The Second World War, Volume 5: Closing the Ring [Paperback]

Winston S. Churchill (Author), John Keegan (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Second World War | Publication Date: May 9, 1986

The drive to victory between June 1943 and July 1944, as the Allies consolidate their achievements, with enormous difficulty and great divergence of opinion.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Winston S. Churchill (1874-1965) has been called by historians "the man of the twentieth century." Prime Minister of Great Britain (1940-1945), Churchill won the Nobel prize for literature in 1953.

Product Details

• Paperback: 704 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (May 9, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395410592
• ISBN-13: 978-0395410592
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #600,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine history told from a unique viewpoint, May 15, 2000

By 

Owen Hughes (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Second World War, Volume 5: Closing the Ring (Paperback)

It is fortunate for us as readers that Winston Churchill not only had the qualities of a writer, but that he also found the time to put them to such good effect. Many a retired politician has written his personal memoirs-few of them have ever done so quite as completely. In the war, Churchill used secretaries to help him cover the multitude of daily tasks he needed to get through and afterwards, when living at Chartwell, his home in Kent, he kept up the practise of using an amanuensis instead of writing himself. This allowed him to get far more work done, since he could literally do it with his eyes closed. Nevertheless, we may feel sure that the text is his own. Proud man that he surely was, there is little chance that he indulged anyone in much editing. When we see his virtually unedited copy sent from the field from India, the Sudan and South Africa at the end of the last century, we can feel sure that by the 1950s, he was a competent composer of text indeed.

"Closing the Ring" is the story of the climax of the Second World War. Although he refused to admit it, Hitler probably knew deep down what everybody else could see very clearly after Stalingrad. The once mighty armies of the Third Reich were being forced to withdraw; some of the best divisions had by then been so savaged that little remained. Berlin was being mercilessly ground down to rubble by legions of British and American heavy bombers that ended up attacking their targets almost unopposed. It was the time when madness reigned in the Fuhrerbunker and when the Allies could see the fruit of their careful planning starting to ripen. Churchill was at once rewarded by the knowledge that he had been right in thinking America invincible, and at the same time he was sadly aware that an era was passing and the British Empire was fading away in front of his eyes.

This is a long sustained narrative, written by a man in full command of his enormous personal resources. In addition, Churchill had access to a vast quantity of documentation concerning the period, because he had written much of that too! Frankly, this is an admirable work of history, told with a writer's gift for spinning a yarn and I enjoyed every word of it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As Britain diminishes, so does Churchill's enthusiasm, October 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Second World War, Volume 5: Closing the Ring (Paperback)

As with the other volumes in his monumental history, Churchill's language is sparkling and, from a literary standpoint, practically genius. The man really knows how to turn a phrase, to use the English language to its best advantage. As literature, this book is wonderful, and I recommend it highly. As history, it may be less important. Everyone acknowledges the work's idiosyncracies; it's Churchill's view, not a balanced attempt to cover the whole war. To be fair to WSC, he knew what it was, and made no pretense about it. But, after the USA came on to the European scene in mid-1943, Britain's position of authority declined, so there's less for Churchill to describe or represent. He's reduced to saying innumberable times "We were forced to accept our Ally's view." The reader, especially one who has read the first four books, can tell that he's no longer so engaged by the magnitude of events. He covers a year here in only 2/3 the space it took him in any previous volume. Maybe he's just exhausted, but whatever the reason, *Closing the Ring* lacks the grandiose-ness of the previous entries.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars closing the ring, June 23, 2008

By 

Sam Daugherty (columbia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Second World War, Volume 5: Closing the Ring (Paperback)

I've read all the volumes in this set and closing the circle is one of the best. Churchill is an excellent writer and when you read this volume, (and all the volumes) it is as if he were holding a conversation with you. His attention to detail is amazing and the correspondence between himself, Roosevelt and Stalin is absolutely eye opening. It gives one the feeling of being behind the scenes and sitting in on the conferences at Yalta, Russia and the middle east. Absolutely engrossing.
It gives one an entire new understanding of WWII. I would recommend all six volumes to anyone interested in WWII .