Commander in Chief: FDR's Battle with Churchill, 1943 (FDR at War) - Hardcover

From Nigel Hamilton’s acclaimed World War II saga, the astonishing story of FDR’s yearlong, defining battle with Churchill in 1943, as the war raged in Africa and Italy
Nigel Hamilton’s The Mantle of Command drew on years of archival research and interviews to portray FDR in a tight close-up as he determined Allied strategy in the crucial initial phases of World War II. Commander in Chief reveals the astonishing sequel — suppressed by Winston Churchill in his memoirs — of Roosevelt’s battles with Churchill to maintain that strategy.

Roosevelt knew that the Allies should take Sicily but avoid a wider battle in southern Europe, building experience but saving strength to invade France in early 1944. At the Casablanca Conference, Churchill seemed to agree — only to undermine his own generals and the Allied command, testing Roosevelt’s patience to the limit. Afraid of the invasion planned for Normandy, Churchill pushed instead for disastrous fighting in Italy, thereby almost losing the war for the Allies. In a dramatic showdown, FDR finally set the ultimate course for victory by making the ultimate threat.

In Commander in Chief, Hamilton masterfully chronicles the clash of nations — and of two titanic personalities — at a crucial moment in the modern history of the West.
 

Praise for The Mantle of Command, volume 1 of the FDR AT WAR trilogy

Long-listed for the National Book Award

A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year

“Roosevelt’s deft but opaque role as commander in chief has been overshadowed or overlooked in many military histories. In his fast-paced, smartly observed recounting of Roosevelt’s first year as war leader, Hamilton means to set the record straight . . . Hamilton writes with brio and narrative drive . . . The Mantle of Command is splendid: It’s the memoir Roosevelt didn’t get to write.” — Evan Thomas, New York Times Book Review

“This is revisionist history in the best sense of the word — it forces us to rethink assumptions and to reconsider the way that history unfolded and the role that leading individuals played. This bold argument is extensively researched, well stated, and will undoubtedly change the way we see Franklin Roosevelt.” — Christian Science Monitor

“Masterly . . . A fine beginning to an important project.” — Wall Street Journal