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



Transcribed and formatted for HTML by Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation