Finest Hour – July 2019

fighting off repeated attempts to

prevent it by Churchill. Readers

who are fans of Churchill might

think this book overly critical of the

beleaguered Prime Minister who

stood and faced down Nazi Ger-

many in 1940. That simply is not

the case. Both Churchill and FDR

are depicted as incredible visionary

leaders, yet men with feet of clay.

The sheer diversity of sources that

Hamilton marshals in this final

work depicting FDR’s impact on

world history continues to amaze,

as it does in his earlier volumes.

This book contains descriptions

provided from personal journals,

public records, and radio broad-

casts to name just a few. Especially

fascinating is Hamilton’s ability to

include journal entries from the

Nazi propaganda minister Joseph

Goebbels. Such sources provide a

breadth and depth to this narrative

that discusses not only the facts

about what happened, but what

people believed at the time about

those events. Among the most

important events during this time

were the conferences at Tehran

and Yalta, as well as the invasion of

Western Europe: D-Day.

It is hard today to imagine just

how difficult travel was during

the war even for the able-bodied.

Imagine someone who is wheel-

chair-bound enduring a 1400-mile

journey that incorporated sea, air,

and motor travel. Add to this the

fact that FDR’s health was continu-

ing to plummet throughout this

time, and you have the makings of

an incredibly dramatic story. How

FDR successfully obtained, if not

always consensus, at least coopera-

tion establishing D-Day in Tehran,

despite Churchill’s continuing ob-

jections, was amazing. The fact that

FDR was able to chair an almost

weeklong conference at Yalta set-

ting the foundational agreements

for the end of the war and the

establishment of the United Na-

tions was a pivotal event in world

history. That he was able to achieve

such accomplishments after a fatal

diagnosis of heart failure a year

earlier borders on superhuman.

Hamilton puts the reader at FDR’s

side throughout these incredible

accomplishments as if the reader

were present to observe them un-

folding.

Nigel Hamilton has created a

masterwork in War and Peace that

readers will find hard to put down.

His writing style is engaging and

well- researched, and it provides

insights that even the best read his-

torians might find surprising and

new. Among the most important

is a deeper understanding of the

foundations of the world that we

live in. FDR’s charming diplomacy

is refreshing today when competing

interests, inflammatory rhetoric,

brinkmanship, and the emphasis of

national interest seems to rule. It

is not just FDR’s ability to bring to-

gether diverse interests that makes

this engaging. War and Peace re-

minds readers of what national

leaders were able to accomplish

when they worked to find com-

mon ground. Perhaps it is time we

re-examine FDR’s ability to honor

human rights beyond America and

around the world. ,

Richard A. McConnell is Associate Pro-

fessor of Tactics at the US Army Command

and General Staff College.

F

or Winston Churchill, the fall

and surrender of Singapore to

Japan in February 1942 was

an emotional scar he would carry

his entire life, much like Gallipoli.

He called the fall of the “Gibraltar

of the East” the “largest capitula-

tion in British military history.” In

retrospect, we know it ultimately

signaled the end of Great Britain’s

Asian Empire.

Historian Peter Dye has written

the first biography of a key figure

in the Singapore story—Air Chief

Marshal Sir Henry Robert Moore

Brooke-Popham. It was Brooke-

Popham who took the ultimate

blame for Churchill’s Singapore

nightmare. The goal of this biogra-

phy is to provide a more balanced

view of Brooke-Popham’s life and

his many contributions to the de-

fence of the British Empire.

Early chapters reveal Brooke-

Popham’s pioneering work to en-

hance British air power in the Royal

Flying Corps before and during the

First World War. A man of high

intellect, he was hard-working

and an excellent writer. Dye says

Brooke-Popham found a keen sense

BOOKS, ARTS, AND CURIOSITIES

Overstretched

Air Chief Marshal

Peter Dye, The Man Who Took

the Rap: Sir Robert Brooke-

Popham and the Fall of Singa-

pore, Naval Institute Press, 2018,

410 pages, £43.50/$44.95.

ISBN 978–1682473580

Review by W. Mark Hamilton

fightingoffrepeatedattemptsto
preventit byChurchill.Readers
whoarefansofChurchillmight
thinkthisbookoverlycriticalofthe
beleagueredPrimeMinisterwho
stoodandfaceddownNaziGer-
manyin1940.Thatsimplyisnot
thecase.BothChurchillandFDR
aredepictedasincrediblevisionary
leaders,yetmenwithfeetofclay.
Thesheerdiversityofsourcesthat
Hamiltonmarshalsinthisfinal
workdepictingFDR’simpacton
worldhistorycontinuestoamaze,
asit doesinhisearliervolumes.
Thisbookcontainsdescriptions
providedfrompersonaljournals,
publicrecords,andradiobroad-
caststoname justa few.Especially
fascinatingisHamilton’sabilityto
includejournalentriesfromthe
NazipropagandaministerJoseph
Goebbels.Suchsourcesprovidea
breadthanddepthtothisnarrative
thatdiscussesnotonlythefacts
aboutwhathappened,butwhat
peoplebelievedatthetimeabout
thoseevents.Amongthemost
importanteventsduringthistime
weretheconferencesatTehran
andYalta,aswellastheinvasionof
WesternEurope:D-Day.
It is hard today to imagine just
how difficult travel was during
the war even for the able-bodied.
Imagine someone who is wheel-
chair-bound enduring a 1400-mile
journey that incorporated sea, air,
and motor travel. Add to this the
fact that FDR’s health was continu-
ing to plummet throughout this
time, and you have the makings of
an incredibly dramatic story. How
FDR successfully obtained, if not
always consensus, at least coopera-
tion establishing D-Day in Tehran,
despite Churchill’s continuing ob-
jections, was amazing. The fact that
FDR was able to chair an almost
weeklong conference at Yalta set-
ting the foundational agreements

fortheendofthewarandthe

establishmentoftheUnitedNa-

tionswasa pivotaleventinworld

history.Thathewasabletoachieve

suchaccomplishmentsaftera fatal

diagnosisofheartfailurea year

earlierbordersonsuperhuman.

HamiltonputsthereaderatFDR’s

sidethroughouttheseincredible

accomplishmentsasif thereader

werepresenttoobservethemun-

folding.

NigelHamiltonhascreateda

masterworkinWarandPeacethat

readerswillfindhardtoputdown.

Hiswritingstyleisengagingand

well-researched,andit provides

insightsthateventhebestreadhis-

toriansmightfindsurprisingand

new.Amongthemostimportant

isa deeperunderstandingofthe

foundationsoftheworldthatwe

livein.FDR’scharmingdiplomacy

isrefreshingtodaywhencompeting

interests,inflammatoryrhetoric,

brinkmanship,andtheemphasisof

nationalinterestseemstorule.It

isnotjustFDR’sabilitytobringto-

getherdiverseintereststhatmakes

thisengaging.WarandPeacere-

mindsreadersofwhatnational

leaderswereabletoaccomplish

whentheyworkedtofindcom-

monground.Perhapsit istimewe

re-examineFDR’sabilitytohonor

humanrightsbeyondAmericaand

aroundtheworld. ,

RichardA.McConnellisAssociatePro-

fessorofTacticsattheUSArmyCommand

andGeneralStaffCollege.

F

orWinstonChurchill,thefall

andsurrenderofSingaporeto

JapaninFebruary 1942 was

anemotionalscarhewouldcarry

hisentirelife,muchlikeGallipoli.

Hecalledthefallofthe“Gibraltar

oftheEast”the“largestcapitula-

tioninBritishmilitaryhistory.”In

retrospect,weknowit ultimately

signaledtheendofGreatBritain’s

AsianEmpire.

HistorianPeterDyehaswritten

thefirstbiographyofa keyfigure

intheSingaporestory—AirChief

MarshalSirHenryRobertMoore

Brooke-Popham.ItwasBrooke-

Pophamwhotooktheultimate

blameforChurchill’sSingapore

nightmare.Thegoalofthisbiogra-

phyistoprovidea morebalanced

viewofBrooke-Popham’slifeand

hismanycontributionstothede-

fenceoftheBritishEmpire.

Early chapters reveal Brooke-

Popham’s pioneering work to en-

hance British air power in the Royal

Flying Corps before and during the

First World War. A man of high

intellect, he was hard-working

and an excellent writer. Dye says

Brooke-Popham found a keen sense

BOOKS, ARTS, AND CURIOSITIES

Overstretched

Air Chief Marshal

Peter Dye, The Man Who Took

the Rap: Sir Robert Brooke-

Popham and the Fall of Singa-

pore, Naval Institute Press, 2018,

410 pages, £43.50/$44.95.

ISBN 978–1682473580

Review by W. Mark Hamilton