Five Days In London: May 1940

John Lukacs

Editions

Review

In this marvellous and relatively short book, the author zooms in, as it were, on events which he deals with in his earlier work, The Duel: Hitler Vs. Churchill, 10 May - 31 July 1940 . This volume is exactly what the title suggests: a detailed account of what happened in London during the dark days of May 1940.  Lukacs argues that this short period was, in fact, the most crucial of the war – and so of the 20th Century, because Churchill, whose position as Prime Minister was still fragile, managed to win the day over Halifax, who appeared to favour a peace conference should France fall.

Drawing extensively on sources, and particularly on his past research on Hitler, Lukacs describes the tussles between Churchill and Halifax, and the parts played by various factions inside and outside the British Cabinet.  With potential disaster facing the British Expeditionary Force, and the port of Dunkirk about to assume its unique place in the history of the British Isles, the author exposes the states of mind of the key players in the drama, and draws heavily on the testimonies of other individuals all over Great Britain.

This is a fascinating glimpse of what was going on publicly and privately at that fateful time, and, given what was to happen subsequently, it is hard to dispute the author’s claim that these five days really were among the most important in our history. - review by Dan Fenton