Brilliant Analysis

A brilliant analysis of a pivotally crucial few days in early WWII.

A must read for WWII enthusiasts

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meticulous

this is history at its best, fact based and free of preconceptions. well done, Lukas.

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Great history

If you could sum up Five Days in London, May 1940 in three words, what would they be?

I'm really not sure that I would have read this as a book. In the audio format it is just superb. I am not a historian but this work is of value to anyone with an interest in current affairs.

Well read, well written and an inspiring theme.

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You Have Found a Gem

The "included" catalogue is a bit hit and miss, isn't it? Rest assured, you have found a gem.

This is a really well researched history, with loads of primary source material from diaries, minutes of political meetings, newspapers and mass observation reports. Commentary from the people at the time is helpfully interspersed with hindsight context e.g. "this was so" or "this was not so, there was no such meeting between X and Y that day" etc.

There is quite sophisticated analysis here, e.g. discussions of the difference between public opinion and public sentiment; distinctions between perceptions and the underlying truth of a thing and how these can merge in the near term; how an individual's decisions can have multiple purposes and multiple motives before being retrospectively disguised as something else again. The applications of these kind of frameworks marks Lukacs as a superior historian.

Lukacs argues fairly convincingly that May 1940 was an absolutely crucial period of the war, when Europe almost fell to Hitler's vision for a German hegemony across the continent. This was before the USA and USSR entered the war, which changed the game for Hitler and reduced his achievable war aims to merely surviving to a stalemate. But before that, there was the briefest of periods where he might have won it all.

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Not as I expected, in some ways better.

Do try this history of how Britain came to stand alone. The politics I expected, but of equal interest - and for me a little unexpected - was the recounting of the feelings and reactions of the Britsh people. The two threads combine to make compelling listening. Oh, and as well as not being able to win without the Americans, it was good to hear that without Britain the war would have been lost... and that from an American. Buy it.

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4 people found this helpful

Very enjoyable and informative

A fascinating record of five vital days in World War II and the events leading up to them. Excellently narrated by Geoffrey Howard.

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Five days in London

Very factual interesting listen , need to concentrate but worth listening to as explains tensions at the time.

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Splendid

Beautifully read by the Grandmaster Jauffre.
This ones for the Blades!
And, for the Empire!

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analysis of 5 of the most vital days in UK history

a fascinating analysis of five of the most important days in the long history of the UK.

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Superbly detailed account

I greatly enjoyed listening to this audiobook, which taught me many things I did not know about these critical days of the war. Thoroughly recommended to all scholars of the subject.

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