Churchill Documents - Volume 15 (ePub)

Volume 15 of The Churchill Documents chronicles Winston Churchill's first months as Prime Minister. During this time, war erupted in Europe as the German blitzkrieg overran Holland, Belgium, and France, and drove the British army to retreat and evacuation at Dunkirk. The pivotal weeks of the Battle of Britain, the "finest hour" when Britain stood fast against the unremitting onslaught of the German Luftwaffe, saw Churchill at his most energetic and indefatigable. This volume puts the reader at Churchill's side in some of the most tumultuous events of world history, and offers an unparalleled view of his leadership qualities and challenges, as he organizes the war effort, bolsters morale, confronts those who stand in his way, seeks ways out of a seemingly impossible situation, and works tirelessly to involve the United States in the fight against Nazi dominion. This is history as it was lived, during the crisis months of a war whose outcome formed the modern world.

In the writing of the official biography of Sir Winston Churchill, Randolph Churchill-and later Sir Martin Gilbert, who resumed the work following Randolph's death-had full access to Sir Winston's letters and papers, and also many hundreds of private archives. The work spans eight volumes, detailing Churchill's youth and early adventures in South Africa and India, his early career, and his more than fifty years on the world stage. No other statesman of modern times-or indeed of any age-has left such a wealth of personal letters, such a rich store of private and public documentation, and such vivid memories in the minds of those who worked closest to him. Through these materials, assembled over the course of more than twenty years, one is able to know Churchill in a way never before possible. Churchill's personal papers are so extensive that it was only possible to include in the narrative volumes a part of the relevant documents. The volumes titled The Churchill Documents run parallel with the narrative volumes, and with them form a whole. The letters, documents, and correspondence contained within are drawn from the Churchill Papers, now at Churchill College, Cambridge, and from many other archival sources, both private and public.