1940: Myth and Reality

1940: Myth and Reality

by Clive Ponting (Author)

Synopsis

It was the year of the glorious Battle of Britain, of the heroic evacuation of Dunkirk. It was the time when the mighty British empire declared its intention to fight the Nazis-alone if necessary-to the bitter end. It was, as Churchill dubbed it, Britain's Finest Hour. In 1940: Myth and Reality, Clive Ponting reveals that it was nothing of the sort. Britain was broke in 1940 and utterly dependent on the United States for economic aid. The government fabricated German casualty figures after the Battle of Britain, suppressed knowledge of the complete fiasco that led to Dunkirk, and actually tried secretly to sue for peace that year. The British people were at best grimly resigned to the war; at worst they suffered appalling privations. Without denigrating the heroism of individuals, Mr. Ponting offers a startling account of the ineptitude and propaganda that marked much of 1940: Britain's stormy relations with France, its bizarre attempts to force a united Ireland, and the unpopularity of Winston Churchill. While he made rousing speeches in the House of Commons, Churchill rarely broadcast to the nation: his stirring we shall fight on the beaches speech was in fact broadcast by the actor who played Larry the Lamb on Children's Hour.

$28.41

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 273
Edition: Reprint
Publisher: Ivan R. Dee Publisher
Published: Oct 1993

ISBN 10: 1566630363
ISBN 13: 9781566630368

Media Reviews
He brings everything together with enviable clarity and with an unusually sharp eye...He plots convincingly the processes by which decisions were made, or not made. New Statesman Outstanding...masterful...Ponting strips away the myths that have clouded a realistic approach to British problems in World War II. CHOICE Required reading for anyone with a serious interest in World War II. -- William L. O'Neill, Professor of History, Rutgers University; author of Coming Apart
Author Bio
Clive Ponting, formerly in the British civil service, specializes in British politics and contemporary history.