Despite his death more than a half-century ago, Winston Churchill lives on more than any other figure in world history. In books, movies and television, the image of the British Prime Minister and Nobel Prize winner is enduring. It is a tribute to Churchill and his appearances on the world stage that historians continue to explore his life and accomplishments. Some biographers devote years and volumes to a microscopic examination of his achievements. THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE is not that type of biography. Rather than viewing Churchill’s life in a broad, detailed evaluation, Erik Larson zeroes in on one year in his career.

In May 1940, as the German army swept across Europe, the government of Neville Chamberlain was defeated on a vote of “no confidence” in Parliament. Churchill became Prime Minister as a result. For the next year, he rallied his nation against the bombardments from the air and the threat of invasion from across the English Channel. That is the focus of this historical account. During a German air raid, one of Churchill’s private secretaries, John Colville, described an intense London air raid with a sense of awe: “Never was there such a contrast of natural splendor and human vileness.”

"Perhaps the most compelling portion of THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE can be found in its repeated juxtaposition of London as its citizens sought to lead normal lives while under constant air attacks from Hitler’s Luftwaffe."

More than an account of Churchill’s England as it valiantly struggled against the German blitzkrieg, THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE is a tripartite study of three nations on the world stage. In addition to the English, Larson takes readers inside the German war staff and populace, and notes the foreboding presence of the United States and President Franklin Roosevelt as America monitored events from across the Atlantic Ocean. Churchill understood American reluctance to enter another European war, but pleaded for their assistance because he appreciated that a U.S. entry into the conflict was critical for victory. He was a historian and understood better than many Americans how the U.S. was destined to lead the post-war world.

Perhaps the most compelling portion of THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE can be found in its repeated juxtaposition of London as its citizens sought to lead normal lives while under constant air attacks from Hitler’s Luftwaffe. The daylight battles were observed by Londoners on the ground, and on July 14, 1940, a BBC radio team stationed itself on the cliffs of Dover capturing an aerial dogfight as it occurred. An announcer turned the battle into a blow-by-blow account that sounded more like a soccer match than a life-and-death struggle between two air forces. When the Germans began night-time raids, it was not unusual for members of the government, including Churchill, to stand on the roofs of buildings watching the bombs fall over the city. One day in August, journalist Virginia Cowles found herself observing a major air battle while lying on the grass on a Dover cliff. She saw flaming planes and heard machine guns: “You knew the fate of civilization was being decided fifteen thousand feet above your head in a world of sun, wind and sky.”

Throughout the Battle of Britain, Churchill rallied England through word and deed. More than a political leader, he was an inspiration to his nation and to the free world. They expressed their admiration in numerous ways. From all parts of the world and from his countrymen, unsolicited boxes of fine cigars would arrive at 10 Downing Street. This created concern from his security staff, not because he smoked nearly two dozen cigars daily, but because there was fear that some of them might be laced with poison. Random testing was employed, but Churchill often passed them out to his guests. One tester observed that the risk from the cigars was less than crossing a London street. On one occasion, Churchill repeated a speech he had given in the House of Commons on a national radio broadcast. Some listeners thought he sounded tired and perhaps even drunk. But the problem was neither. He had insisted on reading his speech with a cigar clenched in his mouth.

The British endured their ordeal through a combination of factors, not the least of which was Churchill’s incredible oratorical skills bringing his nation together. His confidence was unshakeable that England would not just endure, but prevail. Today, in Britain and America, leaders have chosen a different path, but THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE reminds us that it need not be so.