I’ve been in something of a non-fiction kick for a while and a conversation with Dad a couple of weeks ago brought me to Five days in London – May 1940”. It covers May 24-28 and examines the actions of the British government and the decisisons made during what may have been the pivotal moment of the 20thcentury.
Churchill had been Prime Minister for two weeks after Chamberlain had been forced to resign and hundreds of small ships were just starting to lift the BEF off the beaches of Dunkirk and London was being bombed almost nightly. Belgium had capitulated, and during the week it became clear France would not last much longer, and then Britain and it’s Empire would stand alone before Germany.
The book argues rather convincingly that this was the week that the Germans were closest to winning the war. It was the determination of Churchill in dragging his coalition war cabinet into a policy of total war, whatever the cost to Britain and the Empire. His main opponent was Lord Halifax, who had not felt the cost of total war was worth the price.
It’s a fascinating and rather deep look at an incredibly important moment in British history by a very good historian.