Closing the Ring (The Second World War, Volume 5) (repost)

One of the most fascinating works of history ever written, Winston Churchill's monumental book The Second World War is a six-volume account of the struggle of the Allied powers in Europe against Germany and the Axis. Recounted through the eyes of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the Second World War is also the story of one nation's singular, heroic role in the fight against tyranny. Here you will find pride and patriotism in Churchill's dramatic account and with reason—having learned a lesson at Munich that they would never forget, the British refused to make peace with Hitler, defying him even after France had fallen and it seemed as though the Nazis were an unstoppable force.

What lends this work its tension is Churchill's inclusion of primary source material. We hear Churchill's retrospective analysis of the war, but we are also presented with memos, letters, orders, speeches, and telegrams that give day-by-day accounts of the reactions as the drama unfolds. We listen as strategies and counter-strategies unfold in response to Hitler's conquest of Europe, his planned invasion of England, and his assault on Russia. All contrive to give a mesmerizing account of the crucial decisions that must be made as the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Churchill shows in Volume Five, Closing the Ring, the Allied forces going on the offensive. Mussolini falls, Hitler is besieged on three sides, and the Japanese find it near impossible to maintain a grip on the territories they had recently overtaken. Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt work towards keeping their uneasy partnership moving in concert and much of this volume is dedicated to describing the intricate negotiations that went on to sustain this partnership toward one single end goal.

Churchill won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 in part because of this awe-inspiring work.