Winston Churchill-The savior of the free world

Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on May 10, 1940. The United Kingdom’s King George VI said back in June,1939, that he ”would never wish to appoint Churchill to any office unless it were absolutely necessary in time of war.”-thetimes.co.uk. 9/30/18. It was time. Churchill was 65 years old and said upon becoming Prime Minister: ”I felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been a preparation for this hour and for this trial.”-fpri.org. 5/18/20.

“As Hitler took power in Germany in the 1930’s, Churchill was one of the first and certainly the loudest voice in England sounding the alarm. But it was an alarm few in England wanted to hear….Churchill saw that a new confrontation with Germany was inevitable.”-PragerU.com/ Andrew Roberts.

In 1938, England’s Prime Minister Chamberlain signed the Munich Agreement with Hitler, giving part of Czechoslovakia over to the Germans, and supposedly bringing peace…-History.com. ”Churchill had become a staunch critic of Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement toward the Nazi’s.”-Biography.com. 11/4/17.

In 1939, ”that peace was shattered by Hitler’s invasion of Poland. Chamberlain declared war against Germany, but during the next 8 months, showed himself to be ill-equipped for the daunting task of saving Europe from Nazi conquest. After British forces failed to prevent the German occupation of Norway in April, 1940, Chamberlain lost the support of many members of his government.-History.com.

On May 10, 1940, Chamberlain resigned and King George VI appointed Churchill Prime Minister of England and Minister of Defense….Within hours, Hitler invaded Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and France.-Biography.com. 11/4/17.

“The point about Churchill in 1940, is not that he stopped a German invasion, but that he stopped the British government from making peace. If Churchill had not been Prime Minister, the pro-appeasement foreign secretary Lord Halifax would have been.”-PragerU.com.

Churchill had a military career, graduating from the British Royal Military College, with honors, in 1894. He engaged in war and saw action in India, in 1898…-Biography.com. Churchill had killed people in battle as a young man, but he was not particularly struck by the experience. ”Nothing in history was ever settled except by wars,” he stated.-Spiegel.de. 8/20/10.

He left the Army in 1899 and worked as a war correspondent in South Africa. He was captured by the Boers and managed to escape, traveling 300 miles to Mozambique, then returned to England.-Biography.com.

In 1900, Churchill became a member of the British Parliament, and moved up to become President of the Board of Trade. In 1911, Churchill was named First Lord of the Admiralty and helped modernize the British Navy. He ordered new warships be built with oil fired instead of coal fired engines….”He was one of the first to promote military aircraft and set up the Royal Navy Air Service.”-Biography.com.

Not everything was a success in his military career, taking blame for a failed military mission during World War I; resigning from the government in 1915. After a brief period, Churchill rejoined the British Army, becoming a Commander of a battalion. “In 1917, he was appointed Minister of Munitions for the final year of the war, overseeing the production of tanks, airplanes and munitions.”-Biography.com.

From 1919-1922, Churchill served as Minister of War and Air and Colonial Secretary…”With the defeat of the Conservative government in 1929, Churchill was out of government. He was perceived as a right-wing extremist, out of touch with the people.”-Biography.com.

“Winston Churchill was by no means the obvious choice for Prime Minister. Already a politician for 40 years, he was considered by many people in Britain to be a warmonger, an adventurer and an opportunist with poor judgment…Yet in his opposition during the 1930’s to the popular policy of appeasement, Churchill was proved right.”-iwm.org.uk. Churchill said: ”Stop it ! Stop it ! Stop it now ! Hitler constitutes the greatest danger for the British Empire !”-spiegel.de. 8/20/10. Hitler’s invasion of Poland in Sept., 1939, showed that negotiating with the German dictator to prevent war had been fruitless. Public opinion began to swing behind Churchill.”-iwm.org.uk.

On May 13, 1940, in Churchill’s first speech as Prime Minister to the House of Commons, he stated: ”I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”….”We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that G-d can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival…but I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. At this time, I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say ”come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.”-Winston Churchill.org. 👇

The first immediate situation Churchill needed to deal with, was the seaport city of Dunkirk, France. France was on the verge of falling to the Nazi’s and hundreds of thousands of British, French and Belgium troops needed to be evacuated out and brought to England.

Churchill devised and ordered to the Admiralty, a civilian fleet of Little Ships to evacuate the troops at Dunkirk. The order to the Admiralty was made on May 20, 1940. ”The Admiralty enlisted the small vessels pool. Private owners registered their craft with the Pool for the mission and received routes and charts.”-winstonchurchill.hillsdale.edu. 12/6/19. In addition to English naval vessels, hundreds of civilian boats were used in the evacuation ”which began on May 26, 1940. When it ended on June 4th, almost 198,000 British and 140,000 French and Belgium troops had been saved.”-Brittanica.com. 👇

The morale boost of this achievement by the British, whereby the British people finally saw something positive done by their country, cannot be underestimated. ”It became known as the ”Miracle of Dunkirk” and served as a turning point for the Allied war effort.-history.com

Churchill warned in a speech on June 4, 1940, ”we must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory…wars are not won by evacuations.” However, in this same speech, Churchill outlined: ”We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills, we shall never surrender.”-history.com

“Churchill’s strongest weapon was the word.” President John F. Kennedy once said: ”Churchill had sent the English language to war.”…”Even the Nazi’s were impressed by his eloquence. Goebbels wrote: ”In his crudeness, he does command a certain amount of respect.”-spiegel.de 8/20/10.

“Crucially, he rallied the nation in defiance of Hitler. In the words of Labour politician Hugh Dalton, Churchill was ”the only man we have for this hour.” This view was shared by the overwhelming majority of the British people.-iwm.org.uk.

After the Battle of Dunkirk, “Hitler expected the English in their ”hopeless military situation” to engage in peace talks. As such, he had long put off plans for an invasion across the English Channel…When it became evident in early July that such an agreement would not be reached, Hitler decided to…plan for invasion.”….Hitler’s main concern was air superiority…Without weakening or destroying England’s Royal Air Force, he knew an invasion would not succeed….The invasion never happened.”… ”The German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, fought for air superiority…but the Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots held their own, and the key fight in this barrage came to be known as the Battle of Britain. July 10,1940- October 31, 1940.”-armytimes.com. 7/16/20. On August 20,1940, Churchill addressed the House of Commons referring to the ongoing efforts of the RAF crews, fighting the Battle of Britain: ”Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” Since this speech, the RAF pilots have been known as ”The Few.”-BritishHeritage.com. 6/24/22.

“Despite suffering 544 reported losses, RAF pilots inflicted such damage that Hitler withdrew his plans to invade and removed his fleet from the line of fire.”……”German failure to defeat Britain was one of their first failures of the war, and it ultimately enabled the country to serve as a base for later attacks against German forces and eventual victory for the Allied Forces.”-armytimes.com. 7/16/20.

But Hitler persisted against England. ”The Blitz”, from the German term Blitzkrieg (“lightning war”), was the sustained campaign of aerial bombing attacks on British towns and cities carried out by the Luftwaffe, from September, 1940 until May, 1941.-iwm.org.uk. “It was a part of a larger plan of attempting to destroy British infrastructure, cause devastation, destruction and lower morale…it resulted in 43,500 deaths of innocent civilians.”-historic-uk.com. The initial daytime bombing raids executed on London, turned into nighttime raids, ”increasing the fear and unpredictability. This was not just a physical act of destruction but a deliberate psychological tool…when the air raid sirens sounded, Londoners would often be forced to sleep in shelters…” Other cities were targeted as well. Coventry, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester,etc.-historic-uk.com. 👇

“By May, 1941, nighttime attacks were decreasing as Hitler turned his attention elsewhere. The Blitz…did not lesson the resolve of people or crucially destroy wartime production.”- historic-uk.com.

Many speeches of Churchill were read during the war over the radio. Giving and sustaining hope and confidence that the British Empire will prevail. Example: July 14, 1940: ”One thing is certain: the peoples of Europe will not be ruled for long by the Nazi Gestapo, nor will the world yield itself to Hitler’s gospel of hatred, appetite and domination.”- nationalchurchillmuseum.org…”During the eight month air attack known as the Blitz, the British government employed propaganda such as posters, videos, and the BBC, to inform and reassure civilians.”-winstonchurchill.org.

“Churchill loved danger and sought out adventure. Even when he was in his sixties, as Prime Minister, he would stand on the roof of a government building in London during German air raids to observe the murderous spectacle from above, while his cabinet ministers fled into the bomb shelters.”-spiegel.de. 8/20/10. ”Many famous and humorous quotations exemplify Churchill’s unfaltering character. When warned by his wife and ministers of the personal risks he faced, Churchill simply replied: As a child, my nursemaid could never prevent me from taking a walk in the park when I wanted to do so. And as a man, Adolf Hitler certainly won’t.” His unwillingness to back down was an inspiration. The nation adopted his resolve.”-winstonchurchill.org. The Nazi’s were frustrated by Churchill. Goebbels said: ”When will that creature Churchill finally capitulate? England cannot hold out forever !”…..”But indeed, it could.”-spiegel.de. 8/20/10.

According to Churchill’s son Randolph, Churchill stopped shaving in the bathroom, opened the door and told Randolph: ”I think I see my way through.”Randolph: Do you mean that we can avoid defeat ?” Churchill: ”Of course not, I mean we can beat them. I shall drag the United States in.”-spiegel.de.8/20/10.

“For Britain, 1941 was a desperate scramble. Britain had thwarted Hitler’s invasion plan…but, the Nazi forces…defeated the British in Greece; Yugoslavia surrendered. British victories in North Africa against the Italians were reversed by the arrival of German Forces under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox.”

“In Asia, Japan pressed further into China, occupied Vietnam, and threatened the British Colony of Hong Kong. In one glimmer of hope, President Roosevelt signed the Lend-Lease Act (March,1941). This permitted the U.S. to provide war material to Britain, including WW I era destroyers to combat German submarines.”

“In June, 1941, Hitler astonished the world again by invading Germany’s nominal ally, Russia, turning it into an ally of Britain. Churchill, a long time anti-communist, remarked: ”If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference of the Devil in the House of Commons.”

“Japan attacked the U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. President Roosevelt cabled Churchill: ”Today, all of us are in the same boat…and it is a ship which will not and cannot be sunk.”…”That night, Churchill said:”I slept the sleep of the saved and thankful.”

“When Germany declared war on the U.S. on Dec. 11,1941, Churchill’s “Grand Alliance” (U.S, Britain and Russia) was fully formed.”-nationalchurchillmuseum.org. ”Britain strengthened its ties to the United States with the Atlantic Charter on Dec. 12,1941 in a meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt off the coast of Newfoundland.”-nationalchurchillmuseum.org.

In Jan., 1942, German U-Boats sank more than 100 ships off the east coast of North America, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The war was being brought to America’s shores.-nationalmuseum.af.mil. German U-Boats operated in all oceans of the world and were responsible for sinking enemy ships as far as the Dutch East Indies and the Arctic Ocean. -navyhistory.org.au.

Churchill, FDR and Stalin first met together Dec. 1, 1943, in Tehran,Iran. There ”the 3 leaders coordinated their military strategy against the Axis powers (Germany and Japan). Stalin, fiercely fighting the Nazi’s in Russia, was desperate for the Allies to open a second front with Britain and the U.S. invading France.-history.state.gov. ”The Big Three faced considerable challenges in coordinating their efforts.”…Churchill stated: ”The only thing worse than having allies is not having them.”-nationalww2museum.org.

“The British and Americans finally committed to launching Operation Overlord (D-Day); an invasion of Northern France, to be executed by May of 1944.”…Stalin “agreed to launch another major offensive on the Eastern Front that would divert German troops away from the Allied campaign in Northern France.”-history.state.gov.

So, why did it take so long for the Allies to finally launch and invade France ? “Designing, building, and moving thousands of vehicles, ships and aircraft took a long time. Millions of men and women had to be trained.”-theddaystory.com.

In Nov., 1943, ”construction work begins at various points along the English coasts on the first sections of the Mulberry Harbours. These two artificial harbours will be made in hugh sections from steel and concrete. After D-Day, they will be towed over to Normandy and assembled off Gold and Omaha Beaches. The Mulberry Harbours will enable the Allies to land troops and equipment at a faster rate than is possible straight onto the beaches.”

Nov. 21, 1943: ”Field Marshal Rommel is given responsibility for improving the German defenses on the French coast, which the Allies will have to overcome on D-Day…”He is later appointed Commander of the German Army in France.”

Dec. 24, 1943: “U.S. General Eisenhower is appointed as Supreme Allied Commander, in overall charge of Operation Overlord. British General Montgomery (“Monty”) is appointed to command an Army Group, with responsibility for all Allied ground troops in the assault landings on D-Day and the following ground fighting. Earlier in the war, Montgomery had fought and beaten Rommel’s forces in North Africa.”

Dec. 31, 1943 – Jan.2, 1944: ”The first amphibious exercise for American troops takes place at Slapton Sands, Devon, England. The exercise involves 16,000 assault troops, and is a rehearsal of the techniques that will be used on D-Day itself.”

Jan., 1944: ”The planning of D-Day takes on greater urgency…The Allied Commanders…decide that the number of troops to be landed on D-Day needs to be considerably increased. Further naval forces and aircraft must therefore be found to support these additional troops. The target date for D-Day is moved from May 1st to May 31st, to allow time for these preparations.”

Jan.,1944:” Midget submarines of the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP), secretly visit the Normandy beaches to take sand samples. These are needed to confirm that the sand on certain sections of the chosen landing beaches will support the weight of the tanks that the Allies plan to land on D-Day. Across many parts of Europe, including France, British and U.S. aircraft begin to drop weapons and supplies to the Resistance. This will enable them to fight back against the occupying Germans.”

Feb., 1944: ”Over a long period, Allied Air Forces: RAF Bomber Command and the U.S. Army Air Force, have been making a series of heavy air raids against German cities. German fighter aircraft defend against these attacks, and there are heavy casualties on both sides in the aerial fighting. Many German civilians are also killed. The Germans are less able to replace these losses of airmen and aircraft than the allies. As a result, by the time of D-Day, the German air force will not be strong enough to oppose the Allied landings in France.”

Mar. 6, 1944: ”Allied air forces carry out the first of many raids on the French railway network…which aims to reduce the German’s ability to use the French railways to transport troops and military supplies.”

April, 1944: ”The Royal Navy begins a campaign of mine-laying off German bases along the Channel coast. These minefields were intended to prevent the fast German motor torpedo boats (E-Boats) from coming out to attack Allied shipping.”

April, 1944: “Allied Commanders have completed the overall plan for D-Day…less senior officers in charge of the actual units…begin to draw up plans.”

April 7, 1944: “General Montgomery presents his plans for the D-Day landings to Prime Minister Churchill, the other Allied Commanders and the British Chiefs of Staff.”

May 2,1944: ”Exercise Fabius begins at several sites along the coast of southern England.”….The largest and last training exercise before D-Day, involving 25,000 troops landing at a number of different beaches. ”The exercises last until May 8th.”

May 2, 1944: “The date for D-Day is delayed from May 31st. Two periods in June are identified as suitable, based on the tides and the amount of moonlight. June 5-7 and June 18-20.”

May 15, 1944: “The final briefing for Allied senior officers takes place at St. Paul’s School in London. It is attended by King George VI and Prime Minister Churchill.”

Late May, 1944: ”By now, the troops that will land in Normandy on D-Day and immediately afterwards, are in camps all along the south coast of England….vehicles are waterproofed…troops are briefed on their tasks for D-Day.”

May 31,1944: ”The first troops begin to load onto the ships and landing craft that will take them to Normandy.”

June 1,1944: A coded message is sent out to the French Resistance that the invasion is imminent.

June 2, 1944: “The first part of the invasion fleet sets off for Normandy. Two Royal Navy mini-submarines…will stay there submerged until D-Day….to guide in the first Allied craft at Juno and Sword Beaches.”

June 4, 1944: ”Rommel, the German Commander in Normandy, goes to Germany for his wife’s birthday, which is on June 6th. He plans to return to France on June 8th, and believes the weather is too bad for the Allies to land in the meantime.”

June 4,1944: ”Allied forecasters predict a 36 hour improvement in the weather.”

June 5, 1944: ”Allied Commanders agree D-Day is set for June 6th.”

June 5,1944: The first Allied troops leave for Normandy. ”Some ships need to set off early due to their slow speed and the distance they are traveling.”…British and American airborne troops take off from England. ”They will be the first allied soldiers to land in Normandy, by glider and parachute, in the early hours of June 6th.”

June 6,1944: ”The Allied fleet makes its way across the English Channel.”

“D-Day was just the beginning. The Battle of Normandy lasted for twelve more weeks. Allied forces aimed to expand the area under their control, capture key locations…and wear down the enemy’s strength…”-theddaystory.com

Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 7, 1945 at General Eisenhower’s headquarters in Reims, France. – archives.gov.

“As Soviet troops entered the heart of Berlin, Hitler committed suicide on April 30th, 1945, in his underground bunker,” as did his wife, Eva Braun.-britannica.com.

“An estimated 40-50 million people died during World War II….The U.S.S.R. suffered the greatest total number of dead: approximately 18 million, 5.8 million Poles, 298,000 Americans, 4.2 million Germans; almost 2 million Japanese, 454,000 British. -britannica.com.

The Japanese surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945 aboard the U.S.S. Missouri.

Italy had surrendered much earlier on Sept. 8, 1943.

Upon Germany’s surrender, Churchill said: ”Today, perhaps, we shall think mostly of ourselves. Tomorrow, we shall pay a particular tribute to our Russian comrades, whose prowess in the field has been one of the grand contributions to the general victory….the whole world was combined against the evil-doers, who are now prostrate before us. Our gratitude to our splendid Allies goes forth from all our hearts in this island and throughout the British Empire.”-nationalchurchillmuseum.org.

Little is known, that after just 2 months after the end of World War II, Churchill had a top secret plan to attack the Soviet Empire. Operation Unthinkable, was scheduled for July 1, 1945. ”British, U.S.,Polish and German forces were to attempt to liberate East Germany and Poland and bring Stalin back to the conference table.”-media.nationalarchives.gov.uk. General Montgomery was all in, but General Eisenhower and FDR were against the idea. Once President Truman became President, his State Department shot down the idea.-media.nationalarchives.gov.uk. 👇

Conclusion: Winston Churchill, the only powerful man in all of England, who was speaking out against Hitler, even before World War II started. The only man, in all of England, who had the strength, tenacity, foresight, to take on Hitler, who was rolling through and conquering European countries, as easily as one walks to play the next hole on a golf course. It’s very easy to conclude that if Lord Halifax, an appeaser, had become British Prime Minister, a good portion of the world would have been enslaved and we’d be speaking German today. Churchill got his wish of bringing together Britain, with the United States and Russia, and keeping the Allied coalition glued together. In Churchill’s eulogy to FDR, he stated: ”In FDR, there died the greatest American friend we have ever known.”-nps.gov. No other man is more important as Churchill, in recent history, and is credited by many, to be the savior of the free world. See pic below. / Done

ps: Please also read in my blog, the story of Alan Turing. The man who cracked the Nazi communication codes during WWII. Thank you 👍🇺🇸