Book Review

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

This history of 1940 cuts away at the myth of survival against the odds and Churchillian bravado during the first year of World War II. It shows what the real situation was, how government reacted, the reality of Anglo-American relations, and the relations between London and the Commonwealth. For the last 50 years 1940 has been regarded as Britain's finest hour. In this book, however, Clive Ponting reveals that the truth was deliberately hidden both at the time and subsequently. This study also shows how the events and myths of 1940 have come to influence Britain's post-war history.

Some important details from this book:

That the British fumbled the ball constantly and played mainly into Hitler’s hands. The one time they did run with the ball, it worked out in Hitler’s favour.
That the British Empire was a HUGE strategic liability, but the British could not bring themselves to abandon any part of it.
That French pressure and incompetence not only cost the French their freedom, but nearly lost Britain’s only army.
That American pressure and/or the desire to please America made it impossible to reach any sort of agreement with Japan.
That, barring unlimited American help, Britain could not continue to wage war past mid-1940. As the war spread, Britain remained on the verge of bankruptcy.
That Britain was unable to reach any sort of agreement with the USSR until 1941, after Barbarossa, and the USSR proved an unpleasant ally.
That America, far from helping the British out of the goodness of their hearts (or even the age-old principle of funding the fighter to keep your possible rival busy), acted to reduce or cripple Britain even when supplying Britain with supplies.
That Britain seriously considered bartering away parts of the empire to make peace with the Nazis.
That Britain marginalized Charles De Gaulle, preferring to try to reach an agreement with Vichy until it was too late to stop him hating/distrusting Britain.
That Britain, despite some innovations, was technically backwards compared to Germany, the US and Japan.
In fact, in a few cases, the British relied on imports from Germany!!
That the British suffered from a lack of realism when it came to the strength of Germany, the willingness of America to help and the strength of the axis alliance.