Neville Chamberlain's War: How Great Britain Opposed Hitler, 1939-1940

Neville Chamberlain's War: How Great Britain Opposed Hitler, 1939-1940 by Frederic Seager is a historical book that will have an irresistible appeal to history buffs and readers interested in modern politics. In this narrative, the author takes readers on a rollicking ride back through time to relive one of the disastrous moments in British history. The phoney war was declared by the UK against Germany. Britain and France had made elaborate plans to cripple the Germans economically and militarily. Compelled to go to war because of public opinion and in the hopes that the Germans would overthrow Hitler after witnessing the display of the full force of the British and French armies. He was wrong! He sacrificed Czechoslovakia by allowing Germany to seize Sudetenland in the hopes that Germany would stop there, but what ensured was a disastrous defeat in the hands of the Germans who swept easily through Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. After thirteen days, the British Expeditionary Force was leaving the continent.

This book is a work of meticulous and extensive research that uncovers the role Neville Chamberlain played in the historical disaster that was the Phoney War. The author illustrates how this fragment of history has been distorted by historians and why. This book shows how Chamberlain's desire to put pressure on Germany through economic blockade lead to a war that would bring shame to Britain. He underestimated Germany's military strength. This book offers an x-ray of the politics and strategies of the early days of WWII. While there are strong references and a dazzling portrait of Chamberlain as the architect of the Phoney War, the author also offers interesting details about other historical characters and politicians involved in the debacle. Neville Chamberlain’s War: How Great Britain Opposed Hitler 1939-1940 by Frederic Seager is composed in beautiful prose, a historical account that is detailed and focused and one that provides a fresh perspective into an event that has been wrongly documented by historians.  I found this book to be as entertaining as it was informative.