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Winston S. Churchill #7
Winston S. Churchill: Road to Victory, 1941-1945
Road to Victory takes up the story of "Churchill's War" at the moment where Finest Hour ended, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and carries it on to the triumph of VE Day, May 8, 1945, the end of the war in Europe.
Within a week of Pearl Harbor, Hitler and Mussolini had declared war on the United States. Thus Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin were now leaders of the great alliance which held the assurance of ultimate victory. But in 1942, the first year of the new alliance, the war went badly for the Big Three on every front, and Churchill faced serious criticism.
The prime minister's war direction had to encompass not only a dismal succession of setbacks and surrenders but also the conflicting ambitions and divergent strategies of Russia and America: states whose leaders were quick to recognize, even before Hitler was defeated, that they had the power to back their strategic and political demands.
In Road to Victory Martin Glbert charts Churchill's tortuous course through the storms of Anglo-American and Anglo-Soviet suspicion and rivalry and between the clashing priorities and ambitions of other forces embattled against the common enemy: between General de Gaulle and his compatriots in France and the French Empire; between Tito and other Yugoslav leaders; between the Greek communists and monarchists; between the Polish government exiled in London and the Soviet-controlled "Lublin" Poles.
Amid all these cares and dangers Churchill had to find the course of prudence, of British national interest, and, above all, of the earliest possible victory over Nazism. In doing so he was guided by the most secret sources of British Intelligence: the daily interception of the messages of the German High Command. These pages reveal, as never before, the links between this secret information and the resulting moves and successes achieved by the Allies. As official biographer, Martin Gilbert has been granted unique access to the vast corpus of Churchill's own private papers. He has also drawn on he correspondence and files in the Government archives in London, Washington, and Moscow--documents bearing on every aspect of war policy.
The private diaries and letters of members of Churchill's secretariat and the recollections of others who worked with him are also woven into the narrative, making this the most personal and penetrating study of a war leader ever written. In an unique exercise Martin Gilbert has used Churchill's daily engagement diaries and the visitors books at 10 Downing Street and Chequers to trace hundreds of individuals who came into personal contact with Churchill at each of the critical moments of the war. Their recollections, most of them published here for the first time, add to the vivid and compelling portrait of a man of enormous capacity struggling to achieve an almost superhuman task.
This therefore is a book filled not only with the grand themes of war and the destiny of nations but also with the many-sided humanity--the flashes of anger and humor, of impatience and calm, despair, determination, and colossal energy--of the man at the helm.
Within a week of Pearl Harbor, Hitler and Mussolini had declared war on the United States. Thus Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin were now leaders of the great alliance which held the assurance of ultimate victory. But in 1942, the first year of the new alliance, the war went badly for the Big Three on every front, and Churchill faced serious criticism.
The prime minister's war direction had to encompass not only a dismal succession of setbacks and surrenders but also the conflicting ambitions and divergent strategies of Russia and America: states whose leaders were quick to recognize, even before Hitler was defeated, that they had the power to back their strategic and political demands.
In Road to Victory Martin Glbert charts Churchill's tortuous course through the storms of Anglo-American and Anglo-Soviet suspicion and rivalry and between the clashing priorities and ambitions of other forces embattled against the common enemy: between General de Gaulle and his compatriots in France and the French Empire; between Tito and other Yugoslav leaders; between the Greek communists and monarchists; between the Polish government exiled in London and the Soviet-controlled "Lublin" Poles.
Amid all these cares and dangers Churchill had to find the course of prudence, of British national interest, and, above all, of the earliest possible victory over Nazism. In doing so he was guided by the most secret sources of British Intelligence: the daily interception of the messages of the German High Command. These pages reveal, as never before, the links between this secret information and the resulting moves and successes achieved by the Allies. As official biographer, Martin Gilbert has been granted unique access to the vast corpus of Churchill's own private papers. He has also drawn on he correspondence and files in the Government archives in London, Washington, and Moscow--documents bearing on every aspect of war policy.
The private diaries and letters of members of Churchill's secretariat and the recollections of others who worked with him are also woven into the narrative, making this the most personal and penetrating study of a war leader ever written. In an unique exercise Martin Gilbert has used Churchill's daily engagement diaries and the visitors books at 10 Downing Street and Chequers to trace hundreds of individuals who came into personal contact with Churchill at each of the critical moments of the war. Their recollections, most of them published here for the first time, add to the vivid and compelling portrait of a man of enormous capacity struggling to achieve an almost superhuman task.
This therefore is a book filled not only with the grand themes of war and the destiny of nations but also with the many-sided humanity--the flashes of anger and humor, of impatience and calm, despair, determination, and colossal energy--of the man at the helm.
1392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1986
182 people are currently reading
650 people want to read
About the author
Martin Gilbert
249 books418 followersThe official biographer of Winston Churchill and a leading historian on the Twentieth Century, Sir Martin Gilbert was a scholar and an historian who, though his 88 books, has shown there is such a thing as “true history”
Born in London in 1936, Martin Gilbert was educated at Highgate School, and Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating with First Class Honours. He was a Research Scholar at St Anthony's College, and became a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford in 1962, and an Honorary Fellow in 1994. After working as a researcher for Randolph Churchill, Gilbert was chosen to take over the writing of the Churchill biography upon Randolph's death in 1968, writing six of the eight volumes of biography and editing twelve volumes of documents. In addition, Gilbert has written pioneering and classic works on the First and Second World Wars, the Twentieth Century, the Holocaust, and Jewish history.
Gilbert drove every aspect of his books, from finding archives to corresponding with eyewitnesses and participants that gave his work veracity and meaning, to finding and choosing illustrations, drawing maps that mention each place in the text, and compiling the indexes. He travelled widely lecturing and researching, advised political figures and filmmakers, and gave a voice and a name “to those who fought and those who fell.”
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Born in London in 1936, Martin Gilbert was educated at Highgate School, and Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating with First Class Honours. He was a Research Scholar at St Anthony's College, and became a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford in 1962, and an Honorary Fellow in 1994. After working as a researcher for Randolph Churchill, Gilbert was chosen to take over the writing of the Churchill biography upon Randolph's death in 1968, writing six of the eight volumes of biography and editing twelve volumes of documents. In addition, Gilbert has written pioneering and classic works on the First and Second World Wars, the Twentieth Century, the Holocaust, and Jewish history.
Gilbert drove every aspect of his books, from finding archives to corresponding with eyewitnesses and participants that gave his work veracity and meaning, to finding and choosing illustrations, drawing maps that mention each place in the text, and compiling the indexes. He travelled widely lecturing and researching, advised political figures and filmmakers, and gave a voice and a name “to those who fought and those who fell.”
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 15, 2021
These volumes are excellent but take a long time to plough through. They are almost day to day and extremely detailed. You will learn new things that are not in other Churchill biographies. This one gives you a real sense of the 3 great powers and how Stalin was not to be trusted. I highly recommend you take the time and start with volume 1 and you will learn so much. On to volume 8!
March 19, 2020
I read this book for both the Second World War and as a biography. It covers the period from December 7 1941, the day Japan bombed Pearl Harbour and the USA came into the war, to May 8 1945, Victory in Europe day when all German forces were surrendered to the Allies. IMO Churchill was a great man. One of the very few who could have lead Britain to victory in that war. His leadership, capacity for work and span of active interest in Britain's forces and people was immense at both the strategic and detail level. His foresight re: the coming impact of the USSR on Europe and the world was bang on. If the allied armies had acted a little more aggressively towards the east as they were moving into the central part of Germany, the face of Europe might have been much different. However, maybe eastern Europe needed to be under the USSR for a while in order to realise the true nature of the eastern bear.
The detail contained in this book is staggering. Sources include Churchill's day-planner, diary, diaries of the war cabinet which met almost daily, Buckingham Palace diaries, his secretaries' diaries and many other sources that illuminate what he did, where he got his information, what of it he believed and what he did with it.
The parts covering the three leaders meetings, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, were perhaps the most interesting.
I rate this book high for people who are interested in a very detailed look at this time period. (1200 pages to cover ~1275 days.) Even I, who loves books and reading about this period and person, took a long time to read this. I had to take it in sections over a period of seven or eight months, between other books.
The detail contained in this book is staggering. Sources include Churchill's day-planner, diary, diaries of the war cabinet which met almost daily, Buckingham Palace diaries, his secretaries' diaries and many other sources that illuminate what he did, where he got his information, what of it he believed and what he did with it.
The parts covering the three leaders meetings, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, were perhaps the most interesting.
I rate this book high for people who are interested in a very detailed look at this time period. (1200 pages to cover ~1275 days.) Even I, who loves books and reading about this period and person, took a long time to read this. I had to take it in sections over a period of seven or eight months, between other books.
April 12, 2015
Read the first book first in the series. Then the rest.
The first book in the series should be read first then you can see how the war was worth the money and effort, and how we fight for the American way.
The first book in the series should be read first then you can see how the war was worth the money and effort, and how we fight for the American way.
May 21, 2025
From a historical perspective this is a great book, lots of interesting details , not only about the war but also about all the political issues that happened during the war. Especially those related to the 'forming' of Europe after the war. Due to all the very minute details it is not an easy book to read. And in some areas the details were, for me, a bit too much. But for the overall story many of the details are necessary. Although I knew a lot about this period I did come across a number of elements I knew little about or didn't know at all. Anyone interested in WWII and interested in the life, the thinking and character of Winston Churchill will find this book interesting. Good reading.
July 11, 2023
This volume is set in the time of Nazi German forces conquering each European country that stood up against it, save one, England. And for about a year, England stood alone against that awful power. Upon the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the latter became England's ally. And upon the attack on Hawaii by the Japanese, the United States joined the fray. These allies would meet and defeat the axis powers of Germany, Japan, and Italy. Author Gilbert shows the reader how years, months, and days of this great conflict were heavily shaped by one man, Winston Churchill. Highly recommended!
August 12, 2019
I read Vol 6 and Vol 7 to cover WWII. Excellent diary entries from Churchill and cohorts as well as secretaries to add to the detailed victories and defeats from 1949-1945
March 27, 2020
Interesting, insightful - but a bit too much of a documentary at times (over 1500 foot notes!)
August 1, 2023
Volume 7 of Churchill's biography dealing with the Second World War years 1941 - 1945.
June 9, 2015
Churchill portrays American's in favor of delaying D-Day and/or D-Day being delayed by American ineptness in campaigns in other parts of Mediterranean. Also only minor reference to Anvil other than would take away resources from other Mediterranean efforts.
Marshall would portray Churchill constantly wanting to delay D-Day (letting germany and russia continue to slug it out until both exhausted) and Anvil was also critical because it was the only port large enough to keep European forces supplied, delay of Anvil had lack of supplies seriously impacting operations.
"General of the Army: George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman" pg430/loc9060-65: Lucas lost the opportunity to seize the Alban Hills commanding the roads south of Rome. Not for a week would Lucas feel his units strong enough to move out from the perimeter, and by then it was too late. It would take almost six months to crack the German defenses and travel the forty miles from Anzio to Rome. In that six months, the Allied effort in Italy would become not a support for OVERLORD and ANVIL but a drain, just as Marshall had feared. Unable to abandon their precarious foothold, the Allies turned tiny Anzio into the fourth busiest port in the world--largely supplied by the LSTs ticketed for OVERLORD.
pg456/loc9607-9: A week after the landings, Bordeaux fell; in another week, Marseilles and Toulon were in Allied hands. With them, Eisenhower had gained the port capacity necessary to supply his ammunition- and gasoline-short armies. By the time the Combined Chiefs of Staff gathered in Quebec, Marshall, the principal exponent of ANVIL, had been vindicated.
"THE EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN:ITS ORIGINS AND CONDUCT" loc2328-32: Allied leaders at the Tehran conference in November 1943 finalized planning for Operation OVERLORD and called for a secondary attack against southern France, Operation ANVIL, later known as Operation DRAGOON. Planners intended the latter operation to be a three, then later a two-division assault. Properly executed, this would place the Germans in a pincer movement from the north and south of France, severely stressing their resources. As an added bonus, when Marseilles fell into Allied hands, the addition of this port would improve the supply situation for the advancing Allied armies.
"Churchill's Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II": pg265/loc4870-72: In 1947, Winston Churchill hired a team of researchers and ghost-writers to formulate the definitive history of World War II. As historian David Reynolds has detailed, the treatise was in actuality a memoir of epic proportions, one in which fact often fell victim to selective memory.
Patton wanted to let the Germans in the "battle of the bulge" to advance with little or no opposition ... even letting them take Paris. Then they would attack the base of the bulge, cutting off supplies and retreat and rolling up the whole army. Patton was finally allowed to attack the base of the bulge from the south and Montgomery was suppose to attack from the north at the same time ... however Montgomery waited two weeks allowing much of the German army to escape.
Winston S. Churchill: Road to Victory, 1941-1945 (Volume VII) pg1120/loc22627-30: During the afternoon, a telegram had also reached Ajax from Montgomery, reporting that in the Ardennes, following the German success in driving back the American forces along a seventy-mile front, and isolating the garrison at Bastogne, the 5th Panzer Army was 'still attacking'. Montgomery added: 'I cannot pass over to any large offensive action just at present, as I am very stretched and the American divisions are all weak and below establishment.'
Marshall would portray Churchill constantly wanting to delay D-Day (letting germany and russia continue to slug it out until both exhausted) and Anvil was also critical because it was the only port large enough to keep European forces supplied, delay of Anvil had lack of supplies seriously impacting operations.
"General of the Army: George C. Marshall, Soldier and Statesman" pg430/loc9060-65: Lucas lost the opportunity to seize the Alban Hills commanding the roads south of Rome. Not for a week would Lucas feel his units strong enough to move out from the perimeter, and by then it was too late. It would take almost six months to crack the German defenses and travel the forty miles from Anzio to Rome. In that six months, the Allied effort in Italy would become not a support for OVERLORD and ANVIL but a drain, just as Marshall had feared. Unable to abandon their precarious foothold, the Allies turned tiny Anzio into the fourth busiest port in the world--largely supplied by the LSTs ticketed for OVERLORD.
pg456/loc9607-9: A week after the landings, Bordeaux fell; in another week, Marseilles and Toulon were in Allied hands. With them, Eisenhower had gained the port capacity necessary to supply his ammunition- and gasoline-short armies. By the time the Combined Chiefs of Staff gathered in Quebec, Marshall, the principal exponent of ANVIL, had been vindicated.
"THE EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN:ITS ORIGINS AND CONDUCT" loc2328-32: Allied leaders at the Tehran conference in November 1943 finalized planning for Operation OVERLORD and called for a secondary attack against southern France, Operation ANVIL, later known as Operation DRAGOON. Planners intended the latter operation to be a three, then later a two-division assault. Properly executed, this would place the Germans in a pincer movement from the north and south of France, severely stressing their resources. As an added bonus, when Marseilles fell into Allied hands, the addition of this port would improve the supply situation for the advancing Allied armies.
"Churchill's Secret War: The British Empire and the Ravaging of India during World War II": pg265/loc4870-72: In 1947, Winston Churchill hired a team of researchers and ghost-writers to formulate the definitive history of World War II. As historian David Reynolds has detailed, the treatise was in actuality a memoir of epic proportions, one in which fact often fell victim to selective memory.
Patton wanted to let the Germans in the "battle of the bulge" to advance with little or no opposition ... even letting them take Paris. Then they would attack the base of the bulge, cutting off supplies and retreat and rolling up the whole army. Patton was finally allowed to attack the base of the bulge from the south and Montgomery was suppose to attack from the north at the same time ... however Montgomery waited two weeks allowing much of the German army to escape.
Winston S. Churchill: Road to Victory, 1941-1945 (Volume VII) pg1120/loc22627-30: During the afternoon, a telegram had also reached Ajax from Montgomery, reporting that in the Ardennes, following the German success in driving back the American forces along a seventy-mile front, and isolating the garrison at Bastogne, the 5th Panzer Army was 'still attacking'. Montgomery added: 'I cannot pass over to any large offensive action just at present, as I am very stretched and the American divisions are all weak and below establishment.'
April 27, 2021
Best book so far about Churchill and his conduct of the war. Martin Gilbert put in a tremendous amount of work to collate all the different sources to put together a consistent, historically precise and very readable biography.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews