We Shall Fight on the Beaches; Defying Napoleon & Hitler, 1805 and 1940

Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2009. Presumed First U.S. Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. 448 pages. Illustrated endpapers. Illustrations. Introduction, Notes, Bibliography, Index, and 12 black and white maps. Topics covered include The Threat; The British; The Civilians; The Leaders; Intelligence; Where and How?; The Defences; The Navy; The Army; The Air Force; The Citizen Soldiers; Working Together; The Threat Resolved; Could It Have Happened? This book focuses on the interval between the beginning of war against Napoleon in May 1803 and his withdrawal from Bologna two and a half years later; and the months after the Allied evacuation from Dunkirk up to September 1940. Identifying striking parallels and key differences in these defining periods, the book outlines strategic and political contexts and examines the climate of fear, suspicion and hostility that fermented at all levels of British society as the specter of invasion loomed; whether in 1805 as Napoleon's Grande Armee massed across the channel, or in 1940, as German preparations for Hitler's Operation Sealion began in earnest. The consequences of a successful invasion in either 1805 or 1940 would have been immeasurable, irrevocably altering the lives of millions. This copiously illustrated study of a people at war and their response to such a grave threat admirably evokes the mood of a past Britain. It also examines the decisive factors that meant the invasion plans were never executed, and--using the evidence available--speculates what would have happened had they been carried out. Brian Lavery (born 18 July 1945), is a British naval historian, author, and Curator Emeritus at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, England. Lavery was born in Scotland and brought up in Dumbarton. Upon graduating, Lavery worked first as a teacher, then in the printing industry, before gradually fulfilling his interest in maritime heritage as an author, consultant, and curator, building a solid reputation as a highly respected authority in the field. He worked at Chatham Historic Dockyard on the Wooden Walls exhibition. During 14 years in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich he developed the modern collecting policy and worked on numerous exhibitions such as Seapower, All Hands, and several of the galleries in the Neptune Court development. He has lectured regularly on cruise ships, including many trips on the square rigger Sea Cloud, and he undertakes maritime tours in the United Kingdom and Europe. Traditional Boats & Tall Ships refers to him as "one of the world's leading naval historians." He has published over 30 books, covering marine architecture, ship construction (including several in Conway's Anatomy of the Ship series), and naval warfare from its infancy to present day. He is a leading expert in the career of Nelson and the broader Royal Navy. Patrick O'Brian found Nelson's Navy (1989) to be "the most nearly regal that I have come across in many years of reading on the subject." The Times labelled the same book a "masterpiece on life in the Senior Service under England's favourite seafaring son." In addition to editing works such Deane's Doctrine of Naval Architecture 1670, Lavery produces articles which feature regularly in maritime magazines and journals. His naval expertise was also utilised "on the replica constructions of Captain Cook's Endeavour and the emigrant ship Susan Constant", the latter being the subject of his 1988 book. In 2007, Lavery released Churchill Goes to War, which was, according to the Mail on Sunday, "a well-researched and at times deeply inspiring book". In November of the same year, Lady Mountbatten presented Lavery with the Desmond Wettern Maritime Media Award at a ceremony aboard the MV Silver Sturgeon. According to the Maritime Foundation, the award "was made to Mr Lavery as an author, broadcaster, and adviser on major feature films, which have contributed to our understanding of the social structure of Britain's maritime power and all maritime aspects of British national life." The following year, he was awarded the Society for Nautical Research's Anderson Medal. In 2009, Lavery wrote a The Sunday Times bestselling book to accompany the BBC series Empire of the Seas, presented by Dan Snow, which, as The Sunday Express explains, "looks at the growth off Britain thanks to the Royal Navy, from Drake's defeat of the Armada to the First World War." '...we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender' - Churchill made this defiant statement in his speech to the Commons on 4 June 1940 shortly after the BEF's rapid evacuation from Dunkirk. All that now stood between Hitler and Britain was a short stretch of water. The French on this particular occasion were Britain's allies, but just over a hundred years previously it had been their leader who had eyed Britain from across the Channel. Britain's proximity to the continent had always made it beguiling to prospective invaders. As well as the kudos of taking out a formidable opponent, Britain's fall would be accompanied by the gain of her overseas colonies and wealth, and, in Churchill's words again: 'it is that chance which has excited and befooled the imaginations of many Continental tyrants.' Brian Lavery, an established authority on the Napoleonic Wars and Second World War, articulates the parallels and defining features of these tumultuous periods in our history. He looks at the style and competence of politicians and military commanders, the leadership and example of great men such as Nelson and Churchill, examines unexplored official papers and looks at the war situation as seen by great literary figures such as Jane Austen and Evelyn Waugh, as well as the thoughts and concerns of volunteers and servicemen and women. It provides a unique insight into two distinct periods during which the British national identity was forged and strengthened.