Yes, I know I keep adding to the list but I just know, deep down inside, that 'SoD' can never do enough for his dear old Dad especially at Christmas, even if this is #87 on my list! The book is "Six Minutes in May: How Churchill Unexpectedly Became Prime Minister" written by Nicholas Shakespeare and it has received an excellent review in both The Times and The Telegraph. The outline is well-known but the outcome, given the 'circs', was extraordinary.
It was early in 1940 and only the year before the Brits had taken the decision to go to war. Then it dawned on them that they didn't actually have the means to make war so they rather sat on their hands under the leadership of Neville Chamberlain, the, er, 'hero' of Munich! However, it soon became apparent that the Germans had made arrangements with the Swedes to buy their iron ore via Norway. Cue the entry of Winston Churchill, recently, and on Chamberlain's part reluctantly, appointed First Lord of the Admiralty despite his record in that office as the "onlie begetter" of the major cock-up of the Gallipoli campaign in WWI.
Determined to put a stop to this supply of a crucial material to the German war effort, Churchill determined on a campaign in Norway by invading the country. To hardly anyone's surprise, except Churchill, the Norway campaign was a fiasco. Fortunately, the anger of the British people, including the political class, was aimed at Chamberlain not Churchill. Following a furious debate in Parliament, Chamberlain's majority dropped from 213 to 81. There then followed a six-minute private meeting in chambers between Chamberlain, the Tory Chief Whip and the two contenders for the top job, Lord Halifax and Churchill. Oh boy, would I have loved to be a fly on the wall at that meeting! Apparently, and very surprisingly, Churchill was relatively quiet, plus, Halifax failed to show any enthusiasm for the job,
Thus, Churchill was appointed and the rest, as they say, is history!
Those Swedes...it has always been said that they have such nice neighbors as well as yellow in their flag. I don't know who originated the expression.
Posted by: Whitewall | Saturday, 21 October 2017 at 15:04
The story as I heard it was that when two people were offered the same job, the one who spoke first was expected to concede to the other. Which would explain Churchill's silence!
Posted by: Pat | Saturday, 21 October 2017 at 15:34
I think you may be right, Pat. I read the details, such as they be, given that it was a private meeting, but alas I can't quite recall them which is why I want that book. It was, after all, a momentous decision.
Posted by: David Duff | Saturday, 21 October 2017 at 15:57
The Norwegian Campaign of WW2 is one of the most misunderstood campaigns of that war.
Britain and France were doing well in Norway until circumstances elsewhere such as the highly successful blitzkreig campaign in France compelled their withdrawal.
The only feasible way of supplying German troops in Norway, short of also invading Sweden, was by sea as air supply was not, at that stage, capable of the immense effort required to support an army in the field. At sea the Germans were hopelessly outclassed, outgunned and out manouvred.
A reasonable, if not truly academic, study of the campaign can be found at
http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/the-battles-of-narvik-the-norwegian-campaign/
If you want something more scholarly treatise then a search on [here insert your favourite search engine] will get you one.
Posted by: AussieD | Sunday, 22 October 2017 at 01:51
Bugger it
If you want something which is a more scholarly treatise
Posted by: AussieD | Sunday, 22 October 2017 at 04:22