The Hinge of Fate

With the violent entry of the Soviet Union and the United States into World War II, the fate of the Axis powers was sealed. However, history only appears inevitable in retrospect. Both Germany and Japan expanded to their greatest extents in 1942. Nazi panzers bit deeply into Russia and threatened Egypt, Britain's lifeline to to the East. Japan tore through thin colonial defenses around the Pacific rim and tightened its decade-long stranglehold on China. By 1943, however, Axis power was strained to the breaking point in a war never intended to last this long. American industry armed the Allies with breathtaking speed while the vastness of Russian space and population bled Germany dry. The hinge of fate had turned; and from this point to show more the end of the war, the door would inexorably close on Axis dreams of empire.

Churchill's memoirs of this time are largely dedicated to the campaigns to clear North Africa of German and Italian forces. The pivotal naval Battle of Midway is rolled into a single chapter along with the Battle of the Coral Sea. The titanic struggle on the Russian front is only occasionally mentioned, including such monumental turning points as the Battle of Stalingrad. That's not to say Churchill downplays Russian sacrifice and contribution; to the contrary, he frequently expresses his comprehension of how much final victory was owed to the Russians. However, he also never forgot Stalin's intentions to join Germany in carving up the British Empire before Hitler unleashed the Wehrmacht on him, and Churchill never (with good reason) trusted the Stalinist regime.

Beyond this, though, it must be remembered that these are the memoirs of the British Prime Minister, not a comprehensive history of the war. For the British, the war in this period consisted of working with the Americans to contain Japan as best they could, supply Russia as best they could, and strike the Axis on the only feasible large-scale front available to the western allies: North Africa. What most stands out to me about this volume is Churchill's palpable sense of relief over the ultimate outcome of the war. This is illustrated by a memo in the appendices in which he writes to one of his ministers that he hasn't reviewed the ammunition returns in months because the supply from America is so large. The entry of the United States into the war transformed a struggle for survival into a crusade to victory, and this comes through clearly in the brightening tone of this volume. show less

The fourth of six volumes in this series focuses on the US entry into the war. Most active theatres are North Africa, the Mediterranean and the Pacific.
Churchill heaps praise on his allies. First and foremost on the US, the 'awakening giant', whose industrial potential will eventually help win the war. At the same time he does not forget to emphasize the 'heroic struggle' and 'historical achievements' of Stalin's Russia - and rightly so.
The naked facts and sheer numbers of people and material involved on the Russian front is staggering. Despite all misgivings for communism, Churchill more than appreciates Russia's efforts and sacrifices and tries to bring her on equal footing with the US and the UK.
Written in very much the same style as show more its predecessors, 'The Hinge of Fate' cannot help but come across as a bit more glorifying. This might well be because until the battle of El Alamein there was not much for the allies to glorify (perhaps the astonishing 'Dunkirk Retreat' across the channel).
Nevertheless, Churchill - true to form - sticks to facts and figures and once again manages to convert tons of relatively dry material into an interesting read.
I do read other books in parallel, but find myself coming back to this series frequently. Looking forward to the next volume. show less

Reading this gives the grand view from the chess master's point of view. Although losses are spoken of, they are mentioned in vast quantities that the brain can't really cope with. 50,000 P.O.W.s, 1,000,000 tons of shipping, 5,000 dead, etc. All given the same value of loss in a sentence or paragraph. A grand game to be won or lost. I don't think Churchill meant to be callous or unfeeling. It's just that that is the only way to report and cope. The war had to be won and that was the only way to accomplish it.

It is good though, to have read books like Ernie Pyle's "Brave Men" or "This is Your War" to have balance and know that each man lost had a name. A family. A story.

The longest volume by a considerable margin. Incredible amount of detail about setting everything up for the Mediterranean campaigns, in particular. Churchill's correspondence with Stalin was most interesting.

The fourth volume of Churchill's Second World war series concerns the turning point of the war. Although Churchill states that he knew the war was won in the third volume this is the book in which the actual events occurred.

However, the book is much more about politics than combat. There are a great many memos, letters and position papers. Political events are well covered. In any event, this is all interesting at least to me. It relates how a major war leader conducts affairs, leads men and initiates events. I can recommend the book and the series.

Promises, promises, promises. Churchill's fourth volume of WWII memiors. The tide has turned. Churchill keeps promising Stalin supplies and a second front and not exactly not delivering, just postponing. Not as good as previous volumes, but still compelling.

Another installment of the masterful telling of the history of the Second World War. The breadth and penetration of Churchill's oversight is quite staggering, and the access to top-level communications paints a vivid picture of the direction of the war. The only fault, as usual, is the omission of any mention of Bletchley Park's output - though the reasons made sense at the time, reading now the lacuna is most noticeable.