Overview

Sunday Times bestselling author Brian Lavery writes on the unique 60-year military career of Winston Churchill, and how his experiences informed his strategy and leadership. On a typical day during the Second World War, Winston Churchill, as Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, issued numerous memos to the ministers and service commanders on many different subjects, on both the grand strategy and the detail of the war effort. It was not just his work rate and his self-confidence which allowed him to do this. He had a unique and intimate inside knowledge of all three services which allowed him to assess their real needs - a crucial task when money, material resources, and especially manpower, were reaching their limits. No defence minister in modern times has faced such severe problems. No-one else has ever been able to balance the needs of the services in such a way - most of them came from outside with little service experience, while for those trained inside one service it is almost impossible to gain inside knowledge at a lower level without a bias in favour of one service or another. But Churchill's knowledge of the three services was almost perfectly balanced by his experiences since he first joined the army in 1896. He made his share of mistakes as a war leader, but this unique balance served him, his cause and his country well. This book looks at how Churchill gained his unique insight into war strategy and administration, and the effect this had on his thinking and leadership. Each period (before, during and after the First World War, and in the Second World War) is divided into four parts - land, sea and air warfare, and combined operations. The conclusion deals with the effect of these experiences on his wartime leadership. Written in Brian Lavery's acclaimed, insightful and anecdotal style, Churchill: Warrior, relates a grand narrative starting with the Marlborough, toy soldiers and the army class at Eton, and leads us through those early military and journalistic experiences, the fascinating trials and lessons of the First World War, the criticism and tenacity but ultimate triumph of the key events in the Second. It explores how some of Churchill's earliest innovations were to bear fruit decades later, how his uncompromising, but uniquely informed, hands-on approach, and his absolute belief in combined force in Normandy, led to a systemic victory against the odds.

Full Product Details

9781910860229

Table of Contents

Reviews

Churchill fought in wars, studied wars, and commanded soldiers, sailors, and airmen in wars. But it was more than just his military experience that made him a great war leader. It was his courage, his indomitable will, and his ability to inspire his countrymen to make enormous sacrifices for the sake of victory that sets him apart from all democratic war leaders save Lincoln. * New York Journal of Books * Sir Winston Churchill's admirers are currently spoiled for choice...Churchill Warrior's author, Brian Lavery, is one of Britain's leading - and most readable - military and naval historians...5 stars. * Army Rumour Service * The book's great strength is its clever intertwining of the existing secondary literature with a host of archival sources...this is an excellent addition to a crowded field, that provides much-needed analysis to an aspect of Churchill's leadership often taken for granted. * Humanities and Social Sciences-Net *

Author Information

Brian Lavery is one of Britain's leading naval historians and a prolific author. A Curator Emeritus at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and a renowned expert on the sailing navy and the Royal Navy, in 2007 he won the prestigious Desmond Wettern Maritime Media Award. His naval writing was further honoured in 2008 with the Society of Nautical Research's Anderson Medal. His recent titles include Ship (2006), Royal Tars (2010), Conquest of the Ocean (2013), In Which They Served (2008), Churchill's Navy (2006), and the Sunday Times bestseller Empire of the Seas (2010).

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available