World War II and Great Britain Alice F. Short Hilliard Davidson High School World Studies

Neville “Pushover” Chamberlain PM of GB (1937-40) Appeasement Munich Agreement (1938) Sudetenland to Germany “I believe it is a peace for our time.” September 3, 1949 led Britain during first 8 months of WWII Phony War wanted to win through “economic pressure” on Germany

Winston Churchill: WWII is Coming talented speaker and writer spoke out against Hitler, Nazi Germany and British inaction spoke against Appeasement

Winston Churchill: Some Fun Quotes “We know that he has, more than any other man, the gift of compressing the largest amount of words into the smallest amount of thought.” “I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” “I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.”

Winston Churchill: Some Serious Quotes “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” “Never, never, never give up.” “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – the key to unlocking our potential.”

Dunkirk / Dunkerque May 26, 1940 – June 3, 1940 battle and evacuation of British and French troops psychological victory Germany military error

Churchill’s Speech: “We shall fight on the beaches” June 4, 1940 “We shall fight on beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender and if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good time the New World with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and liberation of the Old.” Link to full-text of speech and audio: https://www.wyzant.com/resources/lessons/history/hpol/churchill/war-fight-on-the-beaches

Mers-el-Kabir July 4, 1940 British naval bombardment of the French Navy 1,297 Frenchmen died collaborationist Vichy government under Petain cut-off all ties with Britain WHY? couldn’t risk Germany seizing control for French fleet needed America to know Britain was committed to staying in the war demonstrated necessary ruthlessness to win war

The Battle of Britain July 10, 1940 – October 31, 1940

The Battle of Britain Luftwaffe vs. RAF The Blitz Luftwaffe failure to overwhelm RAF resulted in cancellation of Operation Sea Lion (amphibious and airborne attack of G.B.)

The RAF helped Britain win in the Battle of Britain

Britain’s Roll in WWII Summary late 1938: Britain appeased Germany (Munich Pact) March 1939: Britain announced that it would support Poland if Germany invaded it September 3, 1939: Britain declared war on Germany May 1940: Britain got a more aggressive war-time leader -- Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister May 26, 1940 (DUNKIRK): in the face of a large-scale German offensive, British troops on the continent were forced into one of the largest evacuations in history -- the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk on the Belgian coast July to October 1940: the English people suffered under the Battle of Britain: intense German bombing-- he Royal Air Force valiantly defended its homeland from the German Luftwaffe, and the Nazis were unable to crush British morale March 1941: the U.S. began giving direct support to the British in the form of arms and ammunition through the Lend-Lease Act After Pearl Harbor, in December, America would become directly involved in aiding the British in Europe January 1942: Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to establish a Combined Chiefs of Staff and to the make defeating Germany their first priority. (Winning the war in Europe would come before winning the war in the Pacific.) 1942-1945: the Allies did win the war in Europe May 7, 1945: Germany surrendered unconditionally Great Britain lost over 300,000 fighting men and over 60,000 civilians in World War II

ASSIGNMENT: Write an inspirational speech… It must contain the following line: “We shall defend our country, whatever the cost may be.”