Churchill and the Battle of Britain

Churchill and the Battle of Britain — page 3 — A Decisive Day It is September 15 1940 As wave after wave of German bombers fly toward southern England UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill with his trademark cigar clamped between his teeth makes his way to Royal Air Force RAF headquarters in London There he is met by Air Vice-Marshal Keith Park the man responsible for the RAF squadrons defending London and the southeast of England from air attack September 14 1940 At the height of the Battle of Britain Hurricane fighter planes take off from an airfield in the south of the UK to defend against German attacks Deep underground in the operations room Churchill and Park watch as counters on a large tabletop map track the progress of the German attacks As each squadron of RAF fighters takes off to intercept the enemy a light on a board comes on to show that the planes are airborne Early in the afternoon as the lights flash on one by one Churchill turns to Park What reserves have we got he asks There are none replies Park Every single squadron is in the air battling to defend the United Kingdom 1 Churchill

Churchill and the Battle of Britain — page 4 — and Park both know that this is a decisive momen in the defense of the United Kingdom against a possible German invasion In order to win the Germans need to destroy the RAF This is now a battle for survival Battle of Britain Day Since the end of World War II September 15 has been commemorated in the United Kingdom as Battle of Britain Day the day when the RAF fighters managed to hold out against the German bombers The battle was by no means over but many people consider this day to mark a crucial turning point in the Battle of Britain Yet for Churchill it was one of many such crucial moments both in the past and yet to come A crowd follows Winston Churchill center as he makes one of his frequent visits to inspect bomb damage after German raids in London

Churchill and the Battle of Britain — page 5 — The man for the moment Churchill had become prime minister of the United Kingdom in May 1940 At the time many powerful people had questioned some of his past decisions and were less than enthusiastic about giving him this role But as the German Army stormed across Europe and overwhelmed France the majority of people came to believe that Churchill was the right man for the moment A U S journalist for the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote of Churchill’s first speech as prime minister He proved himself an honest man as well as a man of action Britain has reason to be enheartened by his bluntness and his courage 2 So what were the qualities that made Churchill such an inspirational war leader and helped to win the Battle of Britain And what crucial decisions did Churchill make as the United Kingdom struggled to come to terms with the disastrous fall of France in 1940 as well as the threat of imminent German invasion Decisive words Churchill alone Everything depended on him and him alone Only he had the power to make the nation believe that it could win 3 Edward Bridges cabinet secretary writing about Winston Churchill between 1940 and 1942

Churchill and the Battle of Britain — page 6 — Who Was Winston Churchill Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on November 30 1874 at Blenheim Palace near Oxford England His father Lord Randolph Churchill was the youngest son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough which meant that Churchill was descended from one of the United Kingdom’s most famous generals John Churchill 1650 1722 1st Duke of Marlborough His mother Jennie Jerome was the daughter of a wealthy banker from New York Blenheim Palace was a gift from Queen Anne and the nation to John Churchill in thanks for his part in the victory at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704 Winston Churchill was born there in 1874 As was usual for the time Winston Churchill was raised mostly by a much-loved nanny Mrs Everest and was then sent to boarding school at the age of seven He did not shine academically at Harrow School and he later wrote of his time

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