Allies at War

How the Struggles Between the Allied Powers Shaped the War and the World

By: Tim Bouverie

Narrated by: Tim Bouverie

An “enthralling and authoritative” (The Wall Street Journal) political history of World War II that opens a window onto the difficulties of holding together the coalition that ultimately defeated Hitler—by the acclaimed author of Appeasement

“A fine reassessment of Allied politics and diplomacy during the Second World War: impeccably researched, elegantly written and compellingly argued.”—The Times (UK)

AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

After the fall of France in June 1940, all that stood between Adolf Hitler and total victory was a narrow stretch of water and the defiance of the British people. Desperate for allies, Winston Churchill did everything he could to bring the United States into the conflict, drive the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany apart, and persuade neutral countries to resist German domination.

By early 1942, after the German invasion of Russia and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the British-Soviet-American alliance was in place. Yet it was an improbable and incongruous coalition, divided by ideology and politics and riven with mistrust and deceit. Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Joseph Stalin were partners in the fight to defeat Hitler, but they were also rivals who disagreed on strategy, imperialism, and the future of liberated Europe. Only by looking at their areas of conflict, as well as cooperation, are we able to understand the course of the war and world that developed in its aftermath.

Allies at War is a fast-paced, narrative history, based on material drawn from more than a hundred archives. Using vivid, firsthand accounts and unpublished diaries, Bouverie invites readers into the rooms where the critical decisions were made and goes beyond the confines of the Grand Alliance to examine, among other topics, the doomed Anglo-French partnership and fractious relations with General Charles de Gaulle and the Free French, and interactions with Poland, Greece, Francoist Spain and neutral Ireland, Yugoslavia, and Nationalist China.

Ambitious and compelling, revealing the political drama behind the military events, Allies at War offers a fresh perspective on the Second World War and the origins of the Cold War.

Three's a Crowd

Outstanding and deep crawl through the negotiations of The Big Three leaders, FDR, Churchill, and Stalin in WW2. Much in the way of backstory and minor figures too and smaller theaters of the war like Greece, Yugoslavia, & Poland. This is diplomatic history at its finest. Not much about the backbiting at Yalta, thank goodness. It is an Anglo-centric view mainly from Churchill's perspective but FDR' is well fleshed out and captured. Stalin is not quite the ogre he really was but dwelling on atrocity does not make for pleasant reading. The Kaytin Forest massacre is given its due though. The rape of Poland by Stalin is a significant lesson from this story. The narration is impeccable. Highly recommended.

A fantastic study into the relations of the great powers

I enjoyed learning about the diplomatic relations throughout the war between the great powers. Most history books focus on the battles or logistics, and this is all about the diplomacy and politics. Fantastic quotes, and insights from notable players that came to fruition for the next top century..