The Day When Churchill Chose War

few men in the history of mankind could say other than in a film or in a novel today I saved the World Winston Churchill was one of [Music] them on the 28th of May 1940 he had been prime minister for only 2 weeks 2 weeks during which the German armored trucks had crushed the British expeditionary Force which had come to France's Aid and and the Belgian and French armies on the continent the war was [Music] lost but as the Royal Navy was trying to evacuate the English army under German fire Winston Churchill was fighting another battle away from microphones and behind closed doors a battle that pitted him against his own ministers never Chamberlain the man of appeasement and in particular Lord Halifax the foreign secretary this confrontation was not recorded Churchill almost never mentioned it yet everything was decided in that tragic moment in the secrecy of the war cabinet if Churchill were to win democracies could still be victorious but if he were to fail if he were to fail the Nazis would become the master masters of Europe and would win the war on that day one man alone had to write history [Music] [Music] this was a tragedy behind closed doors one that people were unaware of for a long time but it could have changed our fate in his Memoirs Churchill did not mention it and preferred to describe Britain as a country entirely unified against Nazism but Recent research carried out by historians has shown that until until the 28th of May 1940 at the height of the military collapse Churchill the warrior was alone on that day Britain came close to giving up the fight and negotiating with [Music] Hitler the alternative of fighting on does nevertheless involve a considerable gamble the Nations that surrender tamely are beaten but those that continue fighting rise again nothing in my suggestion can even remotely be described as ultimate capitulation this battle within the battle took place in the war cabinet at 10 Downing Street the cabinet was a restricted version of the government which took key decisions for the conduct of the war the whole government met once a week whereas the war cabinet would meet every day however in May 1940 as Churchill had just been appointed the cabinet he presided over was dominated by his opponents Chamberlain and Halifax the leaders of the conservative party in power for nearly 10 years the conservatives only entered the war because Hitler did not give them a choice they conducted the war reluctant ly up to its collapse the Paradox was that Winston Churchill was also a conservative but a conservative in disagreement with his party he refused to concede a British defeat he wanted to fight to the [Music] end there were only two labor members in the war cabinet Clement Atley and Arthur Greenwood but in this case their voices hardly counted their party was in the minority in Parliament would be fre politically Churchill had already lost if Hitler offered an acceptable peace agreement Chamberlain and Halifax were sure to win they were all the more certain to win seeing as Churchill's personality played against [Music] him for many Churchill was a Whimsical and unpredictable politician in 1940 he was 65 his career lay behind him many thought that it was over for him he had known great success but also bitter [Music] setbacks Winston Churchill was not a nobleman like the others although he was a descendant of a prestigious family he was born penniless a hotthead unwilling to study he enlisted in the army at 18 years old and started his career in Sudan India and South Africa from his campaigns he wrote epic Tales which were published as a series in the British press he was talented and he became famous in 1900 thanks to his popularity he entered politics a conservative but favorable to social reforms he was elected to the House of Commons at 25 years old he was a Restless rebellious MP who fought against Joseph Chamberlain the father of Neville [Music] Chamberlain at 34 years old he was the minister of the Interior at 36 a first Lord of the admiralty the president of the board of admiralty and he still was at the onset of the Great War in 1916 he led a risky Naval Expedition against turkey in the Darden L it was a disaster the expeditionary force was decimated by Turkish [Music] troops forced to resign Churchill enlisted again in the Army he participated in the battle of the Som and ended the war as just an officer during the interwar period he was Secretary of State for the colonies minister of defense and Chancellor of the exer he later described himself as the worst Finance Minister in the history of Britain his career was a chaotic secession of flamboyant successes and Dreadful failures between which he devoted himself to writing books and articles the English political class was wary of him and foreign governments thought him an eccentric without much of an influence admittedly this formidable picis was able to defend the most in congruous of opinions he referred to Gandhi as a half- naked fakir and openly admired musolini he was provocative inexhaustible always on the lookout for a good joke a joke is a very serious thing one can always count on Americans to do the right thing after they've tried everything else the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter his irregular lifestyle did not help to improve his relationships with the establishment excellent we will he would stay up late get up late and worked from his bed and they will just he dictated his letters wearing the most extravagant dressing gowns sky blue or pink and with lace a cigar in his mouth mouth and a glass of cognac in his hand no I'm sorry he loved costumes and disguises and had his photographs taken in outlandish outfits uncontrollable and Whimsical he sometimes descended into dark despair although he had a real talent he only ever practiced painting as an amateur it was the only activity that allowed him to escape the dark thoughts that haunted him his whole life which included acute attacks that would leave him lethargic but above all he drank excessively his day would begin with a glass of cognac or champagne lunch was washed down with Fine Wines and several lures he would then go to bed for a long nap from which he would emerge at 5 or 600 in the afternoon with another glass of cognac in his hand dinner was washed down too and the evening would go on late accompanied by the Perpetual Cognac and cigar note uh we must find a a a double he sustained inexhaustible conversations or embarked on endless dictations that wore out his secretaries this activity led to utterly brilliant intuitions but also to completely risky or downright suicidal projects which would then fill the people around him with dismay his assistants spent all their energy turning down the most eccentric plans Winston developed in the course of his creative evenings we shall start an embarcation immediately at and thus was the infuriating the unpredictable the delusional Church Hill leading Britain into a fully-fledged war against Nazi Germany following one of his flashes of inspiration he knew that his opponents in the war cabinet would use this argument to outvote [Music] him his opponents were formidable first and foremost among them was the man who had just been succeeded by Churchill at Downing Street Neville Chamberlain a very wild card ofor yes if Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister it was because of the imminent military disaster which had forced chamlin to create a national Unity government incorporating liberal and labor members France go out the war and our aircraft Factory is a bomb then we might get and because before accepting labor members had requested that Chamberlain no long longer be the head of the government the majority was conservative the Prime Minister had to be conservative and the only one who had opposed Chamberlain was Winston Churchill Chamberlin and Halifax in particular took Churchill for an eccentric that they could control after all they had been dominating British politics for nearly 10 [Music] years Chamberlain had served in government uninterruptedly since 1932 in 1937 he became prime minister he would maintain his Prestige among the conservatives yet he was responsible for the policy that had led to the war and which had been called the appeasement he was aware of the danger of Hitler's Germany that was what made him fear a confrontation with the Nazi regime [Music] he thought that by finding a compromise between the belligerent demands of German forces and the British interests he would bring back Chancellor Hitler to reason but Adolf Hitler was not a man of reason he negotiated only to subsequently betray his word Chamberlain was forced to relinquish everything until it was too late in 193 6 Hitler installed the verm act in the Ryland along the French Belgian and Dutch borders this was forbidden by the Treaty of Versa Chamberlain suggested to hand over part of its pre-1914 colonies to Germany to appease the legitimate anger he said of the German people in March 1938 Hitler annexed Austria in the following month 7,000 austrians were deported [Music] Chamberlain said this is not the time to make hasty decisions or to utter imprudent words boosted by this Hitler pushed the provocation even further he announced that by virtue of the rights of peoples to self-determination Germany would invade the western part of Czechoslovakia on the 1st of October 1938 where a German minority the sudat land represented a third of the [Music] [Applause] [Music] population a last ditch conference was hastily organized in Munich on the 29th of September it was attended by Adolf Hitler Benito musolini edir dadia the new prime minister of the French government and Neville [Music] Chamberlain Chamberlain flew to Munich as the champion of Peace he said when I was a little boy I used to repeat if at first you don't succeed TR TR try again but he did not even try Hitler dictated his conditions dalad and Chamberlain accepted them [Music] talking of Chamberlain Hitler said if that old fool with his umbrella were ever to interfere again in our Affairs I will throw him down the stairs and jump on his stomach in front of all the photographers he never interfered again in Paris Neville Chamberlain was nicknamed Neville I love Berlin and Churchill was Furious you have chosen dishonor to avoid war you will have war and dishonor yet London welcomed Chamberlain as a [Music] hero next I want to say that the settlement of the Czechoslovakian problem which has now been achieved is in my view only the Prelude to a larger settlement in which all Europe may find peace he declared peace for all time waving the paack that he had just made with the German devil in front of the crowd that had come to welcome him once France collapsed the architect of this pack the one who would be Churchill's other opponent in his War cabinet was Lord Halifax the secret Secretary of State for foreign affairs it has often been stated rightly or rly that the last war might have been prevented if the British government had made it clear where they stood now that the possibility of conflict again exists the government have taken steps to declare their attitude not only to the world but in a special message to hair Hitler Edward Frederick Lindley wood Earl of Halifax was typical example of the British establishment an aristocrat and fiercely conservative he attended the best schools he was also a mysterious man disabled from birth he was missing his left hand this Avid Fox Hunter was also a devout Catholic Churchill had thus nicknamed him the holy [Music] fox in the 30s he felt sympathy almost a Fascination toward Wards the fascist regimes he even met with guring whom he found Charming for a Hunting Party in November 1937 racism and nationalism said Halifax are formidable forces but I cannot help thinking there is something natural in them he was a member of the clivedon set an exclusive Club made of a handful of influential Aristocrats who met to discuss at the stately home of cledon [Music] among the members were the editor of the London Times newspaper or politicians such as Lord loan ambassador of Great Britain in Washington the left-wing press rightly accused the cvon set to feel Sympathy for the Nazi [Music] regime the club was run by Lady as a wealthy Aristocrat known for her Fierce anti-communism and anti-Semitism shouting at Churchill one day she said if I were your wife I would poison your tea to which he said if I were your husband I would drink [Music] it in short Halifax and Churchill could not be further apart and after Munich although Churchill could already foresee disaster nobody want wanted to hear about another war on the 1st of September Hitler launched a blitz CG on Western Poland Stalin took the opportunity to invade the other half of the country on the Eastern Front since Poland had Allied itself with Britain Chamberlain was forced to declare war on Germany followed by the French government then public opinion turned ch Churchill the marginalized opponent had been right thus his calls for rearmament had been well founded thus his opposition to Hitler had been prophetic yet chamberlains still preferred to believe that the conflict would be solved by a maritime blockade that would stifle Germany rather than by confrontation on land this was pointless Adolf Hitler was not an enemy that could be so easily stifled he needed steel and steel came from Norway he invaded Norway annexing Denmark in April 1940 on his way the blockade of Germany remained inoperative his failure forced Chamberlain to form a national Unity government he stepped down as prime minister and Winston Churchill took his place [Music] on the same day Germany invaded Belgium the new prime minister helplessly witnessed the disaster the Army has got 50,000 men to their own fate this is the way it will have to be on May the 10th 1940 the leaders of Na leaders of Nazi Germany initiated their War Machine they BL they launched their Blitz on the Netherlands and Belgium the Nazis the Nazis were advancing at the head of the fastest and the most powerfully mechanized army ever seen in history of refuges all roads in France were congested with refugees of hel women and children the Nazis sent their planes to bombard these thousands of men women and children [Music] when German troops entered Belgium the French and the British armies went North to counter their offensive but this was a trap the real Attack occurred 3 days later on the 13th of May south of the front in the Arden the armored trucks launched a deadly offensive behind the Allied Forces taking the floor in Parliament WI Churchill declared I have nothing to promise other than Blood Sweat and Tears the Battle of France turned to disaster within days the vermar surrounded the Allies who retreated in disarray to Dunkirk hoping to be evacuated to England [Music] [Music] hello at 7:00 a.m. that day Churchill gave the green light for operation Dynamo that aim was to repatriate what remained of the expeditionary force from dunker the British suffered the greatest defeat in their history [Music] [Music] When The War cabinet met 2 hours later the mood was dismal Churchill could only announce the Dreadful news yes I have received a letter from my personal representative in Paris the news is bad the Germans have reached the channel the worst of this news was that the German troops had reached the English Channel the French army was collapsing the British expeditionary Force had to be repatriated immediately from northern France what needed to be discussed at the war cabinet was whether it would consider negotiating with Germany or not Churchill wanted to continue fighting Hitler he said does not keep his word compromises were not an option if Britain was to let him have Continental Europe nothing would stop him however Chamberlain and Halifax believed that that the British Empire could still be saved and wished to spare its people from Dreadful suffering they wanted to negotiate A Separate Peace Mr Prime Minister we have to face the fact that now it's not so much a question of imposing a complete defeat upon Germany but of safeguarding the independence of our own Empire the dialogues you are about to hear really took place they have been reconstructed by historians including John lucak from notes taken by the participants in this connection I had an interview with the Italian Ambassador last night he said that seor melini's principal wish was to secure peace in Europe Lord Halifax explained to the war cabinet that musolini who had not yet entered the war offered to intercede with Hitler in order to negotiate Separate Peace for Britain in return for compensations of course pendant were assured Senor bastianini asked for a further interview this morning and he might have fresh proposals to put forward peace and security Churchill did not want to hear of it negotiating with Germany would mean recognizing the supremacy of the Nazis in Europe I'm opposed to any negotiations that would lead to a derogation of our rights and Powers um I think it uh very probable that Italy might issue an ultimatum to France saying that unless she agrees to a conference Italy will come in on Germany's side um then Chamberlain brought up the threat of having a second front in France if Italy were to enter the war alongside Germany the French army which had been practically wiped out by the verak in the north would have to rush to the South to fight melini's troops in military terms it would be untenable the only alternative left for the French would be to capitulate if Britain didn't negotiate they would have to face the enemy alone and what an enemy they offered a reason case of Hope once France collapsed the Germans would no longer need large land forces they would switch the bulk of their effort to air production and if Germany further strengthened its Air Force the Royal Air Force would not maintain its Air Supremacy over Britain the British Isles would be defenseless against this Invader not Churchill did not agree the issue is not about obtaining it was not about maintaining Air Supremacy but instead preventing Germany from Gaining it obtaining such Halifax insisted that all options should be considered and among these the possibility of A Separate Peace with Germany we need to consider all options he then forly requested that the cabinet let him continue his talks with the Italian Ambassador proposals I do not think we should expect anything from these proposals I do believe the last thing senor musolini wants is to see ha Hitler dominating Europe he will be anxious if he can to persuade her Hitler to adopt a more reasonable attitude I doubt whether anything will come from an approach to Italy but that is a matter for the war cabinet to consider I personally would be thankful to get out of our present difficulties under such terms provided we retain the essentials and the elements of vital strength even at the cost of some territories but first I must lunch with Renault well the war cabinet will convene again at 2 p.m. thank you gentlemen my Minister Paul Reno the French prime minister just like Winston Churchill wanted to carry on the fight but his situation was hopeless France had been defeated and its government was on the verge of dissolution even the Army reluctantly obeyed his [Music] orders yet after World War I the French army had appeared to be the strongest in the world it had triumphed over the Germans it was the largest most hardened one it had taken shelter in a network of ultramodern fortifications the majino line yet in 3 weeks the vermar had destroyed this invincible [Music] Army even though renau assured Churchill of his will to fight the British prime minister knew he would soon be alone against Hitler [Music] when Churchill met with the war cabinet on the evening of the 26th of May the fight was nearly lost following his discussions with Paul Renault he had understood that France could no longer continue to fight more than a few days a week or two at most I hope that France will hang on at the same time we must care not to be forced into a weak position we up against This Disaster Halifax would further attempt to push the war cabinet to seek a separate peace through musolini nicely I'm not quite convinced that it's in her Hitler's interest to insist on outrageous terms and Senor musolini might and if he succeeded Britain would then be at the mercy of Adolf Hitler the problem is a very difficult one and it is right that we should talk it out from every point of view another Churchill could not directly oppose Halifax who had Chamberlain support at least not yet he had to buy time and call their Bluff including his own future I think it is best to decide nothing until we know how much of the army we can rebark from France but Halifax cut short the diversion he read out the minutes of his talks with the Italian Ambassador if Britain was to give up some of its colonies and was to leave the control of the Mediterranean Sea to Italy musolini could initiate a peace conference with Germany Churchill did not agree Hitler would also prevent Britain from rearming nothing would then prevent him from breaking the peace agreement despite his word as he had done in Czechoslovakia 2 years earlier but Churchill was alone against the others for now he had to step back I raise no objection to some approach being made to Senor molini on the 26th of May after the meeting which went on late into the night Churchill thought alone what if he was wrong what if Halifax was right after all the idea of a compromise with Hitler might not have been totally irrational he could not dismiss it so [Music] easily no other for Force could oppose the German Army France was cow toeing the Soviet Union had signed a pact with Hitler the United States refused to intervene if Britain were to continue this fight alone it would be facing an opponent who controlled most of the continent its vast resources its Industries although the vermar could not land on the English Coast the British people would be subjected to years of Nazi bombing the country would be ruined its population decimated on the contrary a compromise would allow Britain to protect its population and rebuild its forces whilst waiting for better days in particular it would allow Hitler to turn away from the West to implement his fundamental project as he had expressed it in his book mine Camp attack the USSR to destroy the Communist enemy and reach its leban realm in the East this vital area that the fura considered necessary to Germany the two great totalitarianisms would then face a Titanic struggle that would weaken them both allowing Britain and its Empire to maintain its position the scum of the earth I believe the bloody assassins of the workers I presume [Music] this was the view shared by the British Elite anti-communism was the driving force backed up by anti-Semitism that prevailed talking about the persecutions suffered by the German Jews since 1933 Chamberlain had written no doubt the Jews aren't a lovable people I don't care for myself but that is not enough to explain the pog [Music] if the British government were to choose compromise it would gain the support of all those that mattered in the country and probably the support of the majority of citizens for whom the prospect of a long and painful war was frightening thus arose the temptation of giving up in the midst of the disaster I think it is better for at the start of the meeting Churchill was weakened the side of compromise held the advantage but Churchill could not bring himself to give up and Against All Odds he refused I am continuously oppressed by the futility of the suggested approach to Senor molini which I have no Churchill became angry these futile efforts he said can only weaken Britain which it does not need at the moment if the French want to surrender let them surrender if the French want to give up the struggle we'll let them give up if we win we might save them later the only way we can regain our Prestige is by showing the world that Germany has not beaten us he carried on if after 2 or 3 months Britain were still to be standing it would regain its pre si in the eyes of the world and even if Germany were to win after all the country would not be in a worse position than if it were to lower itself to ask for peace at the first military setback under no circumstances should Britain find itself on the dangerous slope of capitulation the futility of the approaches is not only futile but leaves us in deadly danger Winston I understand these arguments Chamberlain understood but he thought nonetheless that they should be asking Italy to start peace negotiations through revelt our reply should the opposing sides were irreconcilable I hope that the French will hang on if the worst comes to the worst then it would be no bad thing for this country uh to go down fighting for the other countries which have been overcome by Nazi name it is obvious to me that there are some profound differences of opinion that need to be clarified I see no at that moment Halifax understood that Churchill had no intention to negotiate he was only seeking to gain time to thwart any other option than his own a fight to the death with Germany he counterattacked he would accept the idea of standing alone against Germany as long as possible if and only if there were no other solution if our independ but as it happened there was one Halifax refused to let enemy bombings decide the fate of the country Churchill remained inflexible Halifax was a gullible fool these were not times to wonder whether or not Hitler was reasonable enough to guarantee Britain's Independence in exchange for a few colonies is is quite unreal Halifax answered what if France surrendered what if Hitler offered peace terms to France demanding that Britain joined them would the Prime Minister agree to consider these offers peace terms to France and England would the Prime Minister be prepared to discuss them I am not prepared to discuss these terms with the French but if somebody wishes to show me the terms then I certainly shall look at them after this final concession uttered reluctantly Churchill left the meeting I can work with Winston no [Music] longer I want your men to Churchill was convinced more than ever negotiating with Hitler amounted to letting him become Europe's ruler his entire life his historical culture his entire being commanded to fight to the end as his ancestors had done against Louis 14th of France or Napoleon who also dominated Europe and wanted to compromise Churchill saw in Hitler an absolute evil he knew that the Nazis would impose A Reign of Terror and racism on the continent they would sweep aside the values underlying western civilization and its democratic system have a in and [Music] [Applause] London he would never accept it he was ready to for Forge all kinds of alliances to continue fighting even with the Soviets whom he hated and had always fought against if Hitler invaded hell he would say I would say a few good words about the devil in front of the House of Commons that day might come but at that time he needed to prevent Britain from negotiating a shameful peace and he had an ace up his sleeve a very detailed report he had requested from the Army Chief 2 days ago about Britain's chances were it to fight against Germany alone the Army was extremely pessimistic it had been defeated in France and the evacuation of the Expedition from the dunker beaches looked bad if it were to fail it would take months to rebuild an army [Music] [Music] the report of the royal Navy was more encouraging the British Fleet remained the most powerful in the world its battleships and destroyers outclassed the German Navy in number it dominated most of the oceans of the world whilst the German Navy was confined to the North Sea however the Germans were building submarines at a rapid rate which would be formidable foes and if France was to surrender they could get their hands on the French navy their units were numerous and modern but for now the Royal Navy could prevent any Landing unless the Germans were to obtain the Air Supremacy British ships would then be subjected to a lethal threat thus the fate of Britain depended on its Air Force for which Churchill had been calling for reinforcements in vain for the past decade [Music] miraculously private initiatives had enabled the RAF to have two modern fighter aircrafts at their [Music] disposal the [Music] hurricane and the Spitfire with formidable speed and Firepower faced with the Luft waffer the RAF would hold fast [Music] and Britain was the only one with a revolutionary invention the radar which could detect any air strikes in [Music] advance okay Churchill also had a secret weapon hidden in the in the grounds of a mansion near London in Bletchley Park on the page hey let me see in rounded steel sheet Huts a random team of mathematicians linguists archaeologists and crossword enthusiasts managed to decipher the secret code of the German Transmissions produced by the Enigma machine able to defeat no I need unknown to anyone at the time he was reading the most secret plans of the enemy like an book thus the Battle of France was lost but the Battle of Britain could still be won and Churchill intended to fight it despite the naysay of his War cabinet 50,000 men from Don [ __ ] this is a grave day for the reunited Kingdom are round when he met with the members of his cabinet in the afternoon of the 28th of May Churchill was more determined than ever but he had not won yet the news from Dunkirk was getting worse and his opponents would not fail to remind him of this I to go to the L good morning gentlemen millions of civilians were fleeing the German Army on French roads in Paris The Archives of the government were about to be burned and its government was to take refuge in tour and then Bordeaux although called upon for help the United States was paralyzed by a public opinion which refused to go to war president revelt whatever his secret wishes could not help European Democracies have you seen the papers once again the war cabinet would want to negotiate with Germany and once the negotiations had started nothing would stop them allowing certain information out um but not everything as in previous meetings Halifax led the offensive that we might get better terms before Britain he said will get better peace conditions now rather than after months of bombings Winston remember Chamberlain agreed fighting on does nevertheless involve a considerable gamble the Nations that surrender tamely are beaten but those that continue fighting rise again nothing in my suggestion can even remotely be described as ultimate capitulation the chance of us being offered decent terms at present are a thousand to one then consider them and we'll know immediately whether or not they're decent with Halifax's fit of anger Churchill understood that he would not be able to go against the war cabinet he would not be able to prevent a simple request for information of the German conditions presented by the Italians or the Americans [Music] Hitler wanted a free hand in the East to dispose of the USSR he did not want to fight on two fronts not right away he would offer acceptable terms to the British government which would yield then when he was ready he would up the ante to an unacceptable level and subsequently Crush Britain which would be too weak to fight this was the slippery slope that Churchill had been predicting for months and one that Chamberlain and Halifax refused to see Churchill had lost unless unless he could find a way outside the war [Music] cabinet Winston Churchill was capricious and hot-tempered but he was also a shrewd politician the decision to continue the war or to negotiate peace certainly belonged to the war cabinet but not to it alone when the whole government met it could also intervene in the conduct of the conflict if Churchill were to preempt the war cabinet and succeed in gathering the entire government the situation could change first of all the government had not been made aware of everything that had been happening in the war cabinet the chaos of the military situation obscured everything else then Churchill could count on several of his rela I he had deliberately appointed as ministers for example Anthony Eden had supported him long before Munich or Lord Beaverbrook the great press Baron and minister of the aircraft production and finally there were the labor members who had just joined the National Unity government these labor members were fiercely anti-fascist and were ready to fully support the war effort Churchill would be able to convince them Against All Odds he thus requested an emergency meeting of the entire government and he launched his offensive with his most formidable weapon his extraordinary eloquence he had the time for a speech no more no less to win the game I have thought carefully these last days whether it was part of my duty to consider entering negotiations with hit law but it was idle to think that we may try to make peace now we should get better terms from Germany than if we go on and fight it out therefore we shall go on and we shall fight it out here or elsewhere and if at the last long story is to end it is better it should end not through surrender but only when we are rolling senseless on the ground straight away the ministers Carried Away by emotions stood up and cheered Churchill he was applauded congratulated giving a standing ovation Churchill wrote in his Memoirs each Minister I am sure was ready to be killed on the spot to see his property and his family destroyed a dazzling light cross our isand from end to end Britain would fight no matter what happened this determination this call for the love of a country and its democracy this Fierce determination to resist Hitler at all costs Churchill would transmit to the British people thanks to his Sensational speeches throughout the [Music] conflict we should fight on the beaches we should 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 and as he had expected thanks to The Radars thanks to Enigma thanks especially to the hurricanes and Spitfires young Pilots Britain would fight off the attack of the Luft waffer the British channel would not be crossed and unable to bring down Britain Hitler would seek victory in the Russian steps where the vermar would [Music] lose America would eventually join the war with all of its industrial power and after 5 years of war Germany would surrender over the smoking ruins of Berlin these events have saved Europe from an evil ter tyranny and the seeds of these events were all contained within the meeting of the 28th of May 1940 when one man forged the will of a nation and made his Mark with a decisive turning point in the war [Music] I [Music]

Channel: History & Warfare Now

Views: 111,120

Keywords: 20th century, war, hitler, Adolf Hitler, Germany, World, WWII, April, Ww2, World War II, russia, england, nazi, nazis, history, weapons, society, social, Nazism, italy, Documentary, Army, Battle, Culture, military

Id: uhg4Fb6DyHQ

Length: 52min 4sec (3124 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 03 2024