Five Days From Defeat

The Critical Days That Saved Britain in 1940

Walter Reid on the pivotal week that changed the Second World War

About the Ebook

On 21 March 1918 Germany initiated one of the most ferocious and offensives of the First World War. During the so-called Kaiserschlacht, German troops advanced on allied positions in a series of ferocious attacks which caused massive casualties, separated British and French forces and drove the British back towards the Channel ports.

Five days later, as the German advance continued, one of the most dramatic summits of the war took place in Doullens. The outcome was to have extraordinary consequences. For the first time an allied supreme commander – the French General Foch – was appointed to command all the allied armies, while the statesmen realized that unity of purpose rather than national interest was ultimately the key to success.

Within a few months a policy of defence became one of offence, and paved the way for British success at Amiens and the series of unbroken British victories that led Germany to plea for armistice. Victory in November 1918 was a matter for celebration; what was excised from history was how close Britain was to ignominious defeat just eight months earlier.

Why You'll Love This Ebook

• Discover the dramatic decisions that kept Britain in the war
• Learn how five days in May 1940 transformed twentieth-century history
• Engage with sharp, accessible writing on a defining historical moment
• Read another celebrated title from Birlinn Ltd - Independent Scottish Publisher

Reviews

'Shows with forensic precision both how close Britain came to defeat and how Haig subsequently attempted to re‑write history so that he came out of the affair in a positive light.' The Scotsman

'An intriguing study both of the pressures of high command in warfare and of the machinations of powerful men.' Journal of Military History (US)

About the Author

Walter Reid studied at the universities of Oxford and Edinburgh and is the author of a number of acclaimed biographies and books of military and political history. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Publication Details

Publisher: Birlinn Ltd

Publication Date: 02 November 2017

Print Length: 256 pages (Ebook edition)

ISBN (Ebook): 9780857909411

Format: Ebook

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