The Second World War: Triumph and Tragedy

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I liked the details but could not follow all of the intricate specifics sometimes. I guess it was just overwhelming.

Volume 6 "Triumph and Tragedy" covers the time frame of June 6, 1944 to July 26, 1945 and closes Churchill's account. The war is moving towards its' climax as the Allies land and push forward towards Paris and then on towards Berlin. Failure in Italy to pursue the Germans was reached as `Anvil', Riviera landing Southern France, reduced troop strength and was one of the factors that change the future of Poland and the rest of the Balkans. The Moscow conference has Churchill and Stalin discussing percentages of influence. At Quebec Churchill was very anxious to forestall the Russians in certain area of Central Europe. Unfortunately Churchill's influence consisted mainly in a warning voice. He was caught between a rock and a hard spot as he tries to appease Stalin and also not to sever England's life line with FDR and America. Yalta brought hopes and promises to a war weary world. Perhaps if Roosevelt had lived maybe these could have been achieved but his death left many agreements open ended and unfulfilled. Truman steps into office and the problems of `Unconditional Surrender' surface as surrender with Germany and Japan becomes eminent. Poland, one of the main reason for England's entering the War, is once again on stage for their sacrifice. The future of Europe and the World is being decided and the Cold War stands in the wings.Churchill's and England's influence has waned. Even as Potsdam was failing all he can find is a concerned voice. England was deep in debt and tired of War. With Germany surrendering, there was no more desire to fight another battle especially with Russia. The Atomic bomb is dropped on Japan's two cities and Churchill finds that he has been voted out of office. On July 26, 1945 he bids farewell to the Nation that he served and steps out of what he considered as an unfinished office. He states that the "power to shape the future would be denied him". He wished he could have stayed to help with the needed peace but out of office all he could do was speak. He was not to return again for another 6 years and by then it was to late for another coalition government.This is an important volume and series in understanding a great deal about WWII history and the start of the Cold War. The volume is well name. Victory blocked Nazism and then unleashed the power of the atom. The World would never again be the same. Old fears were replaced with new ones and national hegemony reared its' ugly head. The peace that Churchill wanted was not to be. Well worth reading and adding to the history shelf.

This is an outstanding book ( lots of primary sources mainly speeches and memos included in the body of the text). This is WSC memoir (billed as history but in reality his story). published in 1953 a lot of what he was fighting to prevent and normally over ruled by the US and the Soviets in fact came to pass. He does document his positions with official papers and speeches and does give behind the scenes look at the machinations in the closing stages of the war. One item that impressed me with all of his writings (for both World Wars) is the fact that he does not go out of his way to disparage people while he might disagree with them and say so he does not treat them the way so many of our current crop of politicians treat each other now. I highly recommend this book (as well as the entire series).

We were Lucky in that we escaped that which Winston saw coming . The man had the clearest of vision .

it’s difficult to describe after reading world war two series books , i’m very admire the great great men sir winston churchill’s tales , how to leading britain people through the darkest times in world history ,to me it’s difficult to know whole the things, it’s better prepare to read it , include geography, history, politics, nationality, so i spend few years to finish world war two series also let me know how horrible happen in human history , and during reading books happen strange things let me get more impress , the whole series is a very great works !!

Churchill has an interesting style of writing where at times he he steps away from his narratives, memos, and documents, and speaks directly to the reader. There are times throughout the 5 book "World in Crises" series and the 6 book "World War II" series when you almost feel like your sitting down with 'Winston' in his living room while he tells this story.If you are going these books, I highly recommend that you start with book one of "The World in Crises" and read both series in order.

This memoir is the continuation of Churchill's thoughts and remembrances of the people and issues of the Second World War. This is the final book of the series where we learn how Poland and the other "Iron Curtain" countries came to be behind the Iron Curtain. It also tells how Greece was kept from becoming an Iron Curtain country by dint of British military and Churchill's own personal diplomacy. The book ends abruptly with Churchill losing the election for Prime Minister in the middle of the Potsdam conference. I would have preferred a few more words concerning what happened after Churchill left office and perhaps what he might have done differently. All in all, this is a fitting culmination of an excellent series of books.

Uma boa visão de como ficaria o mundo no período logo depois da Segunda Guerra.Interessante notar como o domínio russo sobre a Europa Oriental, conforme o tempo demonstrou, foi pouco duradouro e não foi benéfico para a Rússia nem para os países por ela controlados. A atual crise na Ucrânia ainda é vestígio da organização sofrida pela Europa após a Segunda Guerra.

My views of this Volume would be:-1) it just shows that political, military & diplomatic objectives should be co-ordinated;2) it is worth reading the Series as a first-hand account of the overall picture which there can't be many of! You soon become aware of his dislikes;3) I think Churchill's strength was his ability to say the right thing, to the right person, at the right time!4) I suppose if you're keen you can look up the various Agreements, Treaties & Conferences along the way if they are available! (I notice he says somewhere "Of all the public documents I have written..." & "its context in the secret records";5) his unique contributions were getting France a Zone & alerting the world to the 'Iron Curtain';6) it makes you wonder that the Berlin Wall took so long to fall! (I didn't realise there were 5 Zones after Potsdam - Poland got one)!;7) I'd forgotten that the Russian Zone included Austria after Potsdam & that Berlin & Vienna were International Occupation;8) it's interesting that Nuremberg & Frankfurt fall in the American Zone;9) I didn't know that the 4 Zones were agreed with Roosevelt before he died before Truman came on the scene!;10) what has surprised me the most is how highly Churchill regarded Eden & you would say friends!;11) all the messages between the 3 Great Powers - Roosevelt, Churchill & Stalin are so friendly but that is the way people spoke to each other in those days.I think this Volume could be read in isolation by my father's generation but for a younger person like myself best to read the Series in order so you can follow Churchill's thoughts!

Though Churchill writes in an archaic style, and the layout can at times be daunting, this volume and the others in the series are a unique insight from somebody at the heart of WW2. The original documents in the book, in unusually large quantities, give a unique insight to the heart of Britain's and the Empire/Commonwealth's thinking behind major events.It should not be treated as authoritative. Many things that were Top Secret during the war are suppressed in the book. Enigma and Bletchly Park are absent, as are a number of other failed operations, successful German operations, and most of the work of the various SO divisions. Some of these are only just, many years later, coming to light, and I have no doubt much else will come out, as some of the documents won't be released until 2045!But as an overall history of both the broad sweep of WW2 events , and the minutia of being the Prime Minister during the war, it has no equal even now.It is expensive, but to a historian of WW2, it is an essential.

Having now read all 6 books during lockdown, I now realise how lucky we were to have a "complete" statesman, leader, of our country as Winston. My father who served in the army as an engineer in India during WW2 never spoke of the War to me and I (born in 1949) have always had an interest in the sequence and timing of events leading up to and during the war. This detailed account of all the events has made me realise how fortunate we were to have Winston as our leader, with his finger on the pulse and never evading responsibility for some of the horrendous decisions that he had to make. I now stand in awe of this 'Great Britan'.

All the things we did not know. Communications between Roosevelt and Churchill. Operation names and codes. Numbers of tanks aircraft.It is the inside story which never made the news.