This day-by-day account of the maneuvering between Britain and Germany in 1940 is "a wonderful story wonderfully told" (George F. Will, New York Times-bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner).

During the late spring and early summer of 1940, Hitler was poised on the edge of absolute victory, having advanced rapidly through a large part of Europe—and Britain was threatened by imminent invasion and defeat. From the acclaimed author of Five Days in London, May 1940, this book tells the story of two leaders facing off against each other, and the decisions they made that shaped the eventual outcome of the Second World War.

"Powerful…An impressive study [written] with elegance and panache."—The New York Times

"A master of narrative history on a par with Barbara Tuchman and Garrett Mattingly."—Kirkus Reviews

"An often witty and always fascinating—even entertaining—writer."—TheWashington Post