|
On the same day, 10 May, Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium.
Four days after Churchill took office, Holland collapsed under the pressure of the German attack, and only two weeks later, Belgian collapsed, too.
Churchill made four visits to France and had discussions with the French leaders.They review the conduct and progress of the war. For some time Churchill had confidence in the power of the French army, but Germanies advance split the French and British Forces as the Germans take the French towns of Calais and Boulogne.
In June 1940, the British Army was pushed to the West and invaded in the Dunkirk region of the French coast. The French gave up.
Churchill stayed strong and determined. In the House of Commons he held a speech which was a slogan to the whole nation. And the nation answered. 650 little ships crossed the English Channel under the protection of the Navy. This was not easy. They were not crewed by the Royal Navy, but by their owners and other volunteers. They saved 233,000 British and 112,000 French soldiers from the Dunkirk beaches and brought them back to England.
Now France, had fallen and England was fighting on her own, the production of fighter and bomber aircraft was speeded up. Every try was made to repair damaged aircraft as quickly as possible. The Royal Air Force needed more pilots. The training plan was changed so that pilots were trained more quickly. In August 1940 , the Royal Air Force had 700 fighter - but the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force , had 3,500 aircrafts.
Churchill knew that help was quickly needed, he spoke with the United States - with Roosevelt - and asked, if Britain could have 50 American destroyers. The United States agreed. Churchill realised what would happen next.
\"The battle of France in over, I expect that the battle of Britain is about to begin.\"
With Churchill as a leader, England was ready to fight against the Germans and to prevent a German invasion.
It was known that Germany planned to invade Britain.
Invading forces had no success in Britain.
Britain had the advantage of a new invention- the Radar.
This gave an early warning,if enemy aircraft want to invade a land, and made it possible for the British fighter planes to stop the enemy aircraft before the aim was reached.
Hitler extended his attack on England.
In the middle of August 1940, large formations of German bombers, protected by Messerschmitt fighter planes, flew to England to try to put English ports, airfields and factories out of action. There were losses of both British and German planes and pilots, but Hitler was unable to beat the Royal Air force and so to beat England,too.
In his radio broadcast on September 11,1940, Churchill warned the nation of the probability of invasion. Although he spoke of new dangers, he also strengthened the nation with nice words.
The war was spreading on many fronts. In June 1941, Hitler attacked Russia. Although Churchill resisted RussiaOs Communist policies, he knew that all countries must work together to overcome Hitler.
Churchill discussed with the Russian leaders Stalin and Molotov, and promised to give whatever help is possible. December 1941 USA came, because of JapanO attack on Pearl Harbour, into war. Churchill and the American President became even closer.
The war went on,in other areas,too. Hitler had sent his Afrika Korps, of which he was particularly proud, to north Africa in January 1942. At first the German forces were beatened, and the British 8th Army captured Tobruk. But the battle in North Africa went on. Eventually, in June 1942, Tobruk was recaptured by the Germans and the 8th Army had to pull back to El Alamein. Churchill and his ministers decided that it was serious important for the British and Allied Forces to conquer French North America.
Churchill made General Alexander the Commander-in-Chief of the Middle East, and in August General Montgomery gave command of the 8th Army.
It was almost autumn,1942,and ChurchillOs strategies began to be effective. Montgomery give a victory at El Alamein in North Africa, and this was the turning point of the war.
Churchill in his memoirs:
\"Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.\"
The Americans landed with the British troops in Algeria. Morocco and Tunisia. In spring 1943, General Alexander reported to Churchill that the Middle Eastern countries were free from enemies. So, Churchill started to attack North West of Europe. It was code-named \"Operation Overlord\" . Just as in World War One, Churchill developed tanks. He supported plans such as PLUTO (the pipe line under the ocean which carried petrol under the English Channel to France.) and FIDO, a method which you can get fog from landing areas away.
|
