From the outset the neophyte American commander understood perfectly well that he was being thoroughly scrutinized, and that to permit himself to be overpowered by the prime minister’s aggressive personality and charm would be disastrous. During 1942 Eisenhower won over Churchill and a warm and enduring friendship developed between the two men that survived some bruising encounters.
Their common love of history became a bond. Churchill was happiest when discussing history and its lessons, and in Eisenhower he found not only a worthy companion but also one of the few who could match him. Once while dining at Chequers, Churchill “remarked to Eisenhower that he had studied every campaisgn since the Punic Wars,” leading Commander Thompson to whisper to his neighbour, “And he’s taken part in most of them!”
Carlo d’Este, Warlord: A life of Winston Churchill at war, 1874-1945, 2008.
August 14, 2020
QotD: Eisenhower and Churchill
Comments Off on QotD: Eisenhower and Churchill
No Comments
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
