Hollow Heroes: An Unvarnished Look at the Wartime Careers of Churchill, Montgomery and Mountbatten

by Michael Arnold

Overview

These revealing portraits of Churchill, Montgomery, and Mountbatten expose the truth about the most famous British figures in WWII history.
 
Hollow Heroes separates fact from fiction regarding three of Great Britain’s most revered World War II–era military leaders—Winston Churchill, Bernard Montgomery, and Louis Mountbatten—revealing that their reputations were largely built on deception and dishonesty. Examining the influence of class in the British Army, historian Michael Arnold notes that officer promotion was based more on social background than effectiveness.
 
Field Marshall Montgomery feared and envied Gen. Patton, whose rate of advance was nearly always twice that of Monty’s. Meanwhile, the services of Field Marshals Wavell and Auchinleck, two of Britain’s finest commanders, were largely lost to Britain because of Churchill’s interfering in field matters and his contrivances to remain in power after Singapore was lost on his watch. Adm. Mountbatten’s fumbling in India is also realistically portrayed, exposing the “man for the century’s” overly embellished reputation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612002743
Publisher:	Casemate Publishers
Publication date:	01/10/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

Table of Contents

Introduction?An Unholy Trinity 7

Chapter 1 Class and the British Army 19

Chapter 2 Churchill?The Black Dog 35

Chapter 3 Montgomery?Military Messiah or Army Arriviste? 50

Chapter 4 Mountbatten?Product of Protected Patronage 64

Chapter 5 Churchill and Singapore 76

Chapter 6 The Monty Myth 90

Chapter 7 Mountbatten?Disaster at Dieppe 102

Chapter 8 Churchill?Meddling in the Middle East 114

Chapter 9 Montogomery?Pretentious Plodder 129

Chapter 10 Mounbatten's Malayan Madness?Operation Zipper 142

Chapter 11 Montgomery's Market Garden?Arnhem 157

Chapter 12 Montgomery's Bulge?the Ardennes 173

Chapter 13 Montgomery's Catastrophe?Indian Independence 186

Chapter 14 World War II without Churchill? 200

Chapter 15 Unsung Heroes?Wavell and Auchinleck 217

Chapter 16 The Hidden Hero?Major General Eric Dorman-Smith 229

Chapter 17 Final Countdown 248

Notes 265

Bibliography 274

Index 280

Editorial Reviews

"Arnold forces us, in the interests of truth, to focus a little more intensely than we might like, on a few of the more uncomfortable of these facts."

News Weekly Australia

"...the author offers a fresh perspective anchored in a critical approach to shatter some preconceptions. Arnold asserts that much of their glowing reputations were built on drummed up results, deference to social class and deceptions cloaked by wartime propaganda and favorable news coverage. His well-written narrative weighs claims of greatness against actual achievements... I applaud the author for his dedicated research and fact-based analysis."

Toy Solder & Model Figure

"...the author offers a fresh perspective anchored in a critical approach to shatter some preconceptions. Arnold asserts that much of their glowing reputations were built on drummed up results, deference to social class and deceptions cloaked by wartime propaganda and favorable news coverage. His well-written narrative weighs claims of greatness against actual achievements... I applaud the author for his dedicated research and fact-based analysis."

Toy Soldier