WINSTON CHURCHILL, Part Two

Churchill's warnings about Hitler and the growing power of the Luftwaffe went unheeded and he watched with horror the Nazi's invasions of the Rhineland, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain had agreed ignominiously to hand over much of Czechoslovakia in return for the promise of peace. Although the people had cheered when Chamberlain returned, being weary of war after the terror of the First World War, Churchill was proved right when Hitler invaded Poland.

Becoming Prime Minister after the disastrous defeat of Norway, Churchill faced his darkest hour when the Germans invaded Northern and Western France. They had invaded Holland and Belgium earlier in that year (1940) and now controlled the Atlantic coast from Norway to the Pyrenees. Britain itself was in dire straits, facing the dreadful threat of invasion at any moment.

Some members of the Cabinet, terrified, suggested that Britain negotiate peace with Hitler. Churchill adamantly refused. Luckily, Britain had a huge advantage over Germany in its use of radar and the winning of the Battle of Britain boosted morale and gave the British hope for the future. Churchill's inimitable speeches inspired the people to keep fighting and not to give up the struggle. He had urged them never to surrender. Churchill had thanked the pilots from the depth of his heart: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" he stated.

1. Nigel Rodgers, Churchill: A Beginner's Guide, (Oxon, England: Hodder & Stoughton, 2001) 33-34

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