History of the Second World War Series

In the Second World War every bond between man and man was to perish. Crimes were committed by the Hitler regime which find no equal in scale and wickedness with any that have darkened the human record. It was a simple policy to keep Germany disarmed after the struggle of the First World War and the Victors adequately armed in vigilance. But errors were soon made. The tragedy of America’s failure to enter the League Of Nations; the weakness and lack of resolution of the Democracies to confront the growing strength, reach and ambition of the Fascist dictators in Germany, Italy and Japan; the economic turmoil that allowed these events to spark and build. In this first volume it is all too easy to see and understand how this immense tragedy could have been avoided, how the malice of the wicked was reinforced by the weakness of the virtuous. We shall hear how the counsels of prudence and restraint became the prime agents of mortal danger in this The Gathering Storm. The overview is read by Winston S Churchill MP and the volume narrated by Michael Jayston.

In this short and intense period of the war Churchill’s sense of history is profound. ‘If the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say this was its finest hour’. In this second volume Britain stands alone in combat against the mortal threat posed to civilisation, liberal democracy and human decency. Between May 1940 and January 1941 the World witnessed some of the most spectacular military victories of all time. The audacity and brilliance of Hitler’s Blitzkrieg staggered both France and Britain. The Allies had prepared for a repeat of the entrenched First World War the Germans for something altogether more terrifying, mobile and destructive. The consequences were almost fatal. Dunkirk was a victory plucked from the jaws of defeat. The Battle Of Britain was defiance against the odds but mastery of the skies remained in British hands and ‘Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.’ In the deserts of North Africa the outnumbered British forces went from victory to victory against Mussolini’s conscripted men. There were many hardships and disasters to come but Churchill could rightly proclaim ‘Alone but up-bourne by every generous heart beat of mankind we had defied the tyrant in the height of his triumph. The overview is read by Winston S Churchill MP and the volume narrated by Michael Jayston.

The Blitz continued to rain down on the shell and morale of the Nation’s defences. In the cold grey waters of the North Atlantic wolfpacks of enemy U boats hunted down with ruthless efficiency the supply lines that could keep Britain in the war. Through the year the enemy produced many of their grandest victories but Britain was able to stabilise its position in the Middle East although setbacks at the hands of the newly arrived Rommel, the Desert Fox, were encountered in North Africa. But 1941 was to prove strategically decisive; with Hitler’s campaign in the Balkans vital time was lost to the Wehrmacht for an attack on its former ally Russia. When the 150 divisions hurled themselves forward in June many knew that the long Russian winter would grind the enemy to a standstill before they could reach the safety of their objective cities. In December the third member of ‘The Grand Alliance’ stepped from the background with the infamous attack of Pearl Harbour. Now Churchill knew in his heart that ultimate victory surely lay with Britain., The United States and Russia but the continuing pain, sacrifice and toll of blood and machine were still to be borne. The overview is read by Winston S Churchill MP and the volume narrated by Michael Jayston.

Although The Grand Alliance was now in place Churchill knew that it would take precious time before it would be able to effectively engage and subdue the enemy. Disaster was upon him almost at once. With the entrance of Japan into the global conflict our Far East possessions were under immediate threat. Singapore and the Philippines fell. In Africa, Rommel took Tobruk. At sea the loss of ships mounted. His task seemed ever greater but his spirit, his resolve, his belief in his peoples ability to overcome the terrible evil of Nazism was unshakeable. Headlines were grabbed with the daring commando raid on the St Nazaire dock facilities. In the Pacific the American forces held and defeated the Japanese in an air duel at The Battle Of Midway. Churchill changed his commanders again and installed Montgomery in Africa and the effect was almost immediate: El Alamein. The Afrika Corps were broken. With the invasion by Allied forces of French North Africa the deserts were free of the enemy by May. Now Stalin could be relieved with the opening of a second front in Europe with the invasion of the soft belly of Italy. In early 1943 the Allies were moving inexorably towards victory. Churchill’s conviction was borne out. The Hinge of Fate was now decided. The overview is read by Winston S Churchill MP and the volume narrated by Michael Jayston.

As the Allies prepared for the Normandy invasion many war councils were held. At Teheran, the first of the Big Three conferences, decisive steps were taken to ensure this. Discussion was opened as to what shape and form the world would take after the defeat of the enemy. But with 185 divisions ranged against them the primary task was still the prosecution of the war to the unconditional surrender of the enemy. A vigorous debate as to the next stage in the Mediterranean theatre was taken up by Churchill and Roosevelt. Much of this centered on the Americans caution at the lack of landing craft. Churchill, who had cultivated Roosevelt for many years was able to get almost all of what he wanted but at the cost of delay and less adventurous decisions. Italy was invaded and great advances made until late ’43. In Yugoslavia, Tito’s partisans became a highly effective force in tying down many German divisions away from the front line. In Britain, Churchill prepared his resources for Operation Overlord and the invasion that would at last lift the tyranny and foul shadow of Hitler from Europe. Five years of titanic struggle had now succeeded in ‘Closing the Ring’. The overview is read by Winston S Churchill MP and the volume narrated by Michael Jayston.

With the beach landings of June 6th in the greatest amphibious assault ever seen the final phase of the war had begun. Churchill could survey his task with an easier mind. His relationship with Stalin was becoming increasingly more difficult as Stalin’s moves replaced one terror with another. Churchill was anxious to move forces through Italy to relieve the military pressure on Normandy and Stalin yet limit the advance of Soviet forces into Central and Eastern Europe. The last major German offensive came in the Ardennes during December 1944. With its repulse their resistance began to melt away. The Russians continued to advance heroically forward into Germany itself. In Italy the collapse resulted into Mussolini’s brutal execution by the Partisans. Two days later on April 30th. Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin. On May 8th VE Day surrendered Europe to the overwhelming giddiness of liberation. In the Pacific the Americans moved relentlessly forward their massive air power hammered Japanese cities. Their vast armadas of ships disgorged armies to retake the Philippines in the fast diminishing Japanese Empire. But an attack on the Japanese mainland would be debilitating. The new American President, Harry Truman therefore unleashed a new level of terror with the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima Japan surrendered on August 14th 1945 and the world was still and at peace. But for Churchill the election loomed and the Great Man was swept from office on a Labour landslide. His place in history is not forgotten. The overview is read by Winston S Churchill MP and the volume narrated by Michael Jayston.