Their Finest Hour / Edition 1

by Winston S. Churchill, John Keegan

Overview

Churchill's account of the eight uneasy, dangerous months from May to December 1940, as Britain stands isolated and Germany follows its warpath.

In Their Finest Hour, Winston Churchill describes the invasion of France and a growing sense of dismay in Britain. Should Britain meet France's desperate pleas for reinforcements or conserve their resources in preparation for the inevitable German assault?

In the book's second half, entitled simply "Alone," Churchill discusses Great Britain's position as the last stronghold against German conquest: the battle for control of the skies over Britain, diplomatic efforts to draw the United States into the war, and the spreading global conflict.

Their Finest Hour is part of the epic six-volume account of World War II told from the viewpoint of a man who led in the fight against tyranny, and enriched with extensive primary sources including memos, letters, orders, speeches, and telegrams, day-by-day accounts of reactions as the drama intensifies.

Throughout these volumes, we read the strategies and counterstrategies unfold in response to Hitler's conquest of Europe, planned invasion of England, and assault on Russia, in a mesmerizing account of the crucial decisions made as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780395410561
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/09/1986
Series:	Second World War Series , #2
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	720
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.75(h) x 1.25(d)

About the Author

Winston S. Churchill (1874-1965) has been called by historians "the man of the twentieth century." Prime Minister of Great Britain (1940-1945), Churchill won the Nobel prize for literature in 1953.

Table of Contents

Book I	The Fall of France
Chapter I	The National Coalition	3
Chapter II	The Battle of France: The First Week. Gamelin	25
Chapter III	The Battle of France: The Second Week. Weygand	47
Chapter IV	The March to the Sea	66
Chapter V	The Deliverance of Dunkirk	87
Chapter VI	The Rush for the Spoils	105
Chapter VII	Back to France	122
Chapter VIII	Home Defence. June	143
Chapter IX	The French Agony	157
Chapter X	The Bordeaux Armistice	175
Chapter XI	Admiral Darlan and the French Fleet. Oran	197
Chapter XII	The Apparatus of Counter-attack. 1940	213
Chapter XIII	At Bay	225
Chapter XIV	The Invasion Problem	247
Chapter XV	Operation "Sea Lion"	266
Book II	Alone
Chapter XVI	The Battle of Britain	281
Chapter XVII	The Blitz	301
Chapter XVIII	"London Can Take It"	316
Chapter XIX	The Wizard War	337
Chapter XX	United States Destroyers and West Indian Bases	353
Chapter XXI	Egypt and the Middle East	369
Chapter XXII	The Mediterranean Passage	388
Chapter XXIII	September Tensions	403
Chapter XXIV	Dakar	419
Chapter XXV	Mr. Eden's Mission	438
Chapter XXVI	Relations with Vichy and Spain	449
Chapter XXVII	Mussolini Attacks Greece	470
Chapter XXVIII	Lend-Lease	488
Chapter XXIX	Germany and Russia	509
Chapter XXX	Ocean Peril	525
Chapter XXXI	Desert Victory	538
	Appendices
A.	Minutes and Telegrams, May-December 1940	559
B.	Loss by Encmy Action of British, Allied, and Neutral Merchant Tonnage	637
C.	Aircraft Strength--Battle of Britain, 1940	640
D.	Correspondence relating to Dakar between Mr. Churchill and Mr. Menzies	645
E.	List of Operational Code Names	650
F.	List of Abbreviations	651
	Index	653
	Maps and Diagrams
	The Forward Movements, starting May 10	29
	The Opposing Forces, May 13	37
	German Advances on Successive Days, May 13-17, 1940	41
	Situation, Evening May 18	50
	Situation, Evening May 22	59
	Battle of Arras, May 21-22	63
	Situation at Nightfall, May 25	75
	Area of Operations, May 1940	78
	Situation, May 28	85
	Diagrams of Dunkirk Perimeter, May 29-June I	93
	The Opposing Forces on the Western Flank, June 5, 1940	132
	The German Advance, June 5-9	133
	The Last Stand of the French Army, June 1940	170
	General Map of Western France	174
	State of Readiness of Infantry Divisions	239
	Sketch Map of German Invasion Plan	273
	Graph of Battle of Britain	298
	Disposition of Main Fleets in Mediterranean, June 14, 1940	389
	General Map of N.W. France and Belgium	462
	Desert Victory, December 1940-January 1941	545