Winston Churchill: The Flawed Genius of WWII

by Christopher Catherwood

Book Overview

He was a legendary man of strength-but no man is without his weaknesses. Revered for his strength of character when Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill is painted as one of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425225720
• ISBN13: 9780425225721
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

An Fresh Perspective on Allied Strategy

Mr. Catherwood provides a well reasoned overview of the Anglo-American strategic debates during WWII and Churchill's contribution to the process. Importantly, the author examines several controversial aspects of western allied strategy including the British ill-fated intervention in Greece and resulting extension of the North African Campaign, the debates over Operation Roundup in 1943, and a review on the merits of the Italian campaign including the feasibility of Churchill's preference for an allied advance through the Ljubljana Gap. It is clear that the author's objective is to provide a concise summary on some of the more controversial aspects of allied strategy in the Mediterranean, and in this effort he succeeds. Interested readers would do well to pursue additional reading on the subject for a more in-depth study of various topics introduced by Mr. Catherwood's book. To that end, as part of this endeavor Catherwood also includes a good introduction to some of the more important historiography that has served to shape these debates over the years. Admirers of Churchill will not necessarily be happy with some of Mr. Catherwood's conclusions. However, as readers of David Reynold's book "In Command of History" (a book used by Mr. Catherwood in support of his thesis) will attest, Churchill's history of the war was written in a selective manner. For those who have only been exposed to the Churchill "version" of events to date, Mr. Catherwood's book will serve to provide an interesting and new perspective on the formation of allied strategy during the war.

Great book

Great book. The author shows how Churchill rescued Britain in 1940. He agrees with George C Marshall and Ike's plan to launch D-Day in 1943. Many don't agree with this, though Stephen Ambrose (Band of Brothers) would be with Catherwood on this one.

Appreciate A New Point of View from Learned Scholar

Christopher Catherwood's "Winston Churchill: The Flawed Genius of World War II" provided me with a different insight into what made Churchill tick. I always knew he was a genius, and Mr. Catherwood definitely acknowledges Mr. C. as one, but I had never really taken a look at how that genius was flawed and how that flaw played out in WWII. This book is well written, interesting, and tells the part of the story that has not been focused on before. It is interesting, well done, and Mr. Catherwood's genius comes through as well. I also enjoyed his Book Review on C-Span last weekend. Mr. Catherwood is one of Britain's great historians. I would highly recommend this book and if you have the opportunity, please view the above mentioned Book Review on C-Span. Anyone interested in Churchill should also read Mr. Catherwood's work "Churchill's Folly." Also very well done. Ernestine Smith

Fascinating

Catherwood's central argument: Winston Churchill, who replaced Neville Chamberlain as the British prime minister in 1940, saved his country from a Nazi invasion while waiting for the U.S. to enter the war, but he made a terrible mistake two years later when he successfully delayed an American-led invasion of Europe. The result: Churchill inadvertently "prolonged the fighting, enabled Stalin to win the struggle for much of Europe, and allowed over a million extra Jews to die in the Holocaust," Catherwood writes. It's a bold position, bound to ruffle feathers, as some of the more virulent reviews here suggest. My advice: take those reviews with a grain of salt. Catherwood has written a balanced, well-argued book, and it's a strong response to the revisionist historians now trying to defend Chamberlain's policy of appeasement with Adolph Hitler. Highly recommended.

A Most Interesting Thesis...

I found Christopher Catherwood's most recent work on Churchill to be well written with an interesting thesis that captures, with a unique twist, what others have also said about Britain's great leader. Catherwood's latest offering doesn't necessarily pave new ground (by the author's own admission) but does put together the historical facts in a way that shows that Churchill's strengths had their weak side. What I appreciate most about Catherwood's historical writing is the way he weaves the facts together in a story that makes the past more than just a collection of what happened and when. He gets behind the scenes and paints the picture of what drove Churchill's decision making and strategic planning, erred at times as it was. What emerges is a portrait of the man that the title of the book suggests: a flawed genius, and just the right man for just the right time.