When Britain Saved the West: The Story of 1940 - Hardcover

Prior, Robin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300166621 ISBN 13: 9780300166620

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2015

Synopsis

How Britain, standing alone, persevered in the face of near-certain defeat at the hands of Nazi Germany From the comfortable distance of seven decades, it is quite easy to view the victory of the Allies over Hitler's Germany as inevitable. But in 1940 Great Britain's defeat loomed perilously close, and no other nation stepped up to confront the Nazi threat. In this cogently argued book, Robin Prior delves into the documents of the time-war diaries, combat reports, Home Security's daily files, and much more-to uncover how Britain endured a year of menacing crises. The book reassesses key events of 1940-crises that were recognized as such at the time and others not fully appreciated. Prior examines Neville Chamberlain's government, Churchill's opponents, the collapse of France, the Battle of Britain, and the Blitz. He looks critically at the position of the United States before Pearl Harbor, and at Roosevelt's response to the crisis. Prior concludes that the nation was saved through a combination of political leadership, British Expeditionary Force determination and skill, Royal Air Force and Navy efforts to return soldiers to the homeland, and the determination of the people to fight on "in spite of all terror." As eloquent as it is controversial, this book exposes the full import of events in 1940, when Britain fought alone and Western civilization hung in the balance.

About this title

Review:

"A stirring retelling of the saga of 1940, emphasizing the centrality of Winston Churchill . . . [Prior] writes vividly and well."--Max Hastings, New York Review of Books--Max Hastings "New York Review of Books "

'Elegant, well marshalled and powerful... Prior's authoritative, no-nonsense coverage underlines the period's momentousness'--Ashley Jackson, BBC History Magazine. -- (08/01/2015)

About the Author:

Robin Prior is professor of history at Flinders University, Adelaide, and author of six previous books. He lives in Adelaide, Australia.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0300166621
• ISBN 13: 9780300166620
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320