Walter Reid is an accomplished historian, familiar with British rule in India. His works include Keeping the Jewel in the Crown: The British Betrayal of India (2016). This book Fighting Retreat: Winston Churchill and India is valuable, but it fails to stitch a rationale for Churchill’s willful, malign actions in Britain’s endgame; as British Prime Minister, May 1940-August 1945, he did nothing to prepare for the Partition.
Three features of the book are notable. Partly, it honestly addresses the Churchill-India story. But it slurs over, or avoids uncomfortable facts. Worse, it is exculpatory, offering excuses for the inexcusable.