The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965

I just finished this third volume in the series, this one co-written by William Manchester and Paul Reid, the latter stepping in after the death of the former.

Churchill lived up to his Leonine reputation, but I will sum up my observations with a few points:

Although the British contribution to the success of WWII was perhaps the least of the big three (Russia, US and Great Britain), the war clearly would not have been won without Churchill.  Without him England would have folded early, giving Hitler the option to invade Russia without any interference from the west.  Russia would have then collapsed long before the U.S. could ramp up and save the day.

And what a different world it would be, even today.  Think of the suffering that would have followed Nazi victory.  Unimaginable.  To this we owe Churchill.

Churchill also played a critical role in nurturing Roosevelt, urging America's support to the greatest extent possible, but always recognizing that it would take time for the U.S. to commit.  He helped Roosevelt slowly coax the nation from isolation to savior of the world.  A lesser man would not have invested the years it took to win over the American populace

Unfortunately, once the U.S. was fully committed and victory was assured, Churchill's priority shifted to keeping the British Empire intact to the greatest extent possible.  Roosevelt wouldn't support military measure simply to help Britain retain Burma or re-establish control in Singapore or countless other territories formerly controlled by the British.  This eventually caused a muddying of relations between Churchill and Roosevelt.

But all of his faults aside, Churchill was one of the towering figures of the 20th century, his own man in every aspect.  I've thoroughly enjoyed the three volumes I've absorbed on the man and his world.