cover image The Greatest Crusade: Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Naval Wars

The Greatest Crusade: Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Naval Wars

Richard Alexander Hough. William Morrow & Company, $0 (274pp) ISBN 978-0-688-04309-4

As former naval administratorsRoosevelt was assistant secretary of the navy in World War I and Churchill twice served as first lord of the admiraltyboth World War II leaders had a special affection for and interest in their navies. Hough describes the close Anglo-American cooperation during the Battle of the Atlantic, Operation Torch, the Normandy invasion and other campaigns, showing how their success was due in large part to the cordial relationship between the two men and their grasp of naval imperatives. Both were convinced that nothing could save the Western democracies if the war at sea was lost. Hough compares the leaders' relations with their respective naval commands: Roosevelt enjoyed harmony with his admirals while Churchill, who distrusted the breed, had constant problems. A lively and interesting account. February 17