For starters: anything involving Winston Churchill has to be interesting. So much history is more interesting than fiction; his life is an extreme example. The book spent a fair amount of time reviewing his biography. I remember the Des Moines Register making a big deal out of his death and funeral in the 1960s (I just looked it up, it was 1965). Meaning I remember a guy who was in the last large-scale cavalry attack (Omdurman), was in the Boer War, correspondent, author, heavily involved in WWI, social legislation in London, India. And then of course there was something about him with standing up to Hitler, WWII and the Iron Curtain thereafter. Etc. Well beyond amazing.The book purports to be about "Code-Breakers, Scientists, and the Mavericks Churchill Led to Victory." And it sort of is - but doesn't go into a ton of detail about this. Sort of a blend of biography, WWII overview, some of the technical stuff. As far as I'm concerned, it's a good mix - a lot of the technical stuff would be beyond my understanding anyway.
Author says Churchill supported the development of "land ships" circa 1915, disguised as "water tanks", later as "tanks". Maybe that part about naming the vehicle is true - where else would the word come from?
The cover photo is amusing, though the author reports that WC never used a tommy gun.
I liked the book.
No comments:
Post a Comment