Commander in Chief, Nigel Hamilton
Commander in Chief, Nigel Hamilton
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Commander in Chief
FDR's Battle with Churchill, 1943

Author: Nigel Hamilton

Narrator: Shaun Grindell

Unabridged: 14 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 06/07/2016


Synopsis

In the next installment of the "splendid memoir Roosevelt didn't get to write" (New York Times), Nigel Hamilton tells the astonishing story of FDR's year-long, defining battle with Churchill, as the war raged in Africa and Italy. Nigel Hamilton's Mantle of Command, long-listed for the National Book Award, drew on years of archival research and interviews to portray FDR in a tight close up, as he determined Allied strategy in the crucial initial phases of World War II. Commander in Chief reveals the astonishing sequel - suppressed by Winston Churchill in his memoirs - of Roosevelt's battles with Churchill to maintain that strategy. Roosevelt knew that the Allies should take Sicily but avoid a wider battle in southern Europe, building experience but saving strength to invade France in early 1944. Churchill seemed to agree at Casablanca - only to undermine his own generals and the Allied command, testing Roosevelt's patience to the limit. Churchill was afraid of the invasion planned for Normandy, and pushed instead for disastrous fighting in Italy, thereby almost losing the war for the Allies. In a dramatic showdown, FDR finally set the ultimate course for victory by making the ultimate threat. Commander in Chief shows FDR in top form at a crucial time in the modern history of the West.

About Nigel Hamilton

Nigel Hamilton is a bestselling and award-winning biographer of President John F. Kennedy, General Bernard "Monty" Montgomery, and President Bill Clinton, among other subjects. He is a senior fellow in the McCormack Graduate School, University of Massachusetts Boston, and first president of the Biographers International Organization.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jim

Shoutout to William Lyon Mackenzie King! The 10th Prime Minister of Canada made this book possible with his dedicated journals of his war-time conversations with Churchill and FDR (they both trusted him implicitly). Because FDR died before he had a chance to write his version of events, we can only s......more

Goodreads review by Julian

A fantastic and phenomenal history of the pivotal year of 1943 when it seemed like the Western Alliance would break and the US and UK would be fighting the same, yet separate wars. Mr. Hamilton does a remarkable job of keeping the suspense of the entire year and discussion between the American and t......more

Goodreads review by Scott

Certain topics seem like they have been sufficiently covered, and the American role in World War II would seem to be one of them, as is the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The books that have been written on these topics can be measured in metric tons or by the millions of pages. What else......more

Goodreads review by M

This is the second book in Hamilton’s trilogy on President Roosevelt’s role as “Commander in Chief” during WW2. (*see my October 2021 review of book one.) One of the author’s main points is to assert F.D.R. was the leader of the Allied effort to defeat the Nazis, not Churchill. (*Churchill paints i......more