Warlord - Churchill at War: 1874-1945 (Hardcover)

Carlo D'Este's startlingly fresh biography examines the life of Winston Churchill through the prism of his military service as both a solider and warlord: the descendent of the first Duke of Marlborough who, despite never having risen above the rank of lieutenant colonel, eventually came at the age of sixty-five to direct Britain's military campaigns in the greatest conflict of the twentieth century. Churchill's childhood ambition was to be a soldier. In 1895, at the age of 21, he was commissioned into the Fourth Queen's Own Hussars. Two years later he saw action on the Northwest Frontier of India, and in 1898 took part in the last cavalry charge of the British Army at the Battle of Omdurman in the Sudan. These early experiences furnished him with crucial understanding soldiers and love of soldiering which lasted for the rest of his life. In 1940, Prime Minister at last, he kept for himself the office of Minister of Defence so there would be no question about who was ultimately responsible for Britain's war effort. Using extensive untapped archival materials, Carlo D'Este tells this extraordinary story as never before. He explores Churchill's strategies in both world wars - the disastrous failures as well as the dazzling triumphs, and casts fresh light on his tumultuous relationships with his generals. Warlord is a masterful, unsparing portrait of one of history's most fascinating and influential leaders doing what he enjoyed most - being a soldier.