Last Hope Island : Britain, occupied Europe, and the brotherhood that helped turn the tide of war / Lynne Olson.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : Random House, [2017]Copyright date: ©2017Edition: First editionDescription: xviii, 553 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9780812997354
- 0812997352
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Governments in exile
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Diplomatic history
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Europe
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Great Britain
- Heads of state -- England -- London -- History -- 20th century
- Europeans -- England -- London -- History -- 20th century
- Exiles -- England -- London -- History -- 20th century
- Political refugees -- England -- London -- History -- 20th century
- Government, Resistance to -- Europe -- History -- 20th century
- Europe -- Politics and government -- 1918-1945
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 940.534 O52 | Available | 33111008754687 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
A groundbreaking account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler, from the New York Times bestselling author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days
When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France.
As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as "Last Hope Island." Getting there, one young emigré declared, was "like getting to heaven."
In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history. Here we meet the courageous King Haakon of Norway, whose distinctive "H7" monogram became a symbol of his country's resistance to Nazi rule, and his fiery Dutch counterpart, Queen Wilhelmina, whose antifascist radio broadcasts rallied the spirits of her defeated people. Here, too, is the Earl of Suffolk, a swashbuckling British aristocrat whose rescue of two nuclear physicists from France helped make the Manhattan Project possible.
Last Hope Island also recounts some of the Europeans' heretofore unsung exploits that helped tilt the balance against the Axis: the crucial efforts of Polish pilots during the Battle of Britain; the vital role played by French and Polish code breakers in cracking the Germans' reputedly indecipherable Enigma code; and the flood of top-secret intelligence about German operations--gathered by spies throughout occupied Europe--that helped ensure the success of the 1944 Allied invasion.
A fascinating companion to Citizens of London, Olson's bestselling chronicle of the Anglo-American alliance, Last Hope Island recalls with vivid humanity that brief moment in time when the peoples of Europe stood together in their effort to roll back the tide of conquest and restore order to a broken continent.
Praise for Last Hope Island
"In Last Hope Island [Lynne Olson] argues an arresting new thesis: that the people of occupied Europe and the expatriate leaders did far more for their own liberation than historians and the public alike recognize. . . . The scale of the organization she describes is breathtaking." --The New York Times Book Review
" Last Hope Island is a book to be welcomed, both for the past it recovers and also, quite simply, for being such a pleasant tome to read." -- The Washington Post
"[A] pointed volume . . . [Olson] tells a great story and has a fine eye for character." -- The Boston Globe
Includes bibliographical references (pages 479-525) and index.
"When the Nazi Blitzkrieg subjugated Europe in World War II, London became the safe haven for the leaders of seven occupied countries--France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Norway, Czechoslovakia and Poland--who fled there to avoid imprisonment and set up governments in exile to commandeer their resistance efforts. The lone hold-out against Hitler's offensive, Britain became a beacon of hope to the rest of Europe, as prominent European leaders like French general Charles De Gaulle, Queen Wilhelmina of Holland, and King Haakon of Norway competed for Winston Churchill's attention while trying to rule their embattled countries from the precarious safety of 'Last Hope Island'"--Provided by publisher.
Part one: Fighting on -- 1. "Majesty, we are at war!": Hitler invades Norway -- 2. "A bold and noble woman": Holland falls but its Queen escapes -- 3. "A complete and utter shambles": the collapse of Belgium and France -- 4. "We shall conquer together--or we shall die together": the European exodus to Britain -- 5. "Something called heavy water": the rescue mission that changed the course of the war -- 6. "They are better than any of us": the triumph of Polish pilots in the Battle of Britain -- 7. "My God, this is a lovely place to be!": the exhilaration of wartime London -- 8. "This is London calling": the BBC brings hope to occupied Europe -- 9. "An avalanche of Vs": the first spark of European resistance -- 10. Spying on the Nazis: cracking Enigma and other European intelligence coups -- 11. "Mad Hatter's tea party": SOE and its struggle to set Europe ablaze -- 12. Factions, feuds, and infighting: the shock of exile -- Part two: Rule of the Titans -- 13. "Rich and poor relations": the European Allies' fading importance -- 14. "The ugly reality": the Soviet threat to Poland and Czechoslovakia -- 15. "The England game": SOE's Dutch disaster -- 16. "Be more careful next time": SOE's debacle in France -- 17. "Heroism beyond anything I can tell you": rescuing Allied airmen -- 18. A giant jigsaw puzzle: European spies prepare for D-Day -- 19. "A formidable secret army": the resurrection of SOE -- 20. "The poor little English donkey": Stalin and Roosevelt flex their muscles -- 21. Settling the score: Europe's liberation begins -- 22. "A tale of two cities": Warsaw and Paris rise up -- 23. "I was a stranger and you took me in": defeat at Arnhem -- 24. The hunger winter: Holland's looming destruction -- 25. "There was never a happier day": coming home -- 26. "Why are you crying, young man?": the West turns its back on Poland and Czechoslovakia -- 27. "A collective fault": the shadow of collaboration -- 28. "The world could not possibly be the same": planning for the future -- 29. "My counsel to Europe...: Unite!": postwar Europe bands together.