War Diaries, 1939-1945 : Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke Paperback – January 1, 2002

Loved it. Truly shows the day to day of his life

I first read these diaries as a young man. Then before I had ever worked or had to do difficult things with difficult people - I found AB "interesting"Now, as a man who is nearly 70 with a long life on the edge and having had to cope with complex issues and complex people, I think I have a full appreciation for the task before AB and how he played his role as being one of the handful of key people who won WWII.It's the grind and the effort that stands out, it is the keeping going while being driven mad by frustration that shines out more than his being right or not on an issue or on people.Today, WWII, is almost ancient history. The fact that "we" won is taken for granted. But AB's diaries show that at the time, victory was no sure thing. It showed that fighting with allies was almost as hard as fighting the enemy. It shows how an iron discipline on what was truly important is the reason for success.The book is a model for all who work in large organizations and a model of courage for any reader.I cannot recommend it more highly

I liked this book very much. It provides insight into the pressures on British commanders and insight on the challenges caused by Churchill's fluctuating moods and physical abilities. Brooke was a very decent human being who worked constantly assessing the competencies of his generals as well as the generals on the Russian and American fronts. Marvelous book.

Correct name: Alan Brooke. During WWII, from serving in combat in France, then Head of Britain's Home Defense, and thereafter, Head of British Chief of Staff, he eloquently reveals fascinating insights as to Britain's actions during WWII, especially Churchill.Before America participated, Britain alone was fighting Hitler. Interestingly, he also was accorded a rare distinguished award from Stalin. A simple honorable astute commonsensical leader who, unfortunately, has been forgotten.

Lord Brooke had one of the most difficult jobs in WWII. In that he had to rein in Churchill, Run the slowly declining British Army. (WWI had utterly destroyed the Officers Corp & he had to cobble together the best of a very bad hand of cards handed to him). That and deal with the rising powers of the Americans and Russians. Plus deal with a lot of shall we say interesting folks? (Churchill,FDR,Stalin, Marshal, Eisenhower, Bradley, King Ernie King and a host of other real hard noses) All the while fighting one of the most dangerous Enemies that the UK had ever faced. Hitler's Legions and the Empire of Japan. That he wrote some let us say interesting comments in his diary would be a massive understatement. All I can say is that is that I can see why this book was tried to be suppressed by the British. I understand that when the unvarnished version came out. A lot of folks were how shall we say "Not Amused". But enough said as I really liked this book written by a real hard Nose. Who got the job done.

The memoirs are in essence a series of personal letters to Alanbrooke's wife. As such, they are both illuminating and limited. Illuminating in that we see how the author passionately loved his wife, and obviously missed her when traveling. He provided her with detailed accounts of his life when traveling, where he dined, and who he dined with. It was a bit like a letter from someone on holiday. But if you wanted an insider's view of the strategic and tactical discussions and disputes from the British side of the war, the dairies fell short. In all fairness, Alanbrooke likely never intended the dairies to be anything other than a daily account of his life on those occasions they were apart.

For anyone interested in understanding how World War 2 was won, and especially the character of Winston Churchill these diaries, written at the time and essentially unedited (apart from some later notes) are a 'must'. Writing as if to his beloved wife ('you') Alanbrooke recounts critically, but with understanding and kindness, how he often fought the wilder and more impulsive of Churchill's ideas and put up with his frequently impossible behaviour. Churchill for his part clearly held him in great respect. The reader is left with gratitude and admiration that Alanbrooke as Chief of General Staff was there to restrain and guide the great man. Alanbrooke is scathing in his criticism of Eisenhower's management of the invasion, hinting that he was rather too preoccupied as he played away from home. Monty, for all his arrogance, is rather more favourably treated. A minor criticism - my copy was poorly bound, being printed 'on demand'

I purchased copies for friends who enjoy their leisure hours researching the back stories of WWII. The War Diaries have delighted them all, including a nonagenarian who "remembers some rumors" and considers this book confirmation of their verity (much to his satisfaction). My younger, still over-scheduled friends appreciate the structure of these memoirs -- a diary is eminently readable in the same manner in which it was written, bit by bit, as time permits.

This man writes of extraordinary things in a mostly very restrained way. He clearly had a grip on a huge range of strategic and logistical issues across a vast geographical area. His emotions are not stirred by death and destruction but by often extreme impatience with his military colleagues, his allies (Americans hopeless, Churchill infuriating but Stalin highly impressive). It’s his account so it's impossible to know how accurate his forecasting was - he seems to gloss over serious setbacks - but there’s no doubting his pivotal role in the British and Allied war effort. His emotions are revealed too by the loss of certain colleagues, his deep love for his family, the exceptional sightseeing he squeezed in wherever the war took him and his fascination with birds. He adored bird watching but for sport seemed to have no qualms about shooting anything he could see. But the allied victory and the postwar government leave him unmoved beyond an undefined ennui. Fascinating

How do you review someone's diaries?Diaries are personal impressions, feelings, remembrances and thoughts. Alanbrooke's are daily letters to his wife and are, like all diaries, very personal. This book is not 'a history' of a period in time or of events, but 'the history' of one man and his life during world changing events.He was, apparently, a terribly speller and his writing very hard to read, so there is certainly a case to be made for praising the editors for putting together a very engaging and readable diary. A small criticism is that maps would have been very useful in following his manoeuvrings about and a little information on the more minor, but frequently appearing, players would have helped too. It is, by the nature of diaries, subjective, but therein lines some of its attraction. We get to understand the perspective of one man, in high command, during the Second World War, as though we were chatting with him at the time.

Näher kommt man kaum mehr ans tägliche Kriegsgeschehen und die Sorgen und Ängste des obersten Soldaten der britischen Streitkräfte im letzten Weltkrieg heran. Die Meinungen sind ungeteilt über Brooks enormen Anteil am Sieg über Deutschland. Ein Tagebuch ist selbstverständlich immer mit Vorsicht zu geniessen, entsteht es doch aus dem Moment und wie Brook immer betonte, war nie bestimmt für andere Augen als die seiner Frau. Die von ihm nachträglich eingefügten Ergänzungen relativieren das eine oder andere wobei offenbar seine als CIGS demonstrierte Sturheit (in positivem Sinn) es nicht zuliess, die täglichen Einträge nachträglich zu manipulieren. Wer sich ein möglichst vollständiges Bild der Kriegsjahre machen will und dazu sicher die Memoiren von Churchill, Eisenhowever, Montgomery oder anderen gelesen hat, kommt um Brooks Tagebuch nicht herum.

モントゴメリーに比べると比較的穏やかな作戦を採るけれど着実なんですよ。

What the Brits thought and did in WWII. How they interacted with their allies and how desperately hard was the conflict and its effect on those running the show. A great reference book for WWII buffs.