Erik Larson, the popular and talented historian and author, has written a new look at a much-written about subject: the City of London's ordeal under the Nazi Blitz at the early stages of World War II in Europe. Historians and the general public continue their efforts to chronicle and absorb the facts of the conflict the results of which we live with today. The tactics used by the Nazis revolutionized "modern" warfare: ruthless, overwhelming attacks that neglected the safety of civilians caught in the crossfire. By the time the Nazi army had advanced across the Low Countries-Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg, France was up against an onslaught that caught them ill prepared as the famed Maginot Line failed in all respects.
Erik Larson took a novel approach by focusing on a period during which Great Britain became the target of the maniacs in Berlin: Hitler and his followers. Fortunately for the Brits, they were able to hide behind the English Channel before Hitler could continue the attack. When the British Army was evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk, over 325,000 troops made it home, the future looked grim, indeed. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, had his work cut out for him. The book looks at the details of Churchill's early war years, from the end of 1939 to end of 1941. This time period included those months when the Luftwaffe, Hitler's aviation arm, conducted unrestricted warfare on the British Isles. His goal: to force the British government to sue for peace before the entire country was leveled by aerial bombing.
Larson has a special talent for bringing new evidence to the reader and a different approach to what is a well known topic. He intersperses his narrative with evidence from personal diaries from the Churchill family(wife Clementine, daughters Mary and Diana, and son Randolf), and Nazi leaders- Hermann Goring, Rudolf Hess, and various military officers. Many accounts of the blitz come from the victims: Londoners, fighter pilots, members of Parliament, and the Royal Family of King George V. Larson keeps his readers going by breaking his narrative into small, bite-sized pieces as he skips across the continent weaving facts , figures, and results of many, many small decisions. Despite numerous biographies of Winston Churchill, Larson uncovered many incidents and activities that revealed even more aspects of this remarkable man's life and the stunning effect he had on the future of the free world when few thought Great Britain could survive alone. They couldn't, but they held out until the American people entered the fray and crushed Hitler and his Nazis. This book is entertaining and informative and belongs on any bookshelf of the history buff.
5 Star raring *****
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