In anticipation of his new biography on Alan Brooke, Andrew Sangster explains why this formidable figure from WWII is often lost in the history books.
Lord Alan Brooke was Churchill’s right-hand man during WWII; as Chief of Imperial Staff he had an essential role in shaping the strategy of Britain and the Allies. Despite this, Brooke is often overlooked in favour of such names as Montgomery, Eisenhower or Patton. Until now.
WHO DO YOU THINK IS HISTORY’S UNSUNG HERO?
There are many unsung and unknown heroes in every country’s history, but in terms of British history during the critical period of WWII Alan Brooke is the outstanding but least known figure. His military knowledge and forthright personality were about the only blocks on some of Churchill’s madder ideas. Churchill was a powerful character and he needed strong men around him choosing Brooke for this reason alone.
WHAT RECOGNITION DO YOU THINK HE DESERVED?
Brooke received many official accolades, but no financial rewards and was unknown to the public whereas his pupil Montgomery became a household name. Even the American General Omar Bradley later expressed gratitude for Brooke’s opinions when disaster struck after the landings in North Africa. History is not defined by ‘what-if’ thinking, but without him the war situation would have been more perilous.
HOW DO YOU THINK HISTORY WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF BROOKE HAD NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN WWII?
Apart from being a major contributor to a successful Dunkirk evacuation and later organising a defence force with limited resources for the defence of Britain, he also manged to persuade Churchill not to start an attack on Northern Norway and snatch a remote and useless Pacific island (Sumatra) which would have cost lives and resources and achieved nothing. He also managed to persuade the Americans not to invade Europe (D-Day Normandy) too early which was later recognised as sound advice. Had the Allies invaded France too early it may well have been a disaster, because by 1944 the Germans had been significantly weakened by the Eastern Front battles. It could be conjectured that had D-day failed for being too early the war would either have taken longer to finish, or the Soviets might have occupied most of Europe.
Alan Brooke: Churchill’s Right-Hand Critic
By Andrew Sangster
This book convincingly shows that “Greatest Briton” Winston Churchill was only able to lead Britain to victory in World War II because of Lord Alan Brooke – not only his command of military strategy and tactics but his ability to control Churchill’s impetuous ideas and his determination to hold together the Allied partnership at the highest levels. This new biography uses archival material and his diaries to trace his life, including his experiences in World War I and the development of his military career in the interwar years, with a focus on his post as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War II.
9781612009681 | Hardback | Casemate | £25.00 (Now: £20.00)
AVAILABLE TO ORDER THROUGH CASEMATE
Author: Dr Andrew Sangster is a priest and academic with 16 published books and a contributor to a number of history magazines. His doctorate is in Modern European History, and he holds other degrees in History, English, Law and Divinity.
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