Five Days in London, May 1940
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Review
"A fascinating book which reveals how Churchill persuaded the War Cabinet ... not to open negotiations with Mussolini."
-- David Owen, Daily Express, 8th May 2009
-- David Owen, Daily Express, 8th May 2009
Kai Bird, Washington Post
"This gem of a book, [is] the distillation of an important historian's life work..."
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First Sentence
The turning point. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The turning point. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sometimes history can be as gripping as the best novels. This account brings to life the deliberations in the British War Cabinet in five crucial days when France was on the brink of defeat by Hitler, when it seemed that the British Army fighting in France was about to be killed and captured, and all assumed that invasion of Britain would shortly follow. In these days the course was set to fight on alone and be a beacon of freedom in a darkening world, rather than to seek the mediation of Italy for a deal with Hitler that might have preserved nominal British independence but would have acknowledged German pre-eminence over continental Europe and fatally weakened the British resolve to fight for the liberation of Europe. In these days, and through this debate, Hitler came closer than he ever did at any other time to achieving his war aims. The life of this story is in the detailed recreation of the discussions and the atmosphere of the time and this Lukacs succeeds in doing with passion and precise argument. You may know the outcome but the book is nevertheless unputdownable.
24 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"But in May 1940 Churchill was the one who did not loose it" This is the theme of a compact, extraordinary 5 days that decided the outcome of WWII. This is certainly not the only event that brought the allies victory; however Mr. Lukacs demonstrates that while England was never in a position to win the war alone, she was in a position to loose it, and Churchill was the individual who saw that it was not lost.
I don't believe he overstates Churchill's role in the slightest. Had the War gone the other way Churchill certainly would have been the focus of all blame. Churchill was flawed, but during the decade of 1930, in what is often referred to as, "His Wilderness Years", the same men who would later owe their existence, and that of their Country's continuance to him, rejected him out of hand.
When he finally became Prime Minister it was when many of the disasters had begun or been completed. Churchill was given the mess that he inherited from Chamberlain and others; Alsace Lorraine gone, Austria gone, Czechoslovakia given away with Chamberlain's active participation punctuated by the "Peace In Our Time" debacle. Further, France was quickly falling apart, as were the Low Countries, Dunkirk loomed, and what is worse, Churchill had to cope with members of his own Cabinet that wanted to negotiate with Hitler as he was storming across Europe.
Churchill managed to bring those in government and the public to his side, and the rest as they say, is History. Mr. Lukacs provides great additional information, footnotes that are as informative as the body of the text, and an even handed description of those players involved including Churchill. Mr. Lukacs offers a brilliant documentation of History, which is also readable, and he plausibly demonstrates that what we may have thought of as an event that actually did take years to finish, may actually have been decided in 5 days.
Buy the book you will not be disappointed.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Once again, Lukacs captures the mood of a pivotal moment in World War II history. A must for all Churchill fans, this book accurately potrays the behind-the-scenes jostling that occured during those turbulent days.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
History and beyond
This is a very thorough book by an academic, written primarily for a knowledgeable audience. That said, as someone who hasn't read very much about world war II, I was gripped. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Edward Rogers
Thrilling History
Totally authoritative history, very well-written and as exciting as any thriller. What more could you ask for? Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. J. Hewett
On The Brink
A book detailing perhaps the three or four most important days in the history of Great Britain. The moment when Churchill, Chamberlain, Halifax, Greenwood and Attlee had to decide... Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by Laurence Marks Esq
Trans Atlantic view of May 1940
John Lukacs valuable and thoroughly researched book focuses narrowly on the salient events of the war from Friday the 24th May to Tuesday 28th May 1940 inclusive. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2009 by Maynard Gilmore
Churchill holds the line
Churchill had been wrong so many times before on every issue that he touched, so the fact that he was made British Prime Minister, at a very dark hour in British history, was in... Read more
Published on 19 Jun 2008 by Dusty Bill
A pivital decision in western history
The decision by the British War Cabinet as France was falling in May 1940 to fight on and not enter into negotiations with Hitler, had a profound effect on the outcome of the... Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2008 by H. Ross
Solid
A solid account of some very important days in our recent history. The book gives a very detailed picture of the mood of the war cabinet, the different problems it faced and what... Read more
Published on 15 Jan 2001 by 3L
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