Indian Summer

Indian Summer

Author: Alex Von Tunzelmann

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2008-09-30

Total Pages: 516

ISBN-13: 9780312428112

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An extraordinary story of romance, history, and divided loyalties--set against the backdrop of one of the most dramatic events of the 20th century--"Indian Summer" reveals how Britain ceased to be a superpower after it lost India as a colony.


The Mountbattens

The Mountbattens

Author: Andrew Lownie

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2021-09-07

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 1643137921

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The intimate story of a unique marriage spanning the heights of British glamour and power that descends into infidelity, manipulation, and disaster through the heart of the twentieth century. DICKIE MOUNTBATTEN: A major figure behind his nephew Philip's marriage to Queen Elizabeth II and instrumental in the royal family taking the Mountbatten name, he was Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia during World War II and the last Viceroy of India. EDWINA MOUNTBATTEN: Once the richest woman in Britain—and a playgirl who enjoyed numerous affairs—she emerged from World War II as a magnetic and talented humanitarian worker who was loved throughout the­ world. From British high society to the South of France, from the battlefields of Burma to the Viceroy's House, The Mountbattens is a rich and filmic story of a powerful partnership, revealing the truth behind a carefully curated legend. Was Mountbatten one of the outstanding leaders of his generation, or a man over-promoted because of his royal birth, high-level connections, film-star looks and ruthless self-promotion? What is the true story behind controversies such as the Dieppe Raid and Indian Partition, the love affair between Edwina and Nehru, and Mountbatten's assassination in 1979?


Daughter of Empire

Daughter of Empire

Author: Pamela Hicks

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2014-09-23

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1476733821

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A memoir of a singular childhood in England and India by the daughter of Lord Louis and Edwina Mountbatten. Pamela Mountbatten entered a remarkable family when she was born in 1929. As the younger daughter of a glamorous heiress and a British earl, Pamela spent much of her early life with her sister, nannies, and servants-- and a menagerie that included, at different times, a bear, two wallabies, a mongoose, and a lion. Her parents each had lovers who lived openly with the family. The house was full of guests like Sir Winston Churchill, Noël Coward, Douglas Fairbanks, and the Duchess of Windsor. When World War II broke out, Pamela and her sister were sent to live in New York City with Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt. In 1947, her father was appointed to oversee the independence of India. Amid the turmoil, Pamela worked with student leaders, developed warm friendships with Gandhi and Nehru, and witnessed both the joy of Independence Day and its terrible aftermath. Soon afterwards, she was a bridesmaid in Princess Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Philip, and was at the young princess's side when she learned her father had died and she was queen. This witty, intimate memoir is an enchanting lens through which to view the early part of the twentieth century--From publisher description.


Unauthorized Action

Unauthorized Action

Author: Brian Loring Villa

Publisher: Don Mills, Ont. : Oxford University Press

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13:

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On 19 August 1942 a mainly Canadian force left England in an attempt to seize the German-occupied French port of Dieppe, on a mission that has been described as the largest raid in history. The result was a complete disaster. That some 4,000 Canadian soliders and marines should wait over 21/2 years for combat and then be killed, maimed, or captured in a single morning is one of the great tragedies of the Second World War, and represents for Canadians a problem of acceptance. Many books, and accounts by participants, have failed to explain certain mysteries, such as: "Why was itexecuted when it was known to court failure?" and, "Who was responsible?" Brian Villa has devoted nearly eight years to examining documents in search of answers to these and other questions about a major event of the war that has been subjected to much obfuscation. The result is a book thatunravels all the complexities that led to it, having the British Chiefs of Staff, and especially the vagaries of Lord Louis Mountbatten, who was ultimately responsible as Chief of Combined Operations. As the first thorough examination of the disaster--one that will fascinate the general reader for its detective-like treatment of facts and evidence leading to clarification--this book is a primary contribution to the literature of the Second World War. Students of political science will value anAppendix that examines the evidence in an attempt to answer the question: Why do governments do what they know they should not do? Combined Operations.


Stilwell and Mountbatten in Burma

Stilwell and Mountbatten in Burma

Author: Jonathan Templin Ritter

Publisher: University of North Texas Press

Published: 2017-04-15

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 157441674X

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Stilwell and Mountbatten in Burma explores the relationship between American General Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell and British Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten in the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) and the South East Asia Command (SEAC) between October 1943 and October 1944, within the wider context of Anglo-American relations during World War II. Using original material from both British and American archives, Jonathan Templin Ritter discusses the military, political, and diplomatic aspects of Anglo-American cooperation, the personalities involved, and where British and American policies both converged and diverged over Southeast Asia. Although much has been written about CBI, Stilwell and China, and Mountbatten, no published comparison study has focused on the relationship between the two men during the twelve-month period in which their careers overlapped. This book bridges the gap in the literature between Mountbatten’s earlier naval career and his later role as the last Viceroy of British India. It also presents original archival material that explains why Stilwell was so anti-British, including his 1935 memorandum titled “The British,” and his original margin notes to Mountbatten’s farewell letter to him in 1944. Finally, it presents other original archival material that refutes previous books that have accused Stilwell of needlessly sacrificing the lives of his men during the 1944 North Burma Campaign, merely out of hatred for the British.


Conquering the maharajas

Conquering the maharajas

Author: Harrison Akins

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Published: 2023-06-06

Total Pages: 259

ISBN-13: 1526167840

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Conquering the maharajas demonstrates that the political and military clashes between the Indian and Pakistani governments and the princely states, a legacy of the layered sovereignty of British indirect rule in India, was a product of the competing ideas of state sovereignty leading up to and following the transfer of power in 1947.


Mountbatten, Cold War and Empire, 1945-79

Mountbatten, Cold War and Empire, 1945-79

Author: Adrian Smith

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2022-11-17

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1350230251

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Mountbatten, Cold War and Empire 1945-79 focuses upon Admiral Lord Mountbatten as a commanding – if controversial – figure in the history of Britain and its empire, from Churchill's wartime coalition through to the Labour governments of the 1960s, and forms a sequel to Mountbatten: Apprentice War Lord. Written in three parts, focusing on the premierships of Churchill and Attlee; Eden, Macmillan, Douglas-Home; and Wilson, this book examines the debates over Mountbatten's record in Southern Asia in 1943-6 and 1947-8. Additional chapters focus on Mountbatten's position at the heart of the British state and his pivotal role at key moments in the immediate post-war era, most notably the partition of India, the Suez Crisis and the renewal of an ostensibly independent nuclear deterrent. This book also considers Mountbatten's relationship with Anthony Eden, both during and following the Suez Crisis, as well as detailing Mountbatten's achievements as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Defence Staff under Harold Macmillan and his immediate successors. Smith acknowledges Mountbatten's centrality to the history of Britain and its empire in the immediate post-war era and, in doing so, presents a fascinating picture of one of the most prominent figures of the 20th-century. Smith's scrupulous examination of primary sources, including those available in the Broadlands Archives, results in a thorough examination of a controversial figure: by eschewing often baseless speculation about Mountbatten's personal life Smith creates the first comprehensive overview of Admiral Lord Mountbatten's career from 1943 to the mid-sixties.