Presents the essence of Sir Winston Churchill's personal story of the years between 1939 and 1945. His memoirs, which first appeared in six volumes, were abridged in 1958 by Denis Kelly, with Churchill's approval. For the abridgement, Churchill wrote an epilogue reviewing the years since his relinquishment of the office of Prime Minister in 1945 up to 1957, and including his thoughts on the prospects for the future. The main events of the war are described in Churchill's own words, as he charts the milestones from early disaster to victory and beyond: from the Treaty of Versailles to Hitler's conquest of Poland; the fall of France; the Battle of Britain; the Blitz; the struggle in the desert; the amphibious operations in North Africa, Sicily and Italy; D-Day; the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; and the establishment of the Iron Curtain in Europe.

Sir Winston Churchill led Britain through the Second World War as Prime Minister. He was the author of 42 books, including the four-volume History of the English Speaking Peoples.