writer Margery Allingham, to help explain how people really felt about the encroaching conflict. There is dissatisfaction with Chamberlain’s government and Churchill brought in as the new Prime Minister (the Lynne Olson book is particularly interesting if you are interested in this), who brought a completely new attitude to the war. Churchill and his representatives shuttled back and forth across the Channel to help strengthen French resolve, and buy England more time, while the French politicians bickered and German morale was at a peak as they were untroubled by any real opposition. There was no denying that the French had a ‘1918’ army fighting a 1939 German fighting machine and that England, like the French, were also woefully underprepared for war.

With Kennedy, the American Ambassador in England, anticipating an English defeat and Halifax suggesting the choices available were either invasion or a compromise to achieve peace, the Cabinet seemed willing to negotiate a settlement with Germany. If France and Belgium capitulated, could England really stand alone? Only Churchill argued that peace and security were not enough and that, “we must ensure our complete liberty and independence.” This, then, is the story of the political attempts to broker peace, encompassing not only America and England, but France and Italy. Indeed, Mussolini was, “the ghost at the table,” determined to go to war despite attempts to use Italy as a pathway to talks with Germany.

Hitler expected the British to seek terms and had one eye on the East, despite ordering Goering to, “wipe” the RAF from the sky within a week. With Dunkirk, the threat of invasion seemed a matter of “when” and not “if.” The war was, literally, on the doorstep of Britain and undoubtedly, people were fearful of what lay ahead. With invasion seeming a certainty, could it be resisted? This book leads us to the fateful summer of 1940, with the Battle of Britain and Churchill’s stirring speeches, which made the people of England feel like participants in the war.” This is an enjoyable, easy read, with plenty of personal touches to make this feel really relevant and not dry; yet with a real depth to it. I found this an excellent and highly enjoyable book and recommend it highly. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

[Cold War Conversations Podcast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable account of the decisive months of 1940.

John Kelly’s book tells the story of the decisive six months of 1940 that could have sent world history down a very different path as the members of the British War Cabinet debated whether to negotiate with Hitler or to continue the war.

The story starts with the winter of 1930/40 during the Sitzkrieg through to Hitler’s postponement of Operation Sealion. Kelly has used War Cabinet papers, other government documents, private diaries, newspaper accounts, and memoirs.

There’s nothing new here, but Kelly’s writing style removes any dryness of the subject matter and brings to life the key meetings and discussions in a compelling narrative that reads like a novel.

Recommended for anyone interested in how Churchill was right man in the right place at the right time, despite the King and many Conservative MPs who would have preferred the Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax as Prime Minister.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins in 1919 with Britain’s strong resolve of “never again to go to war”; with three million dead no one wanted to think of war again. Kelly writes a careful and detailed story; Churchill is rarely mentioned in the first one hundred pages of this 384 page book. Once WC appears in the story, he becomes dominate and a colorful figure in the narrations.

Kelly is a narrative historian who is meticulous with a detailed history. Kelly covers not only pre-war attempts to maintain peace but the evolution of how WC eventually came to be Prime Minister and his own Minister of Defense. Kelly covers every twist and turn of infighting and partisan politics in the United Kingdom of the 1920’s and 30’s. I read about this period in Winston Churchill’s own book entitled “The Wilderness Years”. Kelly describes the behind-the-scenes action of the decisions made by Churchill to motivate and lead the British people.

The book is well written and a meticulously researched political history of the pre-World war II period. The book in the words of John F. Kennedy is a “profile in courage” of Winston Churchill. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Gordon Greenhill does a good job narrating the book.

[Bfisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people in France and Britain, high and low, in the interwar years were determined not to repeat the mistake of going to war as in 1914. When France and Britain went to war again in 1939, they were dreading the specter of another Western Front, and they were almost completely unprepared for the war that was actually fought. In some sense, it was easier for the French to surrender in 1940 with the military situation as bad as it was; France probably could not realistically have done otherwise. In some ways, it was more difficult for the British to carry on alone, not having been defeated on British soil, but facing the bleak possibility of urban bombing and invasion, with little outlook for relief.

This book chronicles that process from entering a fight unwillingly, to the realization of how unprepared they were for the war, and to the reluctant hardening of their resolve to carry on.

[Bevan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Kelly surfaced on my radar with his 2015 release Never Surrender. I hadn’t heard of him before, although I note he has produced a couple of interesting narrative histories, one on the Black Plague and the other on the Irish potato famine. He began his writing career with a title on clinical trials in the 1990s. His new title heads away from matters medical, instead focussing on the diplomatic and political intrigue of Britain in the first year of World War 2.
Kelly draws on a variety of sources - memoirs, letters, newspapers, diaries as well as other histories. He weaves these together with well written, well paced writing that swoops with aplomb from the telling detail to the bigger picture. The story is a fascinating one. British foreign policy in the 1930s was characterised by appeasement - a well known story. This book explains the rationale and context behind this policy well, avoiding the easy criticism of hindsight. As the London Illustrated News stated, “So vast is the cost of victory, no price can be too high to pay for avoiding the necessity of war.” Kelly puts Churchill’s criticism in context, and throughout the book acknowledges both his strengths and weaknesses in one of the best and least partisan accounts of him that I have read. Kelly sums him up well: “To the politicians, who knew Churchill more intimately, he was the witty, gifted, impulsive, erratic polymath who had two bad ideas for every good one and was unable to tell the difference between them.” Kelly acknowledges Churchill’s propensity for emotive prose and speech as sometimes a drawback, but often a strength in inspiring the public. Additionally Churchill’s biggest good idea was his most important - his commitment to a new policy of total victory. Kelly acknowledges his contribution effectively.
The book takes us through the drama of Chamberlain’s downfall. The political intrigue and unlikelihood of the outcome is told grippingly. The prompt for the gripping events of May was the failed Norwegian counter-invasion by the Allies. Kelly writes that “in interview after interview, the soldiers spoke of inferior British airpower, inferior British tactics, inferior British organisation, leadership, and equipment, or no equipment at all”. Yet Chamberlain’s downfall was not a foregone conclusion, and indeed Churchill could easily have been subjected to blame, embarrassment and humiliation. The opprobrium that had tainted him since the 1915 Gallipoli invasion could easily have been reinvigorated. It is to the credit of the politicians who gradually formed the bloc opposing Chamberlain that they recognised Churchill’s imperfections, but also realised he was the best choice for a war leader. Untainted with the policies of appeasement he was a credible choice, however Labour would not move a motion of confidence in the government unless they were sure of widespread Conservative dissention. David Lloyd George, an incredibly smart operator who had been Prime Minister in the First World War was a credible candidate as well, but made clear that he could not accept a mandate for victory - he told his aide “we have made so many mistakes that we are not in nearly so good a position”. I was kept on the edge of my seat through chapters 5 and 6 as the drama surrounding the leadership unfolded.
The remainder of the book tells the story of Churchill’s early war leadership. He was able to use his undoubted skills of prose and oratory to powerfully convey Britain’s new goal, a goal he had set: “Victory, victory at all costs! Victory however long and hard the road may be”. The drama of Dunkirk, the tragic fall of France and Churchill’s careful sidelining, then dismissal of proposals for negotiation mainly promoted by Lord Halifax and Lloyd George are beautifully conveyed.
Kelly returns again and again throughout the book to the possibilities of a British negotiated settlement. Without adopting the benefit of hindsight he makes it clear that this was a quite conceivable viewpoint, made all the more viable as one reads his vivid description of the Wehrmacht’s seemingly unstoppable victories, and the perception that Hitler was almost supernatural in realising his will. Even in late May, after the appeasers had been sidelined, Halifax was articulating at cabinet that “it is no longer a question of imposing complete defeat on Germany but of safeguarding our own empire and, if possible, that of France”. The book describes Churchill’s subtle treatment of these views before his final rejection of them. To convince the US to provide essential aid it was essential to combat the view that Britain did not have the will to fight, or would soon fall. In late May Churchill had a war strategy - Britain alone remaining fighting and prevailing in a “great air battle with Germany”. It was the brilliance and foresight along with Churchill’s tenacity in sticking to it, highlighted well in the book, that along with his morale building oratory made him a great war leader.
Never Surrender tells the story of Churchill’s critical efforts well, building a credible narrative with careful attention to the subtleties of the sources which highlights the contingency, decision making and personalities that made all the difference in the pivotal year of 1940 between accommodation, defeat for Britain or eventual victory over Germany. It is a compelling story.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Surrender – And we never did!

John Kelly has written an excellent narrative history which all history lovers will enjoy reading and learning from. What is important about this book is that it charts the first six months of 1940 while the phoney war was taking place and high politics in Britain and the internal debates could have sent the country in another direction. It must be remembered that at the time Churchill was on the outside and Lord Halifax was pushing for the country to negotiate with Hitler.

At the time of this internal debate inside Britain my own Grandfather had already fought, been captured and escaped to France with remnants of the Polish Army. These debates that the British Cabinet had would affect not just the British, but all those gathering at the ports hoping to enter the safety of Britain. It must be remembered at this time the Soviet Union had joined with the Nazis to crush Poland and Germany was turning westward looking to France and the Benelux countries.

Kelly covers the pre-war attempts of Chamberlain and his French counterparts to try and ensure peace and their ever failing attempts. The book starts with the 1919 Victory Parade and everything that arose from 1919, while giving a narrative from there to the war, this book does not feel like a narrative of those events but an examination.

So we are able to see Churchill not only on the outside of Cabinet, but importantly a Political Outsider, irrelevant to everyone in power. Even his warnings of the ever growing problems of 1930s Germany were ignored in the name of peace and appeasement, which reflected the majority view of the time.

With the events happening on mainland Europe in the spring of 1940 saw the rise of Churchill from irrelevance to the man who would be called on to lead Britain. At the same time we read portrayals of all the major political figures in early 1940 and how those early months not only shaped Britain but the British attitude to the Germans and war.

John Kelly has drawn upon the use of the War Cabinet Papers now available to be researched, as well as other government documents of the time. He also makes excellent use of newspapers, private diaries and memoirs, which add some of the colour to this outstanding history book.

While giving a broad brush to the history of the time and the politics this book is also a great vindication of Churchill and the decision that Britain had to standalone, who stirred the British people to stand and fight. Which they did, when others were too busy making money from the war, but that is another story.

An excellent history for all those that want to learn more of that period and of how Churchill came to rise once again.

[Chuck Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having seen the movies “Dunkirk,” which beautifully portrays individual experiences of that event but provides precious little context, and “Darkest Hour,” which necessarily has to conflate or invent events to fit within two hours, I decided to read a history of the British decision to go it alone in 1940. As an American, I knew bits and pieces. For us, after all, the War started on Pearl Harbor Day. This book put the pieces together for me - why were France and England so ill-prepared? How did they end up in Dunkirk? What were France’s and Britain’s options? Why did the British have to destroy the French fleet? When I read Churchill’s “We will never surrender” speak, it moved me to tears. I can’t say I’ve ever had that response to a history book before.

[Dave Hoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

1940, What a year for Britain. A phony war and politics Negotiate with Hitler, prepare to fight to the end? Then the Belgians surrender, the BEF pushed back to Dunkirk. French half hearted response to protect the evac. The British 145th Brigade, commanded by the great grandson of the man who ordered the charge of the Light Brigade left to fight to the last man. Then the French quit and the British Royal Navy wiped out the French war ships that refuse to flee to English waters. Book concludes on a high note, the RAF saves the day, wins the Air Battle of Britain and we know despite Joe Kennedy's mischief, The U S will come to England defense.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was enthralling and dull, fast-paced and dragging. But above all, fascinating. There were some parts where I had to reread a few times to figure out what was happening. It's probably a book I'll go back to in pieces though for reference.

[Tuesdayschild · Rating 4 out of 5]

audiobook narrated by Gordon Greenhill
The blurb is exactly what this audiobook is about – told in an engaging and interesting style. Excellent narration.

[Matthew Barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book proved to be a remarkable look at the behind the scenes debate that was taking place during what was possibly the most difficult moment in British history, without doubt in the twentieth century. Many of us who were not alive at the time easily assume that British participation in WWII was without question and that Winston Churchill was without reproach. This book flips both of these beliefs on their heas.

Kelly's analysis of the events of 1940, specifically the summer of that year, sheds light on just how contentious the British position was following the German invasion of France and the low countries. The allied forces had been lured into a lull following the start of the war in 1939 and were overconfident in their ability to meet the threat of Hitler's armies. The rapidity with which Holland, Belgium, and France fell created a nightmare scenario in which nothing was assured. Kelly illuminates several aspects of the uncertainty that enveloped the allies at this time.

The first part of the book deals with Britain under Neville Chamberlain, and how the public and the government lost faith in him, necessitating Churchill's rise to power. The debating that took place at this time undoubtedly slowed British rearmament and hurt the defence of France when it came under attack. Once Churchill took office the debate shifted to what Britain's role would be. He was forced to deal with pressure from the French government to help them, despite the fact that it was in doubt that the British had enough forces to protect their own island, especially following the debacle of the Dunkirk evacuation.

Kelly shows that Dunkirk, and the failure of the British Expeditionary Force played a large role in the arguments between the French, who felt abandoned, and the British, who felt unable to risk more. By the time Paris fell and France surrendered there existed much tension between the two allies and this likely contributed to the terms of surrender that France accepted, especially the refusal to transfer the French fleet to British control,a decision that resulted in British bombardment of sections of their allies own warships in order to prevent them falling into enemy hands.

On a whole the book is a very illuminating look into a vital part of WWII history, one that many take for granted. I highly recommend it to anyone researching the war, and its origins.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting for this one for months, and frankly, it was worth it.
Never Surrender is yet another brilliant and masterful job by John Kelly, who, it must be noted, has never failed to grip me with his illustrative and generous prose and insights. This is the rare genius of an author who, quite literally, brings to life one of the greatest men of the twentieth century. This is the unique and unequaled promise of Mr. Kelly, whose understanding of history is vast, and who can sift through the complexities of our past, and cast light on significant and finite moments, making them as real today, as they were when they occurred. This is the genius of a writer who can take us to the past, to a time where our very humanity was in peril, and show us how one man was able to transform the world, and change the course of global events..
I am utterly thrilled to own this historical masterpiece, and I will proudly recommend it to lovers of history, to students everywhere, to those who wish to learn more about the power and grace of Churchill, and to those who simply yearn for great writing. This is a classic borne of yesterday, written for today, and no bookshelf will be complete without it. What a giant of a read!

[John Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all. Although not perfect, Winston Churchill had the guts to stand up to Hitler and rally his country to fight pure evil. Those were the days when people actually stood up to be counted in a time of world peril. Too bad there aren't too many around today who could lead their nation.

Read the book. If you aren't that informed on World War 2 and if you are you will be inspired.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Kelly's Never Surrender reminds us how the world sat on the thin edge of doom in the summer of 1940. Even though World War 2 had just begun, it might have ended far earlier, had Britain chose to capitulate as Hitler's military prowess swept across Europe. This book reads like a thriller, albeit a slow developing one, as the events gradually and inexorably move toward England having to take nerve-shattering decisions, none of which was remotely appealing: either make peace with Hitler or prolong a war. One choice meant dismantling an Empire and bowing before the monomaniacal realm of Hitler's Reich; the other choice was to continue to fight the war, knowing much destruction and loss of life would be the inevitable price for battling on. Though we may know from our history books and documentaries which side England decided to take, it was by no means a clear-cut choice, nor an unanimous one. Kelly implies in many ways, Churchill stood nearly alone among the leadership who found fighting a war with the neo-militarized German state both distasteful and perhaps suicidal.

John Kelly is able to weave, with a novelist's cunning for detail and emotion, a tale that incorporates all of the significant figures of the era: Paul Reynaud and Philippe Petain of France, Neville Chamberlain, David Lloyd George, and Lord Edward Halifax of Great Britain, along with minor players, such as Joseph Kennedy American Ambassador to Britain and Edouard Deladier of France. We are witnesses to the agonizing efforts to save Allied lives and material at Dunkirk and the fateful decision of Mers-El-Kebir. Of course both Hitler and Churchill loom greatest over this narrative as it is the wills to two men that shake the world for the years to come.

[Mae Leveson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The account of events from London in 1919 when Britain vowed ‘never again’ leading up to the start of the Second World War and the Battle of Britain in 1940 is told by John Kelly as a narrative history. This encompasses not only the decisions made at government level, but the narrative of the ordinary men and women who lived through these events.

‘The generation that lived through the Battle of Britain has largely passed from the scene, but the story of their everyday heroism during the fateful summer of 1940 lives on in the morale reports of the Mass Observation and Home Intelligence.

The courage and steadiness of the British public in the face of invastion and daily bombing owed something to their growing ownership of the war, their sense that they were fighting a People’s War. But it also owed a great deal to the leadership of Winston Churchill.

It was Churchill’s unique achievement that, in the midst of mortal danger, he was able to fashion a new national narrative out of the grey, sordid business of modern war….Margery Allingham thought it was because the prime minister “brought you up to his level”….they went into battle transformed by his words.’

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having an interest in WWII and having read various books before and seen documentaries, I was interested to learn more about the run up to the outbreak of war and then the 'phony' war which went on for a number of months until part way into 1940.

The title implies more of a focus on Winston Churchill than the book actually featured, and brings in a few journal entries of various people in the country including crime novelist Margery Allingham. It deals at a high level with the reasons behind German aggression: the resentment over punitive treatment in the Treaty of Versailles. For some reason though, it never seemed to make the period as interesting as it actually was. It might be a good introduction for someone who doesn't have knowledge of the era, but I found it a bit dry in tone. So I can't really rate it as more than a 2-star OK read.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I have read about the detailed politics of that period. John Kelly's narrative style carries the reader along with a vivid impression of the physical realities of the events he describes, and his analysis of the political debates and challenges of the time is gripping. Because the book covers a relatively short period of time, one can really engage with how slow all the decision-making processes were in real time, and this reader for one can shudder to think how close Britain came to being unable to put up any real resistance for that crucial period. Churchill certainly had his faults, but he was clearly the one person in the cabinet at that time who grasped the crucial importance of stiffening the sinews of the nation.

[Bob Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

England “dug deep” to show what courage looked like

As a baby boomer whose dad was a WWII flier in the Pacific, I find myself drawn to the history of this era as an antidote to our modern generation’s belief in entitlement and self-pity over things like COVID restrictions.
This book reminds us of the grit and resolve - seriously debated and wavering at times but ultimately adopted by our mother country’s everyday citizens - which allowed those folks to “stiffen their lips” and endure trials that makes ours pale in comparison and “pull on the rope” together, despite petty personal differences, to emerge from the fires of battle bloody but as a nation whole.
It’s a message that bares remembering and useful for our times.
Plus, it is a fascinating read.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much has been written about this period of WWII (the lead up to Britain and its Empire alone in the war) but I have yet to encounter a book that unfolds it so eloquently and clear for even a person who is unfamiliar with the tale would have no problems understanding. I usually get bogged down in the menagerie of key players and esoteric politics but this book did a great job at keeping it all straight and blending it together. It might come off as a bit sensational but it also captured the gravitas and craziness of what happened.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a detailed and intriguing book. I found it was very intimate between author and reader. It paints a vivid pic in your head, however it's slightly jarring between facts and good analogies. I enjoyed how he strings together historical quotes in a fun storytelling fashion. I don't read many political narratives, so at times I found it rather dry and there were many different names that only popped up once or twice, so I was confused at times. Overall it was a good narrative and I would recommend

[Tim Rideout · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly readable account of the pivotal days of the spring and summer of 1940. Kelly gives a compelling account of the context and countervailing opinions that provided the backdrop to Churchill’s determination that we should reject any negotiated settlement with Germany and instead fight on. I would have liked a little more on the detail of the War Cabinet discussions but this is not to detract from a clear eyed account of one of the most important moments in our history.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating in depth study of the behind the scenes disagreements and politicking from the pre war months up to the Battle of Britain. Well researched and written, a worthwhile read for all students of WWII and Churchill.

[David Walley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book essentially confined itself to May 1939 to the end of September 1940. It is a very well researched book with some good quotes from Winston Churchill. I have yet to come across a book which explains really why Winston Chuchill was advised to be quiet when he met with Neville Chamberlain and Lord Halifax on the morning before Neville Chamberlain handed in his resignation. How could he have been given such good advice as to let the other two men eventually sort out that one would retire and one would not want to take up the premiership, without him having a lot to say about it. Also it seems so unlikely that Winston Churchill would adhere to this advice given that he always liked to be the one doing the talking. I am probably reading more into this than sheer coincidence but nevertheless it always strikes me is something very unusual

[79tbear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written build up to the Battle if Brittain. Well documented account of the political and personal experiences in 1939 and 1940.

[Jonathan Z. · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times it reads like a history text book, at times it reads like a memoir. It just started to get good when it ended.

[Mark Walsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book although I think this would be a challenging read if one has a limited knowledge of pre WWII.

[Hallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not bad, but I am not sure it brings a new perspective or new light to the narrative.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

I Wanted to hear more about what life was like for common folks in England at the time. Perhaps Erik Larson’s book will show that.

[Ann Cross]

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