The Second World War: Milestones to Disaster

By: Winston Churchill

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Churchill's history of the Second World War is, and will remain, the definitive work. Lucid, dramatic, remarkable for its breadth and sweep and for its sense of personal involvement, it is universally acknowledged as a magnificent reconstruction. Please note: This book was originally published in six volumes:

1.The Gathering Storm
2. Their Finest Hour
3. The Grand Alliance
4. The Hinge of Fate
5. Closing the Ring
6. Triumph and Tragedy

Churchill then condensed these into four volumes, which have since been released as one, rather hefty, publication. Audible has published the unabridged recordings of Churchill's condensed volume, divided into four parts, as follows:

1.Milestone to Disaster
2.Alone
3.The Grand Alliance
4.Triumph and Tragedy

©1959 Cassell and Co. Ltd; 1990 the Esate of Winston Churchill (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Excellent history book

this is the first book in the 4 part series. it sets the stage for WW2

As only Churchill could have said it

Wonderfully written and beautifully read--with all kinds of emotive details--this account of the years before WWII could only have been written by the man who lived it. Complete with personal details and intimate memories of conversations with colleagues and world leaders, Churchill describes in aching detail the mistakes, the missteps, and the miscalculations on the side of the Allies that led to the war and its disastrous consequences. For anyone interested in the why and how of WWII, this book is a must-read and a privilege to do so.

The great man speaks …

History is magnificent. It is especially wonderous when told from personal experience. These are the words from one of the 20th centuries greatest statesman, Winston Churchill. Controversy surrounds the life of Churchill and his imperialist policies but his dogged determination to warn and then fight the Nazi threat remains indomitable.

This book covers the period from 1920 to 1940, the beginning of the Second World War. Most influential European figures of the time are highlighted including their political views, interactions with Churchill, and their roles within government bodies. Throughout the book, Churchill laments the mistakes made by the appeasers of the time who continue to talk peace whilst Germany and Italy continue to break agreements, rearm in strength, and carve out Europe and Afrika. Hawkish and militaristic, Churchill plays an outsiders role during this calamitous period of inaction by the allied powers. Yet his prediction of a world war becomes a stunning reality in 1939.

However, there is also disappointment in his narrative. Churchill provides very little background to the suffering of the Jews in Germany during this period. In addition, his own isolationist views on the Spanish Civil War are clearly recorded. This forms a complex enigma. At the end, as historians have noted, this is Churchill’s own narrative and sometimes even a little promotional.

it simply doesn't get better than this

This is a wonderful book made even better. by a marvellous reading. Be aware this is part one of the abridged one volume Version. I am usually not a fan of abridgements but it works very well here. All the necessary detail is there and "Milestones to Disaster" is over 220 pages in its abridged form. I really enjoyed this book I listened to it while reading along with the print copy. This has become one of my favorite audible book experiences.

Great book!

Impeccable narration, very interesting perspective of the circumstances as they developed. Overall a well written book.

An enjoyable, enlightening read

I started to watch The Crown, and I wanted to learn about the Prime Minister in the years before Elizabeth's reign. His books include much of his own involvement in the war.

Great perspective!

It's one thing to read about WW2 from a historian, it's altogether different to hear it directly from one of the major players. It gave me new insight that I hadn't gathered from other books on the topic. The narration is also fantastic.

My only complaint is that I didn't realize this was the first of 4 parts when I bought it. It only leads up to the beginning of the war. I would like to have paid 2 credits for all 4 books together rather than having to buy each one separately. That having been said, I probably will end up buying the other three books.

Exceptional

This is one of those rare instances when both the book and the narration are exceptional. The details are fascinating. I had read another of Churchill's books and he is a very good writer - far better than most historians. If you enjoy history then you will love this book.

Must read for any WWII enthusiast

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes but not as the first and only. That would be: Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.,

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

These are his words.

Who better to write about WWII than Churchill?

It's a great shame that the other leaders of the great powers were unable to publish their own memoirs following the Second World War, but if we had to chose one to do so, it would have inevitably been Sir Winston Churchill. In many ways, this is the definitive allied history of WWII in Europe, Churchill discusses the Pacific, but that largely wasn't his fight. It was written by the man who was not only involved in the war, but was at the very center of it and was written with all the Churchillian style we've come to love. The insights are invaluable, he not only chronicles the events of the war, he also explains the importance and motivations behind them with an authority no historian could ever hope to match. He even strives to present the war in the most objective manner possible, giving credit to German commanders where due, no easy feat for one who had just lead a nation through six years of so much hardship and suffering, though he is unabashedly anti-fascist and spares no criticism of Hitler's Nazi regime. It is not a comprehensive history of the war, as mentioned above, but it is an essential one, no one's understanding of WWII can be complete without reading this great work.