Finest Years (92 page)

Read Finest Years Online

Authors: Max Hastings

Tags: #Non-Fiction

Istria, 493, 511

Italy: rejects call for neutrality, 19; Halifax proposes seeking mediation from, 26, 28, 33, 37; enters war, 45; in North African campaign, 117–18; invades Greece, 118–19; troops captured in North Africa, 121; defeated in East Africa, 123; declares war on USA, 215–16; human torpedoes attack British fleet in Alexandria, 220; WSC proposes elimination from war, 376–7; Allied amphibious landings in, 383, 438; campaign in, 384, 389–95, 426–9, 431–2, 437, 440–3, 479, 481, 488, 494–5; Germans withdraw to from Sicily, 389; German defensive strategy, 390–2, 427, 442–3, 481, 494; readiness to surrender, 390; signs surrender, 391; campaign modified to accommodate D-Day invasion, 393; forces diverted to
Overlord
and
Anvil
, 395, 428, 478, 482, 494, 506–8; in Dodecanese, 401–2; Russian ambassador in, 445; Resistance movement and partisans, 461, 465–6; German line broken, 481;
Anglo-US differences over, 494; WSC visits, 505–6; post-liberation government, 507; political settlement, 527–8

Jackson, Julian, 456, 461

Jackson, Thomas Jonathan (‘Stonewall'), 115

Jacob, Col. Ian (
later
Brig.) on inadequate military thinking, 14; on Dunkirk evacuation, 39, 41; on WSC's calm, 41; serves on staff, 143; on Cherwell, 146; on Beaverbrook's ambitions, 165; at Placentia Bay meeting, 195, 197–8; on US reluctance to enter war, 195; on untidiness of Oval Office, 225; on performance of army in North Africa, 317; on WSC's encounter with Stalin in Moscow, 328; on US wariness of Brooke, 355–6; on Americans at Casablanca, 357; on US distrust of Mediterranean strategy, 357; and report to Stalin of Casablanca decisions, 362; and WSC's musings about own death, 365; on WSC's working day, 374; on results of Quebec conference, 390; on Roosevelt's shared vision with Stalin, 434

Japan: surrenders without invasion, 68; as potential aggressor, 117; as threat, 189, 196, 204–5, 207, 212; US oil embargo on, 199; attacks USA at Pearl Harbor, 212; advance in Pacific and Far East, 217, 219, 226–7; bombs Ceylon, 251; and British occupation of Madagascar, 256, 294; and US Pacific campaign, 368; Stalin promises to enter war against, 432; WSC's dispute with chiefs of staff over strategy against, 477; repulsed at Imphal and Kohima, 480; defeat and surrender, 577, 592; expelled from Burma, 580; and Potsdam Declaration, 586

Jebb, Gladwyn (
later
1st Baron Gladwyn), 456

Jefferis, Major Millis, 83

Jellicoe, Major George Patrick, 2nd Earl, 405–6, 417

Jenkins, Roy, Baron, xv

Jews: killed in death camps, 307–8, 501–2, 560

Job, Book of, 87

Jodl, Gen. Alfred, 569

Jones, Herbert, 64

Jones, Jack, 399

Jones, R.V., 84

Juin, Gen. Alphonse, 481

Jupiter
, Operation, 384

Kaganovitch, Lazar, 516

Karslake, Lt.Gen. Sir Henry, 53

Kasserine pass, Tunisia, 370–1

Katyn massacre (1939), 373, 433, 444

Katyusha multiple rocket launcher, 327

Kefallonia (island), 409

Kennan, George, 434

Kennedy, Maj.-Gen. John: diary, xx; on Gort, 14; on British army in France, 67; strategy paper on winning war, 113; opposes intervention in Greece, 125; and reverses in North Africa and Greece, 131; on rift between politicians and generals, 140; dislikes Ismay, 143; and Dill's prediction of losing Middle East, 149; on Soviet role in war, 168; and WSC's anxiety for action on continent, 168; on delayed US intervention, 171; and WSC's view of Dill, 210; on inability to move reinforcements, 240–1; on lack of heavy aircraft for Atlantic defence, 249; on British apathy, 252–3; and Brooke's relations with WSC, 252; on inadequacies of army, 261; on Soviet demands for second front, 284; and WSC's criticism of army performance, 302; on popular enthusiasm for Russians, 304; on WSC's behaviour at cabinet meeting, 336; on Americans at Casablanca, 357; on WSC's dictating, 375; on commitment in Italy, 389; on diversion of forces from Italy to
Overlord
, 395; on Aegean operation, 402, 411, 413, 419; on British plans for negotiating with Americans at Cairo and Tehran, 427

Kennedy, Joseph, 54, 178, 180–1

Kent, Prince George, Duke of, 185

Kesselring, Field Marshal Albert, 389, 392, 440, 442–3, 479, 481, 488

Keyes, Admiral Sir Roger, 75, 83–4, 319

Keynes, John Maynard (
later
Baron), 275, 300

King, Major ‘Banger', 487

King, C.R., 253

King, Admiral Ernest: at Placentia Bay meeting, 194–5; visits WSC in England, 311–12; preoccupied with Pacific campaign, 354, 379; differences with Brooke at Casablanca conference, 356; hostility to British, 482; WSC teases, 489; WSC criticises, 495; bans use of US shipping to supply British in Greece, 530

King, George, 60–1, 155, 164, 303, 382, 396

King, William Lyon Mackenzie,, 203, 235, 387, 452, 478

Kinna, Patrick, 217–18

Kirkpatrick, Sir Ivone, 473–4

Klopper, Maj.Gen. Hendrik, 297

Klugmann, James, 467

Knight, Nigel, xviii

Koenig, Gen. Pierre, 460

Kohima, 480

Korda, Sir Alexander, 590

Koryzis, Alexander, 132

Kos (island), 406, 408–9, 411–12, 418, 429

Kursk, battle of (1943), 362, 403

Kuznetsov, Admiral Nikolai, 589

Kynaston, David, 105

Labarthe, Georges, 455

Labour Party (British): and end of coalition (1945), 577–8

Lambert, George, 106

Lampson, Jacqueline, Lady, 332, 363

Lampson, Sir Miles Wedderburn (
later
1st Baron Killearn), 120, 316

Lancaster, (Sir) Osbert, 536

Lancastria
(liner): sunk, 53

Landemore, Mrs (cook), 204

Lascelles, Sir Alan (‘Tommy'), 89, 308, 450

Lash, Joseph, 224, 230

Laski, Harold, 252

Last, Nella, 3, 132, 303

Law, Richard, 301

Layton, Elizabeth, 204, 237, 374, 535, 538

Leahy, Admiral William D., 160, 505

Leathers, Frederick James, 1st Viscount, 275

Lee, Gen. Raymond, 64–5, 89, 105, 111–12, 148, 160, 182, 186, 189, 577

Leeper, (Sir) Reginald (Rex), 530–1, 535

Lees-Milne, James, xxii

Lees-Smith, Dr Hastings, 60–2

LeHand, Marguerite (‘Missy'), 193

Leigh-Mallory, Air Marshal Sir Trafford, 366

Leipzig: bombed, 561

Lend-Lease, 161, 173–4, 181, 183–5, 189, 200, 216, 548, 553

Leningrad, siege of, 155

Leopold III, King of the Belgians, 36

Leros (island), 410–18, 429

Leslie, Anita, 564

Lewin, Ronald, 139

Libya: campaign in, 117–18; O'Connor advances into, 122–3; Montgomery advances across, 345;
see also
North Africa

Lidice, Czechoslovakia, 455

Life
magazine, 542

Lindbergh, Col. Charles, 32, 214

Lindemann, Frederick
see
Cherwell, Viscount Linlithgow, Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of, 174

Lippmann, Walter, 300, 531

Lloyd, George Ambrose, 1st Baron, 119

Lloyd George, David, 1st Earl, 27, 37, 90, 105, 202

Lockhart, Sir Robert Bruce, 476

Lofoten Islands, 116

Loftus, P.C., 252

London: bombed, 87, 97–8

Lothian, Philip Henry Kerr, 11th Marquess of, 31, 78, 105, 172

Lübeck: bombed, 247

Lucas, Maj.Gen. John, 440–2

Luce, Henry, 253, 382

Luftwaffe: losses, 60, 99, 162; bombing campaign against Britain, 73, 78–81, 97–9, 107; navigation beams jammed, 84–5; blitz on London, 87, 97–8, 103; aircraft supply and replacement, 100; failure against Britain, 101; night attacks, 103; dominance in Mediterranean, 129; superiority in Aegean operation, 407–14; at Anzio, 441

Luxembourg: Germans invade, 5

Lyttelton, Oliver (
later
Viscount Chandos), 204, 264, 310, 457

MacArthur, Gen. Douglas, 369, 404

McIntosh, Jennifer, 579

Maclean, Alastair:
The Guns of Navarone
, 401

Maclean, Billy, 462

Maclean, Donald, 163, 321

Maclean, Brig. Fitzroy, 467

Macmillan, Harold (
later
1st Earl of Stockton): as

party to revolt against old guard politicians, 48; on WSC's persuasiveness with Americans, 221, 596–7; on sybaritic lifestyle in Cairo, 264; low opinion of senior army officers, 266; on unpredictable course of war, 308; as resident minister in Mediterranean, 348; on de Gaulle, 349; on Casablanca conference, 355, 356; on appearance of Americans, 371; on Eisenhower as Mediterranean supreme commander, 383; on Maitland-Wilson, 403; meets WSC on
Renown
, 427; on WSC's powers as old man, 428; urges Alexander's appointment to
Overlord
command, 438; on campaign in Italy, 442; on difficult relations with French, 446; on relations with WSC, 447; on deteriorating Anglo-American relations, 448; at Chequers with WSC, 450; on political complexities of aiding partisan groups, 469; told of declining British prestige in Balkans, 473; and WSC's exhaustion, 490; WSC discusses Mditerranean policy with, 506; and post-liberation Greek politics, 526, 531–3; meets WSC in Commons after December 1944 vote of confidence, 529; and WSC's 1944 visit to Athens, 535, 537

Macmillan (publishers), 590

McNarney, Lt.Gen. Joseph, 186

McNaughton, Maj.Gen. Andrew, 53

McNaughton, Frank, 222

McVeagh, Lincoln, 527

Madagascar: Britain occupies, 256, 294

Maginot Line, 12, 16

Maisky, Ivan: admiration for WSC, 104–5; given access to WSC after Soviet entry into war, 160; and British aid for Russia, 201; on qualities of British soldiers, 263; indiscretions, 324; recalled to Moscow, 398

Maitland-Wilson, Gen. Sir Henry (‘Jumbo'): Macmillan criticises, 264, 438; and Dodecanese (Aegean) operation, 402–6, 411–12, 416, 419, 421; proposed as Eisenhower's successor in Mediterranean, 437–8; briefs WSC on Anzio plan, 439; recommends cancelling
Anvil
, 448; proposes drive in northern Italy, 494; WSC visits in Italy, 505–6; Alexander replaces as Mediterranean C.in C., 530; on US fears of conflict with Russia, 577

Majdalany, Fred, 427

Malaya: Japanese overrun, 212, 218–19, 226–7, 234, 239–40; strategy for recapture, 477

Malta, 134, 162, 251, 326, 427

Manchester Guardian
, 234

Mandalay: falls to Japanese, 251

maquis
(French Resistance), 455, 474

March, Juan, 137

Margesson, David, 2, 10, 211

Marlborough, Charles Churchill, 9th Duke of (‘Sunny'), 179

Marrakesh, Morocco, 361, 438

Marseilles: Resistance activities punished, 455; as Allied port, 482

Marshall, Gen. George: objects to sending US arms to Allies, 31; caution over US entry into war, 186; staff divided in support for belligerents, 186; at Placentia Bay meeting, 194–5; and delay between military decisions and achievement, 226; avoids social involvements, 231; gives priority to engaging Germans, 232; good relations with Dill, 232–3; hostility to British imperial policies, 232; deplores WSC's dismissal of ordinary soldiers, 270; mission to WSC to open second front, 283–6, 294, 321; mistrust of British intentions, 285–6; visits WSC with Hopkins and King, 311–12; opposes Mediterranean strategy, 313; reluctant acceptance of North African landings, 313–14; Soviet knowledge of activities, 321–2; supports aid to Russia, 332; WSC cables on success of North African landings, 340; underrates Brooke's judgement, 350; attends Casablanca conference, 353–5, 360–1; argues for invasion of France, 354, 357, 362; attempts to counter American anti-British feelings, 361; resists British strategic proposals, 376; reservations over Italian campaign, 377, 381, 494; at joint chiefs of staff meetings in Washington (May 1943), 378; urges cross-Channel invasion, 379, 384; accompanies WSC and Brooke to Algiers,
380; favours advance into Italy, 390; WSC sees in Washington (September 1943), 392; expected to command
Ovelord
operation, 393–4; and WSC's enthusiasm for Dodecanese campaign, 421; on Roosevelt's embarrassing WSC, 433; not appointed to command
Overlord
, 437; and WSC's apprehensions over D-Day, 447; and WSC's messages to Roosevelt on
Overlord
, 480; WSC criticises, 495; refuses to discuss strategy with Brooke, 547; preserves Allied unity, 549; Brooke envies prestige of, 569

Marthe, Crown Princess of Norway, 194

Martin, John, 30, 76, 80, 90, 93, 103, 144, 296, 534, 545, 551

Martin, Kingsley, 63

Marvell, Andrew, 51

Mass-Observation, 238, 302

Matin, Le
, 56

Mattison, Ethel, 305

Maugham, William Somerset, 65

Maxton, James, 62

Mayhew, Christopher, 578

Mayhew, Paul, 61

Mazower, Mark, 472, 525

Mediterranean: naval losses, 234; WSC proposes to close down activities in, 350; naval presence in, 352; US opposition to strategy in, 357, 597; WSC favours operations in, 360, 376, 389, 426, 443, 597; amphibious landings in, 377; special forces and operations in, 404

Menzies, Sir Robert: and WSC's making history, xxii, 137; offers assistance to Britain, 32–3; and British commitment to Greece, 129, 136; on Greek failure, 132; on WSC's optimism, 136–7; on war casualties, 169; on WSC's confidence of US help, 183; relations with WSC, 235

Menzies, Sir Stewart, 85–6, 204, 349, 457, 459

Mers-el-Kebir, Oran, 69–70

Michel, Henri, 470

Middle East: and victories in Syria and Iraq, 137–8; WSC visits (1942), 315; low British morale, 317–18;
see also
Libya; North Africa

Middleton, Drew, 305

Mihailovic, Draza, 363, 467–8

Mikolajczyk, Stanislaw, 503, 517

Millburn, Clara, 310

Miller, Hope Ridings, 222–3

Miquelon (island), 228

Mission to Moscow
(film), 378

Molotov, Vyacheslav M.: negotiates with Nazis, 151; visits Britain and USA for talks (May 1942), 288–93; conceals intelligence from Stalin, 321; WSC confers with in Moscow, 325; WSC informs of Dieppe raid, 333; gratitude for Italian campaign, 398; negative responses, 432; on Stalin's mocking Western allies, 487; Eden negotiates percentage agreements with, 515; WSC entertains at Moscow embassy, 515; on Russian view of Roosevelt, 550; on Polish settlement, 553; on WSC's election defeat, 589

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