Winston Churchill
Little Winston's son Randolph Henry Spencer Churchill, the third son of the Duke of Marlborough, and the American Jessie Jerome, daughter of the owner of the New York Times, was born on 30 November 1874 in the ancestral palace of Blenheim, near Woodstock. He spent a childhood like many little children of the nobility in the care of a loving nurse who was doing his best to compensate for the indifference of parents to him. Moreover, the father was too involved in political activity, which would soon lead to the post of Minister for the Conservative government of India in Salisbury. For its part, the mother was too attractive woman, free and uninhibited to wear in the clutches of a quiet family ménage: dances, receptions and a generous number of fans (including the future King Edward VII) represented its major interests. Winston grew up with this sense of neglect. Before school even someone considered delayed, because of his restlessness and very little sense of discipline. Defects perhaps widely acceptable today but which were considered unpardonable in a young man a subject of Her Majesty. At 7 years, with enrollment at St. George's School Ascot, began his ordeal in the classroom, which will last until the military academy at Sandhurst in 1893. Insolent and arrogant with his peers and professors, proved to be a landslide in all those matters which should have been more ennobling the soul of a young member of the gentry (the aristocracy). Latin, greek, French and mathematics will always be his black beasts. Despite bad reviews, at fourteen he was admitted to the College of Harrow (the Academic Senate would not take the responsibility to refuse the son of an ex-minister!), But the situation did not improve. "Winston - he wrote his mother a teacher - has deteriorated over the quarter. 
Constantly late for school, lost books, notebooks and various other things that I do not need to specify. It is so regular in its irregularities that do not know what to do, and sometimes I think we can not do anything. "To fill the gaps was repeatedly inserted into remedial classes. For its part, the mother tried to encourage it with letters of reprimand." Your report card [... ] is very bad. Work in a manner so bumpy and irregular you are going to succeed last. [...] Dear Winston, you make me very unhappy ... The way you work is an insult to intelligence. "But the intelligence and memory above all he had to sell. At Harrow he showed two of the qualities he finds most would characterize the years ahead: a formidable memory (it is said repeated whole scenes by heart the works of Shakespeare and thousands of lines of Macaulay) and a happy talent for journalistic writing (here he began his career writing for the school newspaper, the Harrowian). Directs him toward the career military father. Intrigued by his inordinate passion for toy soldiers asked him if he would have liked the military life. "I thought - years after he told the Winston - who would have been great to command an army, and immediately said yes and immediately I was taken at its word. For years I thought my father with his experience and his insight had identified me quality of military genius. But later they said it was simply come to the conclusion that I was not smart enough to get nell'avvocatura. The relationship between the two were never easy. In 1893, Randolph said of his son, at the height of his academic failure, who had "a lack of available intelligence, culture or any capacity for organized study. His great talent and is nell'esagerazione nell'imbroglio. 
its part, Winston - although in 1906 he paid tribute to the memory of his father with an impressive laudatory biography - told years later in private: "I do not listening, not taking anything I said in the slightest consideration. It was not possible to have no relationship of friendship with him [...] It was so egocentric that there was no one else for him. "Not even the entrance to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst was easy. The school known for junior officers for the army and the cavalry pushed him away with entrance exams for twice. Only after taking copious repetitions private managed in 1893 to overcome the obstacle. In the two years of college he began to show in the habit of wanting to discuss the orders of his superiors, to the abysmal gaps in Latin and French and for writing some articles for the Pall Mall Magazine. But the real entry into adulthood was in 1895, when her mother, with connections in high places, was able to assign it to one of the most prestigious army regiments Victorian, the Fourth Hussars. Before leaving for India, where he was stationed, the regiment, young subordinates were given almost three months of license. Winston, eager to experience and wars, found no better way to spend the holiday in Cuba, writing reports for the Daily Grapic accompanying the English army, then engaged in the suppression of a guerrilla insurgency. Excited by this adventure, which saw him expose himself to fire on the front line in more than one occasion, he then struggled to adapt to the placid pace of life in India. Arriving in 1896 in Bangalore, to kill time is devoted to the collection of butterflies, the pole at the races with horses, reading (Plato, Aristotle, Gibbon, Schopenhauer) and writing a novel. As long as the peace was broken by another licensing and contemporary Pathan uprising of the tribes in the rugged mountainous regions of northwestern India. Winston, who had just returned to England from the idleness of Bangalore, did not think twice, packed his bags and reached the scene of clashes obtaining accreditation as a correspondent for the Daily Telegraph and Pioneer.
The correspondence sent from the theater of operations earned him the reputation at home and the purchase of the rights of a publisher, who in 1898 they extracted a book successful Trade, The Story of the Malakand Field Force. Curious image that Winston Churchill was built in the latter end of the nineteenth century. And even a little 'ambiguous. Because in addition to being a journalist - or as we would say today, a special envoy - was still the army of his majesty and in this capacity participated in the fighting then described to his readers, often allowing himself the luxury, or impertinence, to openly criticize the tactics of the British Army. But under the guise of a young officer warlike, warmongering, exalted by the charm of a cruel war waged increasingly in the name of the superiority of English civilization, hiding a wild ambition for glory and medals ("I'd like to go home and go with my medals at an important dinner or some ceremony, "he wrote at home). The historian William Manchester, in his massive biography (Curchill the last lion, Frassinelli) so this has dashed his true character:" Calling hunter advertising - other epithet that could be heard in the dining halls - was a bit 'strong. But not entirely false. [...] He had no interest in military careers, and wanted to use the service to boost its prospects in public life. "And the strongest push came from the participation in two other events that launched his war to the attention of 'public opinion in his country. The first hot spot for profit the search for a shred of glory was the Sudan, where the Anglo-Egyptian army was committed to regaining control of areas under control of the Dervishes. Churchill took part in the campaign and epic cavalry charge of the 21st Lancers at the Battle of Omdurman in September 1898, which led, at the cost of heavy losses, the victory over the forces of the caliph. The personal achievement for our young hero was a series of well-paid correspondence published by the Morning Post and a volume with an account of the campaign, which launched saccenza with some criticism of the commander in chief Kitchener, particularly with respect to some cruel torture and killings of prisoners. Kitchener many years later will have the opportunity to avenge this affront. A year from this adventure Churchill arrived in South Africa, again as a correspondent for the Morning Post, to tell in the first stages of the war between British and Boers. Now famous, rich and a bit 'spoiled (of his personal luggage belonged fifty bottles of wine, scotch and many a score of between port and vermouth), had resigned the Fourth Hussars to devote himself to journalism and policy. But the courage and boldness were the same as ever. He was captured by the Boers during an attack on the armored train was traveling in the wake of British troops and, despite being caught with weapons in hand - he was officially a civilian - miraculously escaped execution. Internships in Pretoria with other British officers managed to escape and reach the daring Portuguese territories. Not satisfied, he did give the leadership of a corps of volunteers who participated in the final stages of the war and the conquest of Pretoria. The fruit of many adventures frantic Churchill capitalized and not just in yet another extremely successful book (How I escaped the Boers), but a candidate for the House of Commons from the Tory ranks for the elections of 1900. It was not his first job, as had already been presented, without success, the previous year. This time, however, did not fail. He had not yet turned 26 when he was elected.
His exploits the municipalities immediately aroused a sensation. The first speech was resolved in fact a defender of the Boer, now vanquished but still face a tight repressive crackdown by British troops. After having fought them the right to ask for mercy. "I admired the tenacious resistance of the Boers - he claimed later - I hear disparaging offended, and I hoped that we could have won it after legarceli steadily giving them an honorable peace. For me to burn their farms a retaliatory act was hateful and idiotic" . That will also adopt a magnanimous attitude towards the defeated opponents in the first and second world war. On this occasion But there was also a good deal of flair in capturing the feelings of the public, tired of the military. The same instinct that led him quickly to make his iconoclastic positions once taken by his father in the Conservative Party. "As Randolph - has written in Guido Gerosa Pros and Cons Churchill - Winston proved to be a born dissident. His first act, contrary to all of its martial past, was to rebel against the balance sheets of war. [...] That is resumed controversy of his father who had to resign as Chancellor of the Exchequer on account of his reluctance to increase military spending. Winston also was opposed to protectionism of Joseph Chamberlain, which dictated law in the party. He became a champion of economic liberalism and makes frequent tours in the country to propagate the laissez faire, laissez passer. "So it was that unusual from conservative Churchill in 1904 made a classic jump of quail. Unpopular with his party, alien to respect for logic deployment of new flaps and eager, went through the ranks of liberals, the traditional opponents of the conservatives. "turncoats" and "traitor" were more related epithets that rose from the benches of his former party colleagues. The choice was certainly painful, but once again the smell had guided him. They Gone are the days of Victorian England, traditionalist and imperialist. He said on that occasion: "Some party changed in the name of principle, others change principles in the name of the party. "He chose loyalty to free-trade convictions, but not without keeping a proper balance with the fact that the British balance of political power was slowly shifting to the Liberal ranks. In the new alignment went to welcome him with open arms by none other than David Lloyd George, who took a liking to it as one of his closest collaborators and harmony. As compensation for the sudden conversion to the Liberal Party won in 1905 Churchill was appointed undersecretary for the Colonies in the Campbell Liberal government -Bannerman, who distinguished himself by advocating the cause of independence of the Boers. The international politics in those years did not offer another: the clouds just ten years after the storm had triggered the great war was not yet on the horizon. Churchill later wrote: "[nations] were well placed and solidly anchored, it seemed, a huge swing. The two mighty European systems [Triple Alliance and Entente Cordiale; ed] before they were shining and resonant in their armor, but with a quiet look. A proper, fair, peaceful and altogether sincere diplomacy extended its network of both. One sentence in a despatch, the observation of an ambassador, a cryptic statement in Parliament was sufficient to maintain the balance Day by day, this prodigious structure. Bizarre and unpredictable, the aristocratic Churchill also gave a violent steering to the left in regard to his convictions in political interna.Appoggiò tenacity with the enactment of laws for the creation of a pension system, assumed populist attitudes and called upon the redemption of the masses with a tone that, according the historian Alan Moorehead (Churchill and his world, Peruzzo 1965), "would not look into the mouth of a Labor-day." In 1908 he was made Minister of Commerce of the Cabinet of the Liberal Herbert Henry Asquit and, as regards his private life, he married Clementine Hozier, belonging to a wealthy Scottish family. Lady Clementine, with whom he had five children, will be the only love of a lifetime of one man, however, little subject to the calls of female sensuality. The shining star of Churchill, for better or for worse, now throughout the country. An inevitable step on the road that seemed to have to lead to lightning speed to the head of the State, was the post of interior minister, obtained in 1910. But Churchill had just had time to take steps of this new post that's already there are new opportunities. In July 1911 the international climate warming suddenly went with the Agadir crisis, which put emphasis on the colonial ambitions of the Wilhelmine Germany and more generally the German willingness to review the balance of power in the international arena. Faced with the specter of a possible armed confrontation Churchill was chosen for the office of Secretary of the Navy. And with a very specific task: to put the fleet in a "state of immediate and constant preparation for war in case of an attack by Germany." The curious fate of the new minister. Until a few years before had preached the reduction in military spending, and now find themselves having to show off the passion for weapons and war that had so characterized his bellicose youth. The company did not cost him hard, in fact. Admiralty gave evidence as well as an extraordinary organizational skills, also has a great technical insight. He tapped it to modernize the fleet, which was still largely rely on steam propulsion, he concluded the government a contract with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company to ensure effective supply of oil from the Persian Gulf, the bay of Scapa Flow arranged to receive the Home Fleet and was an early supporter of the nascent air power in support for ground operations and sea. August 4, 1914 when Britain went to war the fleet was in full efficiency. But given that the German ships escaped to fight the uncontrollable urge to Churchill had to find some other outlet. It was he, in October of that year, to organize, manage and lead in the first person to defend a British contingent of Antwerp surrounded by German troops. Antwerp fell to the same end, but the momentum of the enemy towards the English Channel was interrupted. It was soon after his return from the continent that was embodied in him one of the boldest strategic projects throughout the First World War, and whose failure last weigh a ton on his subsequent career. Churchill complained about the theory widely rooted among our senior naval officers, that the Navy is working to keep open our communications and block the enemy, and wait for the armies finalize their job. " Instead it was necessary to get out of this impasse. There was the possibility of opening a new front in the Dardanelles: Attacking the tight, controlled by the Turks and the Alliance German, you could re-establish contact with Russia, easing pressure on his forehead, reliance on an involvement of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, and reopen the maritime trade around the Black Sea at the end Churchill was able to push through his plan, which started in February 1915 with the bombardment ship by one of the close Anglo-French. There was, however, coordination between the Navy and the Army and the landing of Australian and New Zealand Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli in April, ended in failure.
Among organizational deficiencies (of which he became responsible for the same Churchill), jealousies, rivalries and old grudges (War Minister denied that an effective support army operation Kitchener was that Churchill had criticized in his correspondences from Sudan in 1898) that it ended in February 1916 in a disaster: the allies left on the ground thousands of men and the Turks retained control of the straits. The public turned away from Churchill, blaming the major responsibility for the failure. The Times wrote that "British soldiers have died in vain" and that someone would have to assume it. The Morning Post called Churchill a person from "melodrama" and a "megalomaniac". Asquith, the prime minister, said he was "impulsive and driven by the relentless flood of his tongue," and yet "it is a pity that Winston does not have a better sense of proportion. I really do think about him, but I see its future uncertain. I do not think that ever reach the highest levels of politics, despite his wonderful gifts. " Humiliated, downloaded all, Churchill was forced to resign from the Admiralty. The prediction seemed to come true Asquith slowly thereafter. In 1917 he was given an assignment still a certain prestige, the Ministry ammunition, in 1918 the Ministry of War, and again the ministry of the colonies and in 1924 the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Conservative government. In 1929 the Conservatives emerged from the election defeat. Even Churchill left the scene, hated not only the liberals but also conservatives and Labor, with each of them, in his long career he had the chance to clash. He decided to devote himself to journalism, writing of his war memoirs and painting. He was then 55 years. The apprenticeship was now over for some time. It would take Hitler to give a new life and a new youth to the old lion.
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Arthur Nevile Chamberlain
"umbrella man", was born in Edgbaston (Birmingham) in 1869: it is Conservative MP since 1918. Several times minister, in May 1937 Stanley Baldwin succeeds at the head of the party and the British government. Search to neutralize the aggression of Hitler and Mussolini practicing the policy of 'appeasament "(peace at the cost of concessions) against the opposition of his foreign minister Anthony Eden, who in fact resigned February 21, 1938: he replaced Lord Halifax , which shares the orientation of the premier. When he returned to London after the signing of Monaco, solemnly proclaims the country to bring "peace for our time 'and his good faith is not discussed, despite the denial of the facts. 
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Bernard L. Montgomery
Kennington Born November 17, 1887, he entered the Military Academy of Sandhurst, which he left in September 1908 with the rank of lieutenant. Participates in the First World War with the rank of captain in 1937 and only reached to the General Assembly. In 1940 during the German attack in France, with its division is forced to re-embark at Dunkirk and up to 1942 will have the command of the south-east England. In the middle of the same year by order of the British Prime Minister Churchill was sent to Egypt to head the Eighth Army. Here between the months of November and October reached the glory, defeating the Battle of El Alamein, Rommel and his Afrikakorps repelling finally Egypt. In July 1943, participating in the landings in Sicily and in December is called home to be placed in command of SHAEFF, the body that organizes inter-Allied landing in Normandy, which then took part after being named Marshal, with the body of 21 ° 'army. After the war in 1946 he was awarded the title of Viscount of El Alamein and appointed Chief of the Imperial. Finally close his career as Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe in 1958. Die in Inlington Mill, near Alton in Hampshire on March 24, 1976. 
Montgomery & Patton
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