The Winds of War: Analysis of Major Characters

Author: Herman Wouk

First published: 1971

Genre: Novel

Locale: Washington, D.C., and major sites of World War II

Plot: Historical

Time: 1938–1941

Victor “Pug” Henry, a career U.S. Navy officer. A short, physically fit man in his late forties, slightly graying, Henry has aspirations of becoming an admiral, perhaps even chief of naval operations. He is a family man, though relations with his wife sometimes are strained. He takes an active interest in the lives of his three children. On the way to his post as naval attaché in Berlin, he meets the Tudsburys, father and daughter, leading to his developing a fondness for Pamela Tudsbury. His assignment in Berlin and the patronage of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt give him the opportunity to meet Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill and to be present in Europe at the outbreak of World War II. Visiting Great Britain shortly thereafter, he finds himself taken along as an observer on a bombing run over Berlin. After completing his assignment in Berlin and returning to Washington, D.C., Henry carries out several important missions for the president. He is present at Roosevelt's historic meeting with Churchill in the North Atlantic and is posted to Moscow, where he meets Joseph Stalin. Throughout, Henry repeatedly attempts to get assigned to sea duty; he is granted his wish, only to reach Pearl Harbor the day after the Japanese raid that sinks the battleship he was to have commanded.

Rhoda Henry, a Navy wife approaching fifty and still attractive. She is growing tired of the demands placed on the wife of a career officer and is suffering from a middle-age depression. Rhoda accompanies her husband to Berlin, where she meets Palmer Kirby, with whom she ultimately has an affair after the Henrys return to Washington. She attempts to hold the family together despite her own transgressions, keeping her infidelity a secret. She establishes a fine household in Washington that serves as a home for Victor Henry and the three children when they are not off serving abroad or working away from Washington.

Natalie Jastrow, a research assistant for her uncle, Aaron Jastrow, a noted historian. A lissome woman of thirty who has renounced her Jewish ancestry, she led a wild life before settling down with her uncle in Siena, Italy. Initially devoted to Leslie Slote, she gradually falls in love with Byron Henry. With Byron, she visits Slote in Warsaw and witnesses German atrocities there, but she has difficulty convincing her uncle to leave Italy. Separated from Byron, who has gone to submarine school in the United States, she finally begins a trek toward freedom, but the Germans block her way. She manages to meet Byron in Lisbon. They marry there but are quickly separated again. Natalie, now pregnant, tries even more earnestly to get her uncle to leave Italy, but nothing is successful. After giving birth to Louis Henry, she makes further attempts to evade the grasp of the Germans. She is caught in Axis-occupied territory when the United States enters the war.

Byron Henry, a handsome, red-haired young man in his mid-twenties, unsure of his goals in life but ultimately pressed into military service just as the United States enters the worldwide conflict. Openly rebelling against his father, Byron travels to Europe to pursue a career in art. He secures a job as secretary to Aaron Jastrow and falls in love with coworker Natalie Jastrow. Even though he and Natalie see the horrors of Hitler's invasion of Poland, he is unable to persuade her to leave her uncle as World War II breaks out in Europe. They both go to Warren Henry's wedding in Florida, but Natalie returns to Siena when Byron goes to submarine school. Byron manages to be reunited with Natalie in Lisbon, where his submarine docks briefly, and the two are married. The war separates them again, however, and Byron goes to the Pacific theater to serve aboard a submarine there.

Pamela Tudsbury, a personal assistant to her father, Alistair Tudsbury. A woman approaching thirty, of decent figure and wholesome if not stunning beauty, she has devoted her life to aiding her father in promoting British nationalism through his newspaper and radio work. She accompanies him on worldwide trips and meets Victor Henry aboard a ship bound for Berlin. She also travels with her father to the United States, Germany, Russia, and the Far East, crossing paths with Henry. She is captivated by the older man and falls deeply in love with him. She is present with Victor at the bombing of London and is with her father in Singapore when the Japanese invade and capture it.

Aaron Jastrow, a prominent American Jew and an internationally known historian. Nearly sixty-five years old, Jastrow has authored numerous scholarly works. He is in Siena completing a study of the Roman emperor Constantine and believes his renown as a writer will keep him safe from German harassment. Only reluctantly does he agree to leave Italy with daughter Natalie. His fame proves a stumbling block, however: His movements are monitored by German Gestapo agents, who track him to France and to Switzerland and who reach him just as he and Natalie are to leave clandestinely, aboard a tramp steamer, for Palestine. He returns to his villa in Siena to wait out the war.

Leslie Slote, a junior American diplomat. Once Natalie Jastrow's lover, Slote plays the role of jilted suitor as his assignments with the U.S. State Department take him to Berlin and then to Warsaw, where he assists in evacuating Americans when the Germans invade Poland. He is posted briefly to Moscow, then to Switzerland, where he is presented early evidence of Hitler's systematic extermination of the Jews. Slote tries to get his superiors in the State Department to pay attention to this information but repeatedly meets roadblocks.

Alistair “Talky” Tudsbury, a highly respected British radio and newspaper correspondent. Corpulent and aging, Tudsbury nevertheless commands a large audience in his native England and has the respect of journalists and politicians internationally. He travels throughout Europe, the United States, the Middle East, and the Far East, reporting on British preparations for all-out combat and on the conduct of operations in the various combat zones.

Madeline Henry, the Henrys' nineteen-year-old daughter, who leaves college to take a job in New York City as an assistant to radio celebrity Hugh Cleveland. She drifts into an amorous relationship with Cleveland, ignoring her family's repeated warnings. Concurrently, she rises in the entertainment world as a junior executive.

Warren Henry, the Henrys' oldest son. A Naval Academy graduate in his mid-twenties, handsome and committed to a career in the Navy, he enrolls in flight school and while there meets Janice LaCouture, the daughter of a Florida politician. They marry shortly before Warren gets his pilot's wings. He is then assigned to an aircraft carrier based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Warren is considered a promising aviator by the higher-ups in the Navy. He is on patrol away from Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, but manages to return in time to engage in a dogfight over the island of Oahu.

General Armin von Roon, a German military professional and member of the German general staff. Roon's account of World War II from the Germans' perspective is interspersed throughout the narrative of the Henry family saga. Roon gives both a sweeping assessment of Hitler's strategic campaigns and personal observations about Hitler and his closest associates as the Germans sweep through western and central Europe and eastward into the Soviet Union.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the president of the United States. Although disabled by polio, Roosevelt is a keen observer of world events and a shrewd political dealer. He calls on Victor Henry several times to gain the naval officer's assistance in dealing first with the Germans, then with the Russians. Roosevelt maneuvers carefully to satisfy both the American Congress (especially the isolationist elements) and the British, especially Churchill; he is clearly on the side of the Allies, though he manages to maintain a façade of neutrality. Throughout, the president moves the United States into a wartime posture, anticipating the country's inevitable entry into the worldwide conflict.

Janice LaCouture, a young, blond Florida beauty who marries Warren Henry. Although she comes from a wealthy family and is the daughter of a prominent politician, she cheerfully accompanies Warren to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and adapts to being a Navy wife. She bears a son, Victor, to carry on the Henry line. She is a witness at first hand to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Hugh Cleveland, a well-known American radio personality. Middle-aged and going to seed physically, he nevertheless commands a large listening public. His shows allow prominent political figures to give American listeners a sense of the growing tensions in Europe. At Madeline Henry's suggestion, he begins a touring amateur talent show that features American servicemen. Cleveland's failing marriage drives him to chase other women, including the Henrys' daughter.

Palmer Frederick (Fred) Kirby, an engineer and manufacturer of technological equipment, a widower approaching fifty years of age. Kirby meets the Henrys in Berlin and falls in love with Rhoda. His travels to New York and Washington give him opportunity to pursue his friendship with her, a friendship that culminates in their having an affair while Victor Henry is overseas. Business with the government and his expertise in manufacturing specialty items lead to Kirby being recruited to work with the Manhattan Project to produce the atom bomb.

Berel Jastrow, a cousin of Aaron Jastrow, a Polish Jew residing outside Warsaw. Although he is in his sixties, Jastrow is able-bodied and adept at a number of occupations; he is also skilled at manipulating local government administrators. He manages to get his family out of Warsaw when the Germans invade, but eventually he is captured by the Nazis and placed in a concentration camp.

Avram Rabinovitz, a Jewish organizer who helps Jews wishing to escape the Nazis. He arranges for the Jastrows to leave Italy via a transport steamer and is disappointed when Aaron and Natalie refuse to go through with their escape. He continues to work with them to help return them to U.S. custody.

Ted Gallard, a British fighter pilot engaged to Pamela Tudsbury. He participates in several dangerous missions and eventually is shot down over Germany. Wounded, he languishes in prison for a time and eventually dies of his injuries.

Carter “Lady” Aster, a U.S. Navy executive officer on Byron Henry's submarine in the Atlantic. Aster proves to be highly competent but ruthless. He drives Byron to become a qualified submariner.

Ernst Grobke, a German submarine officer about Victor Henry's age. Grobke becomes friends with Henry during the latter's journey to Berlin. He takes Henry to visit German submarine bases and introduces him to influential political figures within the Nazi regime.

Isaac LaCouture, a Florida politician. An isolationist who opposes Roosevelt's various programs to aid England and Russia against Germany, he is nevertheless pleased when his daughter marries Warren Henry and becomes a service wife. He uses what influence he has with the State Department to try to get Natalie Jastrow and her uncle out of Italy.

Wolf Stöller, a German businessman who supports Hitler. After inviting Victor Henry to several social affairs, he tries to recruit the American officer as a German spy.