Churchill's 'History Of The Second World War'. Why It Still Matters. Part 1.

brucebond007 · Sep 5, 2011

Just in case anyone missed it here is the Part 2 of the piece on Churchill's WWII History...Stay tuned...Z

The Writer's Lament: Churchill's 'History Of The Second World War'. Why It Still Matters. Part 2.

brucebond007 · Sep 5, 2011

I think the important point about Churchill is not that his words should be taken as gospel - he did say himself that history would be kind to him because he intended to write it - but that, whatever the finer details, his account stands alone for offering insight into the thoughts of one of THE central figures at the greatest upheaval mankind has ever experienced.

brucebond007 · Sep 5, 2011

The appendices are indeed a treasure trove of information.

PS. Thanks for the drill video. Good stuff. Z.

brucebond007 · Sep 5, 2011

I can't believe that Churchill would not be a central part of the British School Curriculum? Really?

brucebond007 · Sep 5, 2011

I have the famous photo of the 'big three' at Yalta on my wall.

A college student looked at it and asked 'who are they'?

He couldn't name a single one of them. Not even FDR. And he is at college! And I am in the USA! Lord help us all...

brucebond007 · Sep 5, 2011

Damn and blast I messed up this confounded post and can't delete it...sorry..

brucebond007 · Sep 8, 2011

Here are parts 1, 2 and 3 together for anyone interested....Regards.

http://brucebond007.blogspot.com/2011/08/churchills-history-of-second-world-war.html

http://brucebond007.blogspot.com/2011/09/churchills-history-of-second-world-war.html

http://brucebond007.blogspot.com/2011/09/churchills-history-of-second-world-war_08.html

urqh · Oct 1, 2011

As an aside....Does anyone know where I can get a FREE copy download of
his Battle of Britain speech?

BishopTS · Oct 1, 2011

urqh said:

As an aside....Does anyone know where I can get a FREE copy download of
his Battle of Britain speech?
Click to expand...

Winston Churchill Speeches and Radio Broadcasts : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

It's under the title "The First Year". If you click the "2.4 MB" link next to it in the list, it should prompt you for download.

rkline56 · Oct 1, 2011

W.S. Churchill was a polarizing, giant of a leader in the greatest struggle for dominance in world history, with apologies to Thermopylae and Hattin. It is natural for him to have made many enemies as he was not in the lead to make friends but to gain the ultimate output from every man, woman and child under the banner of the "Grand Alliance", period! All this from a man who suffered debilitating "black dog" depression in a time with no zoloft etc. to be used as a crutch. OK maybe a little valium, "mom and dad's little helper". It is amazing to me how he kept up his great stamina, at his advanced age for the duration. If more people would have listened to his call to defeat the "Gathering Storm" from 1934 to 1938 the entire bollocks may have been avoided - or defeated with far fewer losses and wouldn't that have been grand? This is why his theories and actions are so important today. Words from the frying pan, where it burned hottest. Imagine having to run project manager duties with Stalin and FDR as your main resources / peers. All the cajoling, compromise and humble pie eating to persuade FDR and Stalin to get on board to the culmination of the plan.

This is the better part of General Alexander's letter to P.M. Churchill regarding the situation at Cassino 20 Mar. 1944. P. 508-509 Closing the Ring, W. S. Churchill. It gives fabulous insight into the mind and strategies of one of the great Generals of the time. Invaluable information - to me.

Dispatches such as this one and correspondence with FDR, Stalin, Harry Hopkins, General Smuts, Anthony Eden, King George, Gen. Ismay, Gen. Montgomery, Gen. Wilson, Lord Mountbatten, Gen. Eisenhower, Air Marshall Tedder and the Chiefs of Staff to name a few; insure that this material will be of great importance to historians for a long while or more.

I reply to your telegram of March 20. Along whole main battlefront from Adriatic to south coast there is only Liri Valley leading direct to Rome which is suitable terrain for development of our superiority
of our artillery and armour. The main highway known as Route Six, is the only road, except cart tracks, which leads from the mountains where we are into the Liri Valley over Rapido River. This exit into
the plain is blocked and dominated by Monte Cassino, on which stands the Monastery. Repeated attempts have been made to outflank Monastery Hill from the north, but all these attacks have been unsuccessful, owing to deep ravines, rocky escarpments and knife edges which limit movements to anything but comparatively small parties of infantry, who can only be maintained by porters and to a limited extent by mules where we have managed under great difficulties to make some mule tracks.
Further, Monastery Hill is cut off almost completely from north by a ravine so steep and deep that so far it has proved impossible to cross it. A wider turning movement is even more difficult , as it has to cross Mount Cairo, which is a precipitous peak now deep in snow. The Americans tried to outflank this bastion from the south by an attack across the Rapido River, but this, as you know, failed, with heavy losses to the 34th and 36th Divisions. The Rapido is difficult to cross south of Cassino owing to flood-water, soft, marshy ground which adds to problems of bridging, lack of any roads to bring up bridging material and to the strength of the enemy's position on the far bank. A crossing of the Rapido R. south of Casino comes under very heavy enfilade artillery fire from German gun positions tucked away at the foot of mountains immediately behind or west of Cassino, and also from foothills of mountains on south of Liri Valley.
Freyberg's attack was designed as a direct assault on this bastion, success depending on crushing enemy resistance by surprise and an overwhelming concentration of fire power. The plan was to rush Cassino town and then flow around to the east and southern slopes of Monastery Hill and take the bastion by storm from a direction where the enemy's artillery could not seriously interfere with our movement. It very nearly succeeded in its initial stages, with negligible losses to us. We got, and still have, two bridges over the Rapido River, one on Hwy. Six and the other over the railway bridge; both are fit for tanks. The Ghurkas got and are still within two to three hundred yards of the Monastery. That we have not succeeded in taking our objective within the first 48 hours may be summarised as follows:
The destruction caused in Cassino to roads and movement by bombing was so terrific that the employment of our tanks or any other fighting vehicles has been seriously hampered. The tenacity of these German Paratroops is quite remarkable considering they were subjected to the whole Mediterranean Air Force plus the better part of eight hundred guns under greatest concentration of fire-power which has ever been put down and lasting for six hours.
I doubt if there are any other troops in the world who could have stood up to it and then gone on fighting with the ferocity they have. I am meeting with Freyberg and the Army Commanders tomorrow to discuss the situation.
If we call it off, we shall hold on to the two bridges and adjust our positions so as to hold advantageous key points already gained. The Eighth Army's plan for entering the Liri Valley in force will be undertaken when regrouping is completed. The plan must envisage an attack on a wider front and with greater forces than Freyberg has been able to have for this operation. A little later when the snow goes off mountains, the rivers drop, and the ground hardens, movement will be possible over terrain which at present is impassable.

A menacing and daunting task during the best of times. Many thanks to the brave men who perished there for freedom's sake.
Click to expand...

urqh · Oct 1, 2011

Whiskey, late nights and cigars seemed to help.

rkline56 · Oct 1, 2011

Ha, ha, ha - good one. Tea, eggs benedict and Cognac too. We were fortunate to have him on our side by cracky.

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Churchill's 'History Of The Second World War'. Why It Still Matters. Part 1.

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urqh Tea drinking surrender monkey

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