Customer Reviews

Churchill's War: The Struggle for Power

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

With the publication of Lord Alanbrooke's "War Diaries", and the (finally!) re-publication of Henry Williamson's "Lucifer Before Sunrise" and "The Gale of the World", Irving's well-documented, totally supported theses are independantly ond objectively confirmed. The mythologizing of the origins and conduct of World War II was begun by Churchill himself, and has accelerated in the last 20 years to a point that anyone not toeing the "politically correct" line is attacked as a Nazi sympathiser.

Irving's early books were universally praised. Almost all authors of major works on Hitler's war leadership and the Wehrmacht High Command -- including the multi-volume official histories written by the MGFA (the German Federal Military History Research Office) -- cite Irving's own books or the sources he has uncovered and employed. However, the "political acceptibility" of the material uncovered (not fabricated) by Irving has lead to his current demonization.

Sometimes, the truth isn't as pretty as we'd like it to be. And when it comes to World war 2, the "truth" is getting harder and harder to find.

"History will deal severely with Chamberlain--- I know---because I shall write it"Winston Chruchill wrote that history and won the Nobel prize for it; and so set the formula for all succeeding histories. Second only to securing the safety of his nation Mr. Churchill, historian, essayist, biographer, and critic, had to produce his version first. Of the major personalities of that era Churchill was the only one who wrote; who got his version to the world. Irving's biography shows why Churchill had to write.The book is not for the casual reader. The assumption is that the reader has a few WW2 histories, European geography, and British politics well understood. Irving's sole effort is to sift through the fine details of the accepted history and find contradictions, new events, and additional interpretations of the facts. His book is so packed with detail, all contexturally suspended on a web of assumption and conclusion, that without some background you will miss the astonishing story. Irving is not afraid to surmise given some facts and not afraid to stretch to obvious conclusions, he could be dead wrong but at least he's got it out there. Irving has gone deeper into the details and found both more complicated personalities and events, and having found new and startling information he can interpret them the way he pleases. His Biographies are not flattering, on first take, but by adding new and counter-characteristic details, Irving makes Churchill more real, more fallible, and his accomplishments all the more extraordinary. Irving is not shy of adding a black-eye where the documents support it, and he (Irving) has taken a few slaps for doing so; but only because he is emphatic in relating what he has found, and dares his critics to prove the obverse.

Irving is good for us readers of history. You should find the best historical writing at least controversial, if not outrageous. When we all agree on all aspects of every story, history ends, biography ends; Irving becomes the other historian Winston..... Winston Smith.

Winston-o-files are going hate this book but all should read it through. Put it up on your shelf next to Gilbert and Manchester. Another book covering the same period from the other side of the Channel is the ignored masterpiece "The Collapse of the Third Republic" by Shirer.

David Irving is a controversial, albeit very successful writer. His long career and many published historical works have elicited praise from such historians as Hugh Trevor Roper and John Keegan. A good deal of the criticism directed at his scholarly work, it seems, is actually directed at his politics. That's unfortunate, since in fascinating volumes, such as CHURCHILL'S WAR, THE PATH TO WAR, and THE TRAIL OF THE FOX,, Irving does offer portraits, facts, and details of leading figures of the World War period not gleaned from most "standard" histories. CHURCHILL'S WAR (this is volume I) gives us the not-so-idealistic Churchill, the man who was willing to do almost anything to save the British Empire, but in the process actually succeeded in insuring its destruction. As usual, Irving uses a panoply of diaries, private journals, and other original materials. One may disagree with him and his interpretation (certainly the "official" Churchill biographer, Martin Gilbert, would), but you need to READ him first--and you need to put aside his personal politics. His scholarship, debatable yes, can stand on its own.. As a professor of history I find his work very useful and provocative.

As can be seen by reviews posted by the anonymous critic who seems to live in a different city each time he or she posts, this book, like many of Irving's, makes the Chosen tribe nervous. World War Two was the fratricidal conflict which secured the power of our current media-boss rulers. Irving once again shows us how, through the eyes of a substantially less-than-perfect world leader.

Ignore personal-attack propaganda and straw-men. Read Irving's book for a final look at WWII free of the propaganda our media bosses drench approved history with. I know Irving personally, and can assure you he is *not* a National Socialist.

This book, is not what I expected, I thought I was going to read a two volume bashing on the British leader during World War II. But instead, David Irving once more demonstrates his skills as a thorough researcher and an easy to follow writer. You get an intimate look into the life of Winston Churchill, you learn about his vices, his faults but also you grow to admire him, to admire his dexterity as a cunning, resourceful, manipulative and a brilliant man, you finish reading, the two volumes, understanding why he was the only man capable of being the Prime Minister and why he took the Allies to final victory.

Along the pages you'll learn of a lot that things that happened 'behind the curtain', you'll know of military operations that you never heard to talk of before, as well as familiar topics as the Battle of Britain, the sinking of the Bismark, the Battle of the Atlantic, North Africa: Rommel vs Montgomery, the 'Dambusters', etc. Learn how the United Nations Organization was born, how the Manhattan project was put under way, or why at No.10 Downing Street they knew, beforehand, of every german military operation (and japanese too!); & you'll read about family gossips too.

Let's hope that once David Irving is released from prison, he can conclude writing, and that he publishes the long awaited volume III. I'm sure that in several decades from now, and once this policy, politically motivated, of mental censorship be over, David Irving will go down in history as one of the best WWII historians.

Mr. Irving devastates the fanciful mythos that is Churchill by going where other WW2 authors fear to tread- to those areas where the truth is revealed! This book is tremendously well researched and tremendously well organized. Irving's critics, as predicted, have stepped forward to discredit this work without offering a shred of evidence to disprove his conclusions. Perhaps they prefer the palatability of myths and legends to truth and accuracy...?

And they were right. David Irving tells a compelling story demonstrating that far from the great statesman view of media and historians, Winston was a drunken compulsive gambler heavily indebted to jewish financial interests, and repaid them by turning Englan against its natural ally Germany, which could and should have destroyed Bolshevism. Recall the "iron curtain" speech? Churchill should know-it was his fault.

I have never seen a book receive more 5 stars and 1 star ratings in a single survey. Read the book yourself to understand why so many are afraid of Irving. He is the pin that will pop the hot air filled historical balloon that hollywood has masterfully and fictionally crafted at the expense of truth. I can't wait to read Hitler's war when it is reprinted.

Have looked in on the reviews of this book for a year or so since reading it. The latest reviewer has said what I wanted to say but could not. Once started I could not put it down. Teasing all the way to May 10, 1941. Will we ever know? Difficult to find his other books. Be interested to see the few detractors pinpoint what actually is false news or poor research. The research and source notes are extensive and I did not move on without checking. Seemed sound to me. Was volume II ever published? Where can I get it, and the others? They seem to be like gold dust.

Irvings original research and writing style combine to make Churchill's War a most enjoyable and thought-provoking read that I found to be intensely humerous and ironic at times. Irving practically chain-linked the words of Joe Kennedy, FDR, Herbert Hoover, Churchill, and a host of others to build paragraph after paragraph of free flowing, engrossing and controversial text. This was the first of Irving's work that I have read but certainly not my last. After reading some criticisms of this book I question whether the same book is being discussed and/or there is some animosity toward this author that is not related to the quality of his work.