Sir Winston S. Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values."
Over a 64-year span, Churchill published over 40 books, many multi-volume definitive accounts of historical events to which he was a witness and participant. All are beautifully written and as accessible and relevant today as when first published.
During his fifty-year political career, Churchill served twice as Prime Minister in addition to other prominent positions—including President of the Board of Trade, First Lord of the Admiralty, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Home Secretary. In the 1930s, Churchill was one of the first to recognize the danger of the rising Nazi power in Germany and to campaign for rearmament in Britain. His leadership and inspired broadcasts and speeches during World War II helped strengthen British resistance to Adolf Hitler—and played an important part in the Allies’ eventual triumph.
One of the most inspiring wartime leaders of modern history, Churchill was also an orator, a historian, a journalist, and an artist. All of these aspects of Churchill are fully represented in this collection of his works.
At the onset of the fourth volume of Churchill's masterful eyewitness history of World War II, prospects are bleak for the Allies. The Japanese have captured Singapore and Burma in a series of bold offensives; meanwhile, aggressive U-boat attacks in the Atlantic were preventing American, British, and Dutch shipping vessels from supplying the war effort. Rommel was turning the tide toward Axis forces in North Africa. Meanwhile, Hitler was pushing inexorably toward Stalingrad. Churchill faced challenges in the field--and considerable criticism at home. The Hinge of Fate details his success in regaining the upper hand in military endeavors--while bolstering the mood of a pessimistic British public. In addition to broad and deep insight into historical events, this volume documents Churchill's personal relationships with other wartime leaders, including FDR and Stalin, in fascinating detail.
In this third volume of a six-volume series, Winston Churchill draws upon thousands of personal memoranda, war correspondence, and internal government memos to describe the full entry of the US into World War II--adding considerable strength to British military operations and morale. While America had contributed to the British war effort before, primarily through the "Lend-Lease" program providing material support to Britain and later to Russia, it was Churchill who finally persuaded an isolationist US Congress to fully join the cause. This account not only documents historical events with thrilling immediacy--it also gives intimate insight into Churchill's state of mind as a military leader. With the US on Britain's side, Churchill's certainty of success stayed with him throughout the war--and made him the indomitable leader history remembers.
With the entry of US forces into the conflict, the fortunes of war are turning in favor of the Allies. This period saw President Roosevelt's proposal of the "unconditional surrender" policy; the defeat of Mussolini and Rommel; Russia's dominance over Axis forces at Stalingrad; and a powerful new bombing campaign bringing the air conflict to the heart of Germany.During this period, Winston Churchill began to perceive victory as a real possibility-even a likely one. In this, the fourth volume of Churchill's famous wartime speeches, the tone is decidedly more optimistic-and his words still have the power to inspire.
