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The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larsen

About the first year of Winston Churchill, his family, and related persons during his first-year government. During WW2.

-          From May 1940 to May 1941. Provides an internal view of how to approach and manage something so enormous and destructive as the war and the dangers of a German invasion.

 

-          The book’s title comes from a line in John Colville’s ( private secretary) diary about the peculiar beauty of watching bombs fall over his home city: “ never was there such a contrast of natural splendor  and human vileness”

 

-          Great introduction to WW2, from Britain point of view, without the Jews and Holocaust issues dominating the story.

 

-          Presentation of leader qualities under pressure and how determination skills can influence the change of any outcome. How eloquence keeps enforcing courage and patriotism under the worst of circumstances. Must have been intoxicating to be able to lead a country against Hitler’s will.

 

-          Introduction to RAF (Royal Air Force) vs. Luftwaffe (German: Air weapon). Why RAF couldn’t attack during the night? It was decisive the fact that the RAF planes production was increased at the start of the attack.

 

-          It seems that people used to write journals recording all events, and did not destroy them.

 

-          Considering the entire city bombing, the dangers, the uncertainty, once more proofs that men get used to any circumstances when there is no choice involved.

 

-          Peculiar Winston’s work environment: in bed, in the washroom, naked, drinking and smoking, during the night, naps. With typists all the time

 

-          Hitler’s ambition to conquer Russia without finishing before the England war was a turning point. Arrogance did not allow advice to be given or seeking.

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