War diaries 1939-1945 - field marshall lord alanbrooke

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This was a book i'd been hankering after for a long time. He was the British Army's top soldier in WW2, effectively he was Monty's boss, he answered directly to Churchill. He started the diary as he departed to France with the BEF in 1939 and it finishes in August 1945 with him almost at the point where he is relinquishing his post as Chief of the Imperial General Staff(CIGS). He wrote it to his wife Benita, short excerpts every day, some mundane, some of a hugely historical importance. What I love about this book is his searing honesty about Churchill, the cabinet and all the senior allied political and military figures of the period. Having read Slim and Montys memoirs, this is the natural finisher.

The diary was never intended for publication, however after the war Churchill wrote and published his multi volume history of the second world war. Alanbrooke was extremely unhappy about the way that Churchill had seemed to reduce the UK's military leaders to bit part players in the conflict, indeed Alanbrooke barely registers a mention in Churchill's books. which speaks volumes about how politicians view their own achievements in the cold light of day. I get the feeling Churchill was aware of his own personal failings, a depressive and an alcoholic, he needed Alanbrooke as a balance. They argued constantly during the 4 years they worked together, but notably Churchill never made an effort to get rid of him, I think he realised this war was such a huge undertaking, with the highest stakes imaginable, that Alanbrooke was a monkey on his back that he needed. This diary clearly sets out their relationship. What comes across is the huge pressure Alanbrooke was under during his tenure, the hours he worked, his flair for far reaching strategy and his ability to read others. He is an astute reader of the personalities of the major players, in particular Mountbatten, Alexander, Eisenhower and Marshall all get a good kicking. Although to be fair its mainly to do with their lack of strategy and "Big Thinking". He was wrong on a couple of occasions, in particular the Atomic Bomb, which he thought was nonsense and also Eisenhower initally described as a "small man"(in particular his lack of combat and command experience) but he does acknowledge these later.

This diary was originally published in the 1950's, but heavily edited. This version is clear of censorship and includes unseen material. Overall a great read, don't be put off by the 700 pages, its a page turner. I would suggest at about a third of a way through the book, go back and read the preface about Alanbrooke, just to remind yourself about his background. Usefully there is also a cast list of all the main players at the start of the book, which is useful to keep referring to.