Graham Clews - Churchills Phoney War: A Study in Folly and Frustration

CHURCHILLS

PHONEY WAR

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Studies in Naval History and Sea Power

Studies in Naval History and Sea Power advances our understanding of sea power and its role in global security by publishing significant new scholarship on navies and naval affairs. The series presents specialists in naval history, as well as students of sea power, with works that cover the role of the worlds naval powers, from the ancient world to the navies and coast guards of today. The works in Studies in Naval History and Sea Power examine all aspects of navies and conflict at sea, including naval operations, strategy, and tactics, as well as the intersections of sea power and diplomacy, navies and technology, sea services and civilian societies, and the financing and administration of seagoing military forces.

CHURCHILLS

PHONEY WAR

A Study in Folly and Frustration

GRAHAM T. CLEWS

Naval Institute Press
Annapolis, Maryland

Naval Institute Press

291 Wood Road

Annapolis, MD 21402

2019 by Graham T. Clews

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Clews, Graham T., author.

Title: Churchills Phoney War : a study in folly and frustration / Graham Thomas Clews.

Description: Annapolis : Naval Institute Press, [2019] | Series: Studies in naval history and sea power | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019017398 (print) | LCCN 2019981500 (ebook) | ISBN 9781682472798 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781682472804 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Churchill, Winston, 18741965Military leadership. | World War, 19391945Great Britain.

Classification: LCC DA566.9.C5 C553 2019 (print) | LCC DA566.9.C5 (ebook) | DDC 940.54/1241dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019017398

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019981500

Print editions meet the requirements of ANSI/NISO z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

Printed in the United States of America.

27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 199 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

First printing

Maps drawn by Chris Robinson.

To Juliet,
Marlene, and Tom

Contents

Maps

Acknowledgments

I t is impossible to complete any substantial piece of academic research without the assistance and support of many. The risk in acknowledging those who have contributed, supported, or suffered while I have completed this task is that I might overlook or omit. I, therefore, apologize in advance for any omission. First and foremost, I must express my thanks to my family, in particular my wife, Juliet; my son, Amery; and my daughter, Imogen. They have experienced too often my distraction, my frustration, my absence, and my occasional neglect but always remained positive and supportive. I would also like to thank my extended family for their interest and support.

I consider myself especially blessed to have had as my primary supervisor Debbie Lackerstein of the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) School of Humanities and Social Sciences. In every respect her contribution to the completion of this thesis has been above and beyond the call of duty. Her patience and wisdom have been appreciated enormously. There is no doubt this work is the better for her contribution. My thanks, too, to my secondary supervisor, Robin Prior, who was able to find time in a busy schedule to offer important feedback and advice.

I would also like to express more broadly my appreciation to the staff of the ADFA School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the wonderful staff of the ADFA Library for the support given me. In particular I must thank Bernadette McDermott, who came to my rescue on a number of occasions. Additionally, and in no particular order, I would like to thank Craig Stocking, David Lovell, Peter Dennis, Vera Bera, Marilyn Anderson-Smith, and Jennifer Carmody.

This study has benefited greatly from access to primary resources retained at several archives in England. These include the British National Archives; Churchill Archive Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge; National Maritime Museum Archives, Greenwich; Cadbury Research Library (CRL), University of Birmingham; and Nuffield College Archives (NCA), University of Oxford. One of the great joys of historical research is, of course, the treasure hunt in the archives. My experience in these archives was made all the more enjoyable by the professional staff who, without exception, offered their time generously to smooth the path of my investigations.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge the assistance of the following at various stages during the completion of this work: Grace and Geoff Kempster, who offered, at various times, extraordinary assistance in accommodation and document searching; also, Chris Bell, David Morgan-Owen, James Levy, Julian Jackson, Hans Houterman (unithistories.com), Sarah Whale (Hatfield House), Natalie Adams (Churchill Archives Centre), and the staff at Deutsches U-Boot Museum.

Abbreviations

Introduction