The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

charge of defence policy. His right-hand man, as Chief of Staff, was not a
politician but Major-General Hastings ‘Pug’ Ismay. A highly experienced
intelligence and staff officer at the War Office, Ismay also became Deputy
Secretary (Military) to the Cabinet and, crucially for Churchill, a fifth
member of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. Headed by the Chief of the
Imperial General Staff (CIGS), it also included the three service chiefs and
was responsible for assessing and advising on all courses of military action
and, once approved by Churchill or the War Cabinet, putting them into
action.
While Churchill deliberately did not define Ismay’s powers too closely,
his intention was for his new Chief of Staff to be his eyes and ears, and the
person who enabled him to maintain very tight reins on all aspects of
British war policy and direction. It was a very different approach from that
of Chamberlain, who, like Halifax, was the first to admit that he had little
understanding of military matters. Not only did war fascinate Churchill, but
he had also spent a lifetime reading and studying it. Yet he recognized that
under Chamberlain there had been a lack of central control; that there had
been co-ordination between the Chiefs of Staff and the Government but not
firm direction. That would now change as he became generalissimo and
effectively Commander-in-Chief of Britain’s armed forces. As such, he was
acting more like an American president – or even Hitler – than a Prime
Minister. And he had made these fundamental changes without the approval
of Parliament.
By 13 May, Churchill had filled all the major posts of his new
Government, but two of his first appointments were those of Chamberlain
and Halifax. The former continued as Leader of the Conservative Party and
became Lord President of the Council. The latter agreed to continue as
Foreign Secretary. More importantly, both would be part of the War Cabinet
– whose number Churchill cut from eight to just five. The other two
members were the Labour men Attlee and Greenwood. There were also
posts for other supporters and anti-appeasers, such as Anthony Eden, who
returned to the wider Cabinet as Minister for War, and Duff Cooper, who
took over as Minister of Information. Sir Archibald Sinclair, the Liberal
leader, took the important Air Ministry from Sir Samuel Hoare.
That Monday afternoon was Churchill’s first appearance in the House of
Commons as Prime Minister. There to witness his performance was Harold
Nicolson, a 53-year-old former diplomat and journalist and, since the last