War Diaries 1939–1945: Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke

These diaries caused enormous consternation in Britain when partially published in the 1950s, since they presented an unflattering picture of Churchill as a strategist and of the command process at its very highest levels. This much fuller edition includes much more of the original diaries and should be read with the understanding that Brooke, one of the ablest heads of the British Army in the twentieth century, was under enormous pressure for most of the war and used his diaries as an outlet for his frustrations. They provide a nuanced picture of the complexities of the highest direction of the British war effort and should be read alongside Eliot Cohen’s Supreme Command.