A groundbreaking account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler, from the New York Times bestselling author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the … London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France.
As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as “Last Hope Island.” Getting there, one young emigré declared, was “like getting to heaven.”
In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests joined forces to combat the mightiest military force in history. Here we meet the courageous King Haakon of Norway, whose distinctive “H7” monogram became a symbol of his country’s resistance to Nazi rule, and his fiery Dutch counterpart, Queen Wilhelmina, whose antifascist radio broadcasts rallied the spirits of her defeated people. Here, too, is the Earl of Suffolk, a swashbuckling British aristocrat whose rescue of two nuclear physicists from France helped make the Manhattan Project possible.
Last Hope Island also recounts some of the Europeans’ heretofore unsung exploits that helped tilt the balance against the Axis: the crucial efforts of Polish pilots during the Battle of Britain; the vital role played by French and Polish code breakers in cracking the Germans’ reputedly indecipherable Enigma code; and the flood of top-secret intelligence about German operations—gathered by spies throughout occupied Europe—that helped ensure the success of the 1944 Allied invasion.
A fascinating companion to Citizens of London, Olson’s bestselling chronicle of the Anglo-American alliance, Last Hope Island recalls with vivid humanity that brief moment in time when the peoples of Europe stood together in their effort to roll back the tide of conquest and restore order to a broken continent.
Praise for Last Hope Island
“In Last Hope Island [Lynne Olson] argues an arresting new thesis: that the people of occupied Europe and the expatriate leaders did far more for their own liberation than historians and the public alike recognize. . . . The scale of the organization she describes is breathtaking.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Last Hope Island is a book to be welcomed, both for the past it recovers and also, quite simply, for being such a pleasant tome to read.”—The Washington Post
“[A] pointed volume . . . [Olson] tells a great story and has a fine eye for character.”—The Boston Globe
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Excellent popular history of European monarchs and governments in exile in Britain during World War II. Lots of great detail on Haakon of Norway, Queen Wilhelmina of Holland and the Polish fliers who turned the tide in the Battle of Britain.
Well written. An interesting look at WWII from the point- of-view of the smaller and less powerful allies and their resistance. This book is easy to read and presents some fascinating characters that have been largely overlooked by popular history.
It is a typical Lynne Olson. Her books about WWII and the history of that period are so amazing. I learn something new all the time. They totally hold my attention — page-turners — and if you are a history-buff, you’ll enjoy everything she writes. She is comprehensive without being like a history textbook. I have learned so much from reading her books. My husband, another history buff like me, has studied WWII and Europe and we read Last Hope Island together and loved it. She was the first author to bring together the different governments who were exiled to London throughout the war. And she writes about the post-war inauguration of the European Union. So great! Amazing author.
An excellent book. Fast paced, and easy to read, this book addresses all of the countries invaded by the Nazis and how their leaders and citizenry responded
Fascinating to learn about the events of WWII and the involvement of different countries’ efforts.
Well researched. Reads more like a novel than a history. Dismantles more than a few commonly held perceptions of WWII leaders and agencies. Mind blowing.
Lynne Olson’s Last Hope Island is a fine, but deeply maddening work. Olson does a formidable job of illustrating the ways in which all roads led to London during World War II. The roads range from governments-in-exile, to the management of war strategy, including intelligence and resistance work, to the importance of foreign troops in the Battle for Britain. Olson mined some terrain that was already familiar to me (such as the sabotage of the heavy water plant in Norway), and quite a bit that was new (the depiction of Dutch Queen Wilhelmina was easily my favorite).
Olson also illustrates the many ways in which the import of Britain was unfortunate because the British seemingly seized every opportunity to be pigheaded, careless, and incompetence, and above all arrogant. I was struck more than once by the ways in which the Great Victoria and her descendants managed to wreak havoc across the world, resulting in the deaths of tens (hundreds, perhaps?) of millions and creating the quagmires from which the world still has not extracted itself. Ghastly, just ghastly, as a Brit might say.
Of course, the British were not the only ones who could be stubborn, shortsighted, and arrogant. FDR could play at the game, too, as Olson showcases most aptly in describing his attitude toward Poland and Czechoslovakia: “…he also felt that the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain had the right to dictate to the less powerful states, not only during the war but afterwards as well.” It’s should come as no surprise, then, that Warsaw’s final act in the war was tragic, while that of Paris was jubilant.
At regular intervals, I was angry, rather than inspired, which is perhaps Olson’s masterstroke. (Olson, too, can be assumed to harbor a bit of anger; passages such as “the amateurism of SOE was, more often than not, as inept, careless, and downright stupid…” or “cannon fodder for British Intelligence, that’s all we were” are not infrequent.) While some might argue that such a focus detracts from what the British did accomplish, I think it’s worth remembering that the heroics have all been bought and sold by the dozen, but the mistakes and miscalculations are less known, and offer the greater lessons.
Four stars.
(This review was originally published at https://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2019/05/last-hope-island-britain-occupied.html)
I read a lot of WWII history and this book still brought out facts or views of the time I hadn’t read before.
Love reading about what was going on in London during WWII with the Europeans goverments in exile.
A view of how the three allied powers treated the countries dependent upon them. Shameful in many respects.
This is a must read to fully understand WWII
Depth of involvement with European resistance to Nazis was very informative. Far beyond most histories of WW2
I gave read a lot of WW2 history, but this book came from a totally different angle than most. Sad to learn that the winners weren’t always good guys. So many people died unnecessarily. This the best book I have read in a long time
Story of WWII and the many countries that sent their refugees to Britain.
LAST HOPE ISLAND, the seventh and latest book by award-winning journalist-turned-historian Lynne Olson, delves into hidden corners of WWII history. Each of the twenty-nine chapters is a stand-alone snippet focusing on one of the war’s individual personalities, groups, or detailed topics of Great Britain and/or one of the occupied countries of Europe, my top three being:
Chapter 5: “Something Called Heavy Water”
Chapter 12: “Factions, Feuds, and Infighting”
Chapter 27: “A Collective Fault”
While the detached nature of each chapter allows for reading in convenient time blocks, it precludes the ability to see how each snippet fits into the overall history of the war, unless the reader is knowledgeable of WWII from other sources. Perhaps this is inevitable, or perhaps a result of the start-and-stop writing of the project over more than ten years, as mentioned in the author’s note near the end of the book.
I’d recommend LAST HOPE ISLAND to readers who have previous knowledge of WWII and are looking for hidden details that are not in the books covering the war’s “big picture.”
Very interesting. There is always something new to read about world war 2. Lots of interesting stories I knew nothing or very little about.
I regularly read World War II history, holocaust, espionage and biographies. I have read many book length histories that cover the material covered in many of the chapters of Last Hope Island. Yet, Last Hope Island gives both the big picture and detailed information that I have not been exposed to in my other extensive reading. The experience of the countries of occupied Europe are heartbreaking and inspirational at the same time. I appreciate so much more the agonies visited upon Poland, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and Hungary, and the sorrow of those countries who were not blessed with freedom after the war. Both the brilliance and the flaws of Allied leadership are on display here. The broad overview of Britain’s fragile haven to exiled governments and the examples of individual heroism and treachery are unfolded. Olson’s research is monumental (over 50 pages of the book are references documenting her sources). If I were to recommend the top ten of the hundreds of books I have read on World War II, Last Hope Island would be #1. It could serve as a primer for any other readings on Europe and World War II.
This is the third book I have read by Lynne Olsen on World War II. She is an excellently historian and a good writer. Thus book not only tellof the importance of Great Britain as a refuge to the European governments in exile during Nazi occupation, but the important sacrifices and contributions those governments and citizens made to the final success achieved.
Fantastic book. You must take your time while reading it because it’s packed full of important details which most people today probably don’t know about. Should be a requirement in high school or in college.
I loved this book. Such a great story to follow each leader of the European continent (almost all) and tell their story of how they escaped to England (the last hope island) and how their help from outside the conquered country helped the Allies in so many ways. From their hope filled broadcasts on the BBC to helping organize the resistance in their home countries…giving hope to those under the thumb of the Germans. MUCH great info on the situation for France, the only country that collaborated & on General de gaulle’s role in all of this (the only country that had a ‘traitor’ who escaped the Germans and helped the resistance against his own country from England! Great insights!