Masters and Commanders: How Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941-1945 - Softcover

Roberts, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061228583 ISBN 13: 9780061228582

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2013

Synopsis

"Masterly. . . . A triumph of vivid description, telling anecdotes, and informed analysis." --The New York Review of Books

An epic joint biography, Masters and Commanders explores the degree to which the course of the Second World War turned on the relationships and temperaments of four of the strongest personalities of the twentieth century: political masters Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt and the commanders of their armed forces, General Sir Alan Brooke and General George C. Marshall.

Each was exceptionally tough-willed and strong-minded, and each was certain that only he knew best how to win the war. Andrew Roberts, "Britain's finest contemporary military historian" (The Economist), traces the mutual suspicion and admiration, the rebuffs and the charm, the often-explosive disagreements and wary reconciliations, and he helps us to appreciate the motives and imperatives of these key leaders as they worked tirelessly in the monumental struggle to destroy Nazism.

About this title

Review:

"Fascinating. . . . By mining previously unavailable diaries and oral histories . . . this book brings vividly to life the personal interactions and impressions of those involved. Roberts has a keen eye for the telling anecdote."--Mark Mazower, The Guardian

"This is an important book which, in its layered references to Waterloo, the Crimea and the Somme, sees Mr. Roberts lay claim to the title of Britain's finest contemporary military historian."--The Economist

"The strength of Masters and Commanders lies in the power of the narrative and the fascinating detail used to construct it. Roberts has exploited a rich mine of private papers to fill in missing parts of the story."--Richard Overy, Literary Review

"Roberts's account of the war and its intrigues is fresh-filled with new revelations and new analysis. . . . It is both high scholarship and superb writing by a masterful analyst of power and war."--Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Daily Beast

"Masterly. . . . A triumph of vivid description, telling anecdotes, and informed analysis. Roberts's book reinforces his claim to stand among the foremost British historians of the period."--Max Hastings, The New York Review of Books

"Masters and Commanders is a magnificently researched, superbly written account of how the US and UK's top civilian and military leaders overcame mutual suspicions and conflicting priorities to win the war in Europe."--The New York Post

"Andrew Roberts, a tenacious archival historian and gifted writer, looks behind the façade of the familiar photographs and published accounts to see how these war leaders actually operated."--Sir Martin Gilbert, The Evening Standard

Book Description:

'his finest book yet'

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0061228583
• ISBN 13: 9780061228582
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 738