Customer Reviews

Slim: The standardbearer : a biography of Field-Marshal the Viscount Slim

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This book concisely tells the story of an indomitable, brilliant in a practical way, yet wonderfully human warrior. It is a must read for anyone who wants to find out about the embodiment of leadership.

I am a great admirer of Field Marshal the Viscount Slim, who in my opinion was the finest general officer of the war anywhere in any army. He molded the magnificent British 14th Army and led it in a victorious campaign against an implacable, often fanatical enemy, performing the impossible against insurmountable odds.

It is interesting to speculate on how differently Slim would have handled matters had he been in command of the British-Canadian forces on D-Day instead of Montgomery. Slim, who was accustomed to having to get along on a shoestring, but who also moved boldly and decisively whenever opportunity presented itself, would almost certainly have taken Caen on D-Day given all the men, munitions and air power which Monty possessed. That achievement alone would have shortened the war.

On the other hand, I don't believe Monty would have fared well in Burma. He was far too cautious and always refused battle until he had amassed overwhelming superiority in manpower and munitions. I doubt he'd have ever gotten round to attacking the Japanese given the threadbare logistical situation in India and Burma.

William J. Slim was an interesting soldier. He served for forty years in the British and Indian armies, rose to be a field marshal, served as governor general of Australia, and wrote what is considered to be one of the best memoirs to come out of the war, certainly among the best written by a senior officer. All of this, and many who read about World War II have never heard of him.

Slim was born the son of an unsuccessful businessman from Birmingham. His father sold wholesale hardware, and went bankrupt when Slim was in his teens, prompting the young man to look for a job that would afford him a paycheck for little outlay. He joined an army officer training course at Birmingham University (somehow without being a student of that institution, and neat trick) and when World War I started, he was mustered into the army as a lieutenant, and sent off to war.

He served first in Gallipoli, then Mesapotamia (later known as Iraq) and when the war ended, joined the Indian army, serving mostly with Gurkha regiments. By the mid-thirties, he'd seen enough service that when the war started he soon bounced up to corps command, and was instrumental in the retreat of the British army from Burma. The first offensive back into the country (the Arakan offensive) almost got Slim sacked, but someone perceptively relieved his senior instead, and he got the man's job. He fought, and won, the battles of Kohima-Imphal, and later Meiktila, and reconquered Burma. Afterwards, he was again almost sacked, instead promoted Field Marshal, and made Chief of the Imperial General Staff over the objections of his predecessor, Montgomery. From there, with some diversions, he became the Governor General of Australia, which he did almost until his death.

Lewin is a competent writer, but no master of prose or anything, and he concentrates on Slim and his career. There's little information on Slim's family, such as when his parents died, and almost nothing on his silblings. The author does spend a little bit of time on Mrs. Slim, and the children, but not much. There are some amusing anecdotes (especially concerning his time as Governor General of Australia) and a few myths get put to rest. The most prevalent one is the story that Slim enlisted in the army as a private and was eventually promoted all the way to Field Marshal. This is shown to be just not true, unfortunately: he joined the army through an officer's training course, much like the American ROTC.

The middle part of the book covers the war in Burma, and does a good job of it. The principle issue in a book dealing with Burma is whether you come down on the side of Orde Wingate and the Chindits, or against them. Wingate was a strange, fanatical, brilliant, annoying soldier who formed the Chindits, a unit of light infantry that fought in the jungle behind Japanese lines, supplied by air. Slim, and many soldiers in the conventional army, thought Wingate heedless of difficulties, and unscrupulous, to say the least, while his defenders think he won the war in Burma, and despise those who tried to "hold Wingate back." Lewin comes down gently on the side of Slim, as you might expect, but carefully lets you know how deceitful and devious Wingate could be when he wanted something.

Altogether, while this isn't a masterful biography, it is a good book and a worthy tribute to a wonderful soldier.

Read in conjunction with William Slim's "Defeat into Victory", Lewin provides a superb appreciation of the forgotten WW2 battles in Burma and the life and times of Britain's outstanding Army commander of the 20th century. A splendid portrait of the soldier, general, proconsul and man. A must read for any serious student of 20th century warfare.

I read about William Slim in an article in The Financial Times, several years ago. He was described as an effective leader, and this piqued my interest in gaining an understanding of his character and merits. "Slim: The Standardbearer", is the first book that I have read about Slim. Generally, I found it to be an interesting read, and probably a good beginning point - as it offers a broad survey of Slim's life. My only concern is that author is clearly enamored of Slim.

I am not a historian or a writing critic, so perhaps I'm missing some technical nuances in the author's treatment of the subject matter. Also, I am not a fan of historical accounts which take an overly harsh view, in effort to second guess popular sentiment. However, in this case, I would have preferred a stronger feel of objectivity and a bit less hyperbole singing the praises of the subject. (Are we nominating Slim for sainthood? He is a good man, but a man none the less.)

Also, what is with all of the expressions in French and languages other than English? Is that the way Slim spoke - punctuating ideas with knowing, witty colloquial phrases having special reference for an elite "educated" insider group? I studied Latin, German, and Swedish. I'm reasonably well educated. But, I found these phrases to be an annoying and elitest distraction.

Despite my concerns, my understanding of Slim is expanded, and I value the example of leadership that he provides. Perhaps, that is the reason for the author's zeal - the striking contrast of Slim's integrity and character vis-a-vis that of other "successful" leaders. Good guys can make a favorable difference.

By the way, I found it a bit amusing that Amazon's cultural "imperialism" emerged in the tag suggestions, by offering Myanmar as one of the tags and not Burma. I have to object. Contemporary to Slim's experience, it was Burma. No slight on the current (albeit despotic) leadership or government there.