A review by sandi_b
Citizens of London: The Americans who Stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour by Lynne Olson

4.0

The subtitle of this book is "The Americans Who Stood with Britain in It's Darkest, Finest Hour." Tom Brokaw's comment on the flyleaf was this: "I thought I knew a lot about this dangerous period, but Lynne Olson has tought me so much more." I would have to completely agree with Mr. Brokaw.

The book primarily focuses on Edward R. Murrow, John Winant, American Ambassador to Britain and Averell Harriman. But, there were other interesting people profiled. I found Tommy Hitchcock to be interesting. I had read before about how vital the role of the P51 Mustang was in the war, but I don't remember hearing about the fight to equip it with the Rolls Royce Merlin engine. It seems the P51 was an American plane but the Merlin engine was a British engine and many people resisted the change. Hitchcock worked long and hard to get the Merlin engine accepted.

There is a lot of information in this book. It covers everything including the social scene in London during the war and the love affairs of the rich and powerful.

If you enjoy reading non-fiction books about WWII, I think you will enjoy this book.