Last Hope Island : Britain, occupied Europe, and the brotherhood that helped turn the tide of war

Summary: "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.

Record details

ISBN: 9780812997361
ISBN: 0812997352
ISBN: 9780812997354
Physical Description: xviii, 553 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
print
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York : Random House, [2017]
Copyright: ©2017

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 479-525) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

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.