Churchill: History in an Hour by Andrew Mulholland

Author:Andrew Mulholland [Mulholland, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2014-03-12T14:00:00+00:00

Striding the Global Stage: 1942–1945

From 1942 to 1945, Churchill would lead a resurgent Britain, with military success in Africa, Europe and, inevitably, Japan. Just before that last victory in August 1945, however, he would be out of office. He would stride the world stage, part of the triumvirate managing a truly global conflict, yet in doing so recognize that Britain, in her hour of triumph, was now in decline. So, perhaps, was he.

The military situation

When Japan attacked the USA in December 1941, Churchill did not have the early warning that he had received about Russia. Nonetheless he was privately thrilled, knowing that the three great powers had between them the capacity to defeat both Germany and Japan.

Not that the military situation was any less challenging. In June 1942 Tobruk fell, the great British fortress in North Africa. Rommel’s German-Italian army now threatened Cairo and the Suez Canal. In August, a largely Canadian invasion of Dieppe on the French coast ended in catastrophe. Worst was the Asian theatre, where Britain had suffered her greatest ever defeat at Singapore in February. Churchill blamed himself for this, harking back to the days when he had cut the funds necessary to build better defences. In fact, Japanese troops had proved far more skilful at jungle warfare than their British and Indian opponents. At sea, too, Japanese naval aviation had struck the Royal Navy as well as the Americans.

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