ABSTRACT
Arthur Tedder became one of the most eminent figures of the Second World War: first as head of Anglo-American air forces in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and North Africa; then as Deputy Supreme Commander to General Eisenhower for the Allied campaign that began in Normandy and ended in Berlin. During those anxious, exhilarating years, he was, as The Times of London wrote, 'the most unstuffy of great commanders, who could be found sitting cross-legged, jacketless, pipe smoldering, answering questions on a desert airstrip.'
After the war, promoted to five-star rank and elevated to the peerage as Lord Tedder, he was made Chief of the Air Staff, holding this appointment for longer than anyone since his time: four critical years (from 1946 to 1949) that saw the tragic start of the Cold War and the inspiring achievement of the Berlin Airlift. In 1950, he became Britain's NATO representative in Washington: a year that saw the start of a hot war in Korea that threatened to spread around the globe.
This book provides the first comprehensive account of a great commander's public career and uses hundreds of family letters to portray a private life, both joyful and tragic.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |2 pages
PART I 1890 TO 1914: RISING
chapter 1|4 pages
A Boy of Philosophical Calm, Artistic and Fanciful: From
chapter 2|6 pages
An Amiable Chap, with Many Interests but Few Achievements
part |2 pages
PART II 1915 TO 1919: FLYING
chapter 4|6 pages
Learning the Grammar of Command: From Wyke Regis to
chapter 6|7 pages
Unimpressive, a Wet Blanket, Not Much of a Leader?: From
chapter 7|8 pages
A Paper War on the Edge of a Gentleman’s War, in a Vile Place
part |2 pages
PART III 1919 TO 1940: CLIMBING
chapter 8|11 pages
Shaping a Squadron in Peacetime at Home, on the Brink of War Abroad: From Bircham Newton to Constantinople,
chapter 10|9 pages
Fathering Air Armament and Organising an Expansion of Flying Training
chapter 11|13 pages
The Finest Strategical Position in the World under the Command of Our Next CAS but Two
chapter 12|16 pages
Spotting Winners and Advancing Aircraft Production:From
part |2 pages
PART IV 1940 TO 1943: COMMANDING IN CAIRO
chapter 14|17 pages
Ending the Bad Old Days before There Was Mutual Understanding and Faith between the Services
chapter 15|17 pages
Condemned by Churchill, Saved by Freeman and Auchinleck
chapter 16|16 pages
Winnie and Joe See Arthur as a Fighter: Cairo and the
chapter 17|16 pages
Seeking an Exciting New Command, Avoiding a Dismal Desk in Whitehall, Suffering a Grievous Loss
part |2 pages
PART V 1943 TO 1944: COMMANDING IN ALGIERS
chapter 18|15 pages
Torch Bearers and Desert Heroes Jointly Countering the Shibboleth of Pershing
chapter 19|14 pages
Honouring a Man of Cold Courage, Jollying a Suspicious Dutchman
chapter 20|13 pages
An Alarming Avalanche, Another Dardanelles, a New Job:
part |2 pages
PART VI 1943 TO 1945: COMMANDING UNDER EISENHOWER
chapter 22|12 pages
A Great and Noble Undertaking Challenged by a Toy that Would Profoundly Affect both War and Peace: From London
part |2 pages
PART VII 1945 TO 1949: COMMANDING THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
chapter 26|14 pages
Avoiding Complete Subservience to Our Essential Ally in Countering the Risk of Atomic War: London and Elsewhere,
chapter 27|16 pages
Working in a Strange and Secretive Society, Leaving the Whirligig: London and Elsewhere, June 1948 to 1949
part |2 pages
PART VIII 1950 TO 1967: GIVING AND NOT COUNTING THE COST