An exceptional and sharp narrative that challenges our assumptions about World War II and reveals how close Britain came to losing. Gordon Corrigan delves into an analysis of Winston Churchill's responsibilities for the state of British forces in 1939 and how his intervention in military operations had disastrous consequences. He also questions the reputation of well-known generals, such as Montgomery, whose post-war recognition was due more to writing than to command ability. Furthermore, it examines how the British, who had the largest army in the world in 1918, managed to forget everything they had learned in just twenty years. Although Britain narrowly avoided defeat, the path to Hitler's defeat proved to be long and one in which the Russians would ultimately bear the heaviest burden.