Contents
Preface xv Chapter Page I. The Outbreak of War: Allied Plans and Organization The British ultimatum 1 The Attitude of the Commonwealth 2 War Cabinet and Chiefs of Staff 4 Anglo-French Organisation and Strategy 9 Preparations at Home 17 The Supreme War Council Meets: The Attitude of the U.S.A. 19 II. The Forces and the Plans for Their Expansion The Royal Navy 23 The Army; the 55 Division Target 27 The Royal Air Force 33 Air Training; the Commonwealth Scheme 39 Manpower and Finance 40 The Contribution of the Dominions and India 42 III. The German War Machine. The Polish Campaign. The Near East The German War Machine 47 Hitler's Grand Strategy 51 The Polish Campaign 54 Allied Reactions 59 Hitler's Peace Offer and War Plans 61 Allied Policy in the Balkans 63 IV. The Economic War: The First Phase The Blockade of Germany 71 The Attack on British Trade 80 The Defense of British Trade 83 The Shipping Problem 89 V. The Northern Iron: Finland The Scandinavian Ore Traffic 91 The Proposal to Mine the Leads 93 The Russians Invade Finland 94 The Idea of an Allied Expedition to Scandinavia 100 German Plans 104 Allied Plans Develop 105 The Finns Make Peace 112 German Plans Develop 114 Political Consequences 116 VI. The Norwegian Campaign The Supreme War Council of March 28 119 The German Plan and Its Execution 124 Allied Decisions 125 The British Higher Command 129 Narvik: Battles and Delays 131 Attempts to Capture Trondheim 134 The Decision to Evacuate Central Norway 139 The Fall of the Chamberlain Government 143 The Capture and Evacuation of Narvik 145 Reflections on the Campaign 146 VII. The Build-Up in France The B.E.F.: Concentration, Chain of Command, Equipment 151 The R.A.F. in France; B.A.F.F. 153 Proposed Lines of Allied Resistance 157 The Dyle Plan Accepted 162 Bombing Strategy 165 The General Strategical Situation 171 VIII. The Campaign in the Low Countries and France The German Plans; Enemy and Allied Dispositions; the German Attack 175 The Churchill Government 179 The Strategic Air Offensive Unleashed 182 The Course of the Battle; the French Appeal for More Fighters; the Question fo Withdrawal 182 Weygand Succeeds Gamelin; His Plan 189 Defense Measures at Home 193 Operation DYNAMO 194 The Battle of France; Further Appeals for Fighters 196 The Fall of the Reynaud Government; the Armistice 202 Churchill and de Gaulle Speak 206 IX. The Immediate Consequences of the French Collapse (1) The Chiefs of Staff's Appreciation of 25 May 209 The Question of the French Fleet 217 The Action at Mers-el-Kebir 221 X. The Immediate COnsequences of the French Collapse (2) The French Colonies 229 The New Naval Situation 230 The Vichy Government 231 The Blockade; Control at Source 232 The Shipping Problem 237 Spain and Portugal 238 The United States: the Destroyer-Bases Deal 239 XI. Reorganisation and Rearmament, May-August 1940 The Central Machinery 247 Service Programmes Reviewed 251 Manpower 257 Combined Operations, S.O.E. 258 Commonwealth and Allied Forces 261 German Reorganization 265 XII. The Defence of the Island i. Preparations Early defensive measures 267 German plans 269 The organisation of Home Defence: the Channel Islands, Eire 271 ii. The Crisis SEA LION and the Luftwaffe 284 The Battle of Britain 286 SEA LION cancelled 289 How serious was the threat? 290 XIII. Italy Enters the War. Dakar Italian Strategy and Organisation 295 British Strategy and Forces 298 The Reinforcement of the Middle East 307 French Africa; Dakar 312 The Italian Offensive in Libya 319 XIV. Repercussions in the Far East Relations With Japan 321 The Naval Problem 323 The Defence of Singapore 326 The Closing of the Burma Road 328 Reinforcements for the Far East 330 Japanese Moves: The Tripartite Pact 339 XV. Strategy and Resources Reviewed, September-October 1940 Exploratory Staff Talks With the Americans 341 An Appreciation of Future Strategy 343 Munitions and Service Programmes 345 The Scientific Contribution 353 The Organisation of Planning 356 Enemy Strategy: Spain; the Balkans 358 XVI. The Mediterranean and Middle East, November 1940-February 1941 The Italians Invade Greece; British Assistance 365 Naval Operations and Plans; WORKSHOP 370 The Dodecanese and Turkey 372 Wavell's Counter-Offensive in Libya 374 The Offer of Further Help to Greece Declined; the Luftwaffe in Sicily 375 The East African Campaign 378 Teeth and Tail in the Middle East 380 The Renewed Decision to Offer Further Help to Greece 382 German Strategy: North Africa and Greece 385 XVII. The Winter of 1940-41: Blitz and Blockade The Economic War 389 The Blitz 391 The Blockade of the United Kingdom 394 The Shipping Situation 397 Coastal Command 400 The Blockade of the Axis: Oil 403 Leaks in the Blockade: Vichy 406 The Strategic Air Offensive: Area Bombing 408 XVIII. Neutrals Friendly and Unfriendly: November 1940-May 1941 The Changing Attitude of the United States 417 The Origin of Lend-Lease 420 The ABC Staff discussions at Washington 423 Vichy and the Free French 427 Spain and Portugal; Gibraltar 430 Rival Pressures on Vichy in May 434 XIX. The Mediterranean and Middle East, February-May 1941 The Eden-Dill Mission and the Cabinet's Decision 439 The Dominions Issue 447 The Yugoslav Factor 449 Success in East Africa and At Sea 449 Rommel Attacks in Libya 451 The Greek Campaign 455 The Iraq Episode 460 XX. The Battle of the Atlantic. The Service Programmes, March-June 1941 The Blockade of the United Kingdom Intensified 465 British Counter-Measures 469 The Import Situation 472 American Help in the Atlantic 473 German Reactions 475 The Bismarck Episode 476 The Service Programmes: Tanks 477 Bombing Policy 483 Combined Operations 485 XXI. The Far East, October 1940-June 1941 The Situation in October 1940 487 Sir R. Brooke-Popham's Appointment 488 Appreciation and Conferences 490 American Naval Strategy 495 The Tension in February 497 Dominion Misgivings 500 Further Conferences 503 Staff Warnings 505 XXII. The Mediterranean and Middle East, May-June 1941 The Defence of Egypt 509 The Battle for Crete 510 Reactions at Home 515 The Syrian Campaign 516 The End in East Africa 523 Disappointment in the Western Desert 523 The Replacement of Wavell 527 XXIII. The Russian Factor Anglo-Soviet Relations 533 German-Soviet Relations 534 Hitler's Time-Table 538 British Premonitions 541 The Germans Invade Russia 544 XXIV. Review of Strategy and Organisation, June 1941 The End of British Isolation 547 A 'Review of Future Strategy' 547 The Major Decisions 551 The Machinery of Government: The Dominions and the Allies 557 The Supreme Direction 560 Index 589 References to Unpublished Sources 605 APPENDICES I. Bombing Policy (a) Allied policy, September 1939-May 1940 567 (b) The German bombing of Rotterdam 569 II. British, Allied and Neutral Ship Losses, Showing Causes and Theatres (from Roskill, The War at Sea, Vol. I) III. Note for the Foreign Secretary, February 1941 IV. Exchange of Views Between the Prime Minister and the Chiefs of STaff, April-May 1941 V. A List of the HOlders of Certain Appointments VI. A List of CODE-NAMES VII. Diagram of Principal War Cabinet Committees, March 1941 Chronological Chart of Principal Military Events MAPS Maps 2, 11, 16, 18 and 19 were prepared for General Playfair's The Mediterranean and Middle East; Map 3 for Captain Roskill's The War at Sea; maps 5 and 7 for Major Ellis' The War in France and Flanders; maps 9 and 17 for Mr. Collier's The Defence of the United Kingdom; and maps 13 and 15 for General Kirby's The War Against Japan. Opp. page End
Papers:Europe showing territories controlled by the Allies and Axis respectively in September 1939, September 1940 and June 1941 1. Germany and Poland, 1st September 1939 51 2. The Balkans and the Middle East 65 3. The North Sea 75 4. The Scandinavian Countries, March 1940 91 5. The Western Theatre 151 6. The Western Theatre: Defences, Winter 1939-1940 157 7. Situation on the Evening of 26 May 1940 190 8. The North and Central Atlantic Ocean 231 9. Organisation for Home Defence, Summer 1940 279 10. SEA LION, mid-September 1940 285 11. The Mediterranean Sea 295 12. North and Central Africa 297 13. The Far Eastern Theatre 320 14. Japanese Penetration in China, June 1939 (in text) 322 15. Malaya 335 16. Italian East Africa 379 17. The German Night Offensive 389 18. Greece and the Balkans, February-March 1941 439 19. Syria and Iraq 461 PHOTOGRAPHS (These photographs are reproduced by permission of Messrs. Navana Vandyk Ltd.) 1. Mr. Chamberlains' War Cabinet, 1939, with Sir John Anderson, Mr. Eden and Sir Edward Bridges 12 2. Mr. Churchill's War Cabinet, 1941 466 3. The Defence Committee (Operations, 1941 490