The British were going through a leadership crisis of their own. Much to the outrage of those in his own party, Neville Chamberlain wanted to remain as Prime Minister, arguing that a moment of crisis was not a good time for a change of leader. Conservative leaders shouted “Go!” at their own leader. Indeed, the party’s rank-and-file was rebelling against Chamberlain. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was obsessed with the idea of appeasement and did not have support from the members of Labour Party, who were prepared to serve under a different leader. Churchill was one of the two potential replacements for Chamberlain, along with Halifax. However, he was associated with the Gallipoli campaign of WWI, known as a warmonger, and had spent the last 10 years in political “wilderness.” Still, the country needed someone to unite the Conservative Party, bring in the Labour Party, and prepare the country for war. As Churchill took power, he felt a relief that he could not dictate strategy and that his entire life had been leading up this one moment.

The German advance was swift and ideologically underpinned with a civilizing mission, especially as they moved East. German propaganda justified the early attacks in terms of national self-determination, especially for Germans living in the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. The German leadership also claimed that the attacks were meant to protect ethnic Germans from genocide. Using the idea of Blitzkrieg that combined the use of aircraft, tanks and soldiers, the army would advance rapidly. In addition, the army worked continuously to split and overwhelm their opponents’ forces, thus forcing them to regroup against a well-trained and well-equipped German army. After annexing Czechoslovakia, the Germans incorporated Austria. In September 1939, the Germans invaded Poland, leading to the shattering of the Polish army. The ensuing war led to the death of 120,000 Polish soldiers. By the end of the month, the German high command ordered the death of 60,000 Polish professions, leaders, intellectuals and Jews. Most of the Jews were killed by local paramilitaries. In 1940, the Germans ran through Holland and Belgium-there was no slowing them down this time- and forced the French to surrender on 22 June 1940. In the confines of Europe, the strategy worked amazingly well. This is because the heavily armed and well-trained German army was often against mostly smaller and ill-equipped enemies armies.

The British Crisis

After being routed by the Germans and their Blitzkrieg strategy, the British and the remaining French forces were in peril. At Dunkirk, the German army, using the Blitzkrieg strategy, completely annihilated the British and French forces After the defeat, the British and remaining French forces needed to be evacuated from the continent. British troops at Calais were to provide the protection and would not be evacuated. At Dunkirk, over 300,000 British and French soldiers were evacuated, by using about 700 boats in the British possession, over a period of ten days. At one point, Churchill did not believe that more than 30,000 men had been evacuated from Dunkirk. He termed the evacuated a “miracle of deliverance.” Its success was considered a miracle since it allowed the British army to survive. It gave the much needed boost to the British morale at a time when all seemed lost and the fears of invasion almost crippling the British citizens. The soldiers would return in June, 1944, as part of an invading force.

At the same time, Churchill worked to rally the British people and government to continue the war.

Churchill stated before the House of Commons: I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government: “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 of 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 God 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.”

Britain in Trouble

Figure 2: British children with rubble in the background

German air attacks led to the famous air battle over Great Britain known as the Battle of Britain. It was characterized by the German bombing of British cities. Like Dunkirk, the battle was ingrained in British memory as a battle for their very survival, and that of the rest of Europe. Thousands of children were evacuated from the cities and moved to the countryside. Instead of destroying the British will to fight, the bombing campaign actually strengthened it by bringing together communities. In addition, it fostered a sense of national identity based on survival along with determination.Those in England rallied behind the King and Churchill who famously toured the cities examining damage done by the bombs.

The memory of the Blitz of Britain remains a defining part of people’s lives. “Because we were a big family, mum would give some of our share of rations to others who didn’t have as much. People would swap things like tea and butter with their neighbors. The bombing campaign pushed the development of a radar and air defense system. Overall, the campaigns raised some interesting moral issues that the British struggled with, including, whether the government should have informed the cities they were going to be bombed and risk letting the Germans know of the British technological advances; if the civilian population was a legitimate target and revenge bombings would be justified; how the state should deal with the rising homeless population in need of aid. The British city of Coventry was essentially destroyed. The Nazi command debated the very purpose of the battle; whether it was to prepare for an invasion or to bomb the British into submission. The British traded the lost of aircraft for time and forced the Nazis into losing over 2,000 aircraft.

The British were able to make up to two hundred aircraft in a day, working to overcome an almost 3 to 1 German air superiority. The British, through the “lend-lease” program, were able to take advantage of American supplies, including 500,000 rifles and five hundred field guns in one early shipment. The British also worked to break the German military codes.

Figure 3: Bombed British Buildings