LAURENCE REES: And the single best leader of the 2nd World War?

ANDREW ROBERTS: Winston Churchill. No, I’m not going to say Winston Churchill actually.
            
LAURENCE REES: Why not if you believe it was Winston Churchill?

ANDREW ROBERTS: You know all these books I keep writing do point out he did make mistakes. He was fabulous when it came to the morale and everything, but best leader, as in the most influential, most successful leader, I suppose actually I’d go with Zhukov. You have a man here who successfully defends Leningrad. The fall of Leningrad would have been disastrous for the Soviet Union in 1941. He then goes and is in overall charge of the successful defence of Moscow.  He then is sent down, although he doesn’t spend much time there physically, nonetheless he’s in overall control of the defence of Stalingrad. He manages to turn the Germans back from Kursk and then he captures Berlin. I mean frankly this guy is the giant of the war.