Winston Churchill - Their Finest Hour (Complete Edition)

Winston Churchill

The Second World War

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ISBN 978-80-272-4220-7

Moral of the Work Moral of the Work Table of Contents IN WAR: RESOLUTION IN DEFEAT: DEFIANCE IN VICTORY: MAGNANIMITY IN PEACE: GOODWILL

Acknowledgments Acknowledgments Table of Contents I must again acknowledge the assistance of those who helped me with the previous volume, namely, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Pownall, Commodore G. R. G. Allen, Colonel F. W. Deakin, Sir Edward Marsh, Mr. Denis Kelly, and Mr. C. C. Wood. I have also to thank the very large number of others who have kindly read these pages and commented upon them. Lord Ismay has continued to give me his aid, as have my other friends. I again record my obligation to His Majesty’s Government for permission to reproduce the text of certain official documents of which the Crown Copyright is legally vested in the Controller of His Majesty’s Stationery Office. At the request of His Majesty’s Government, on security grounds, I have paraphrased some of the telegrams published in this volume. These changes have not altered in any way the sense or substance of the telegrams.

Preface Preface Table of Contents During the period covered by this volume I bore a heavy burden of responsibility. I was Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister of Defence, and Leader of the House of Commons. After the first forty days we were alone, with victorious Germany and Italy engaged in mortal attack upon us, with Soviet Russia a hostile neutral actively aiding Hitler, and Japan an unknowable menace. However, the British War Cabinet, conducting His Majesty’s affairs with vigilance and fidelity, supported by Parliament and sustained by the Governments and peoples of the British Commonwealth and Empire, enabled all tasks to be accomplished and overcame all our foes. WINSTON SPENCER CHURCHILL Chartwell, Westerham, Kent January 1, 1949

Note to the Second Edition Note to the Second Edition Table of Contents A reprint having been called for, the opportunity has been taken to correct a few errors in detail. I am indebted to various correspondents who have drawn attention to these. As in the case of the first volume, I have to express my appreciation of the generous reception given to the work, and I extend my cordial thanks to the many persons who have written to me concerning it. WINSTON S. CHURCHILL Chartwell January 10, 1950

Theme of the Volume Theme of the Volume Table of Contents HOW THE BRITISH PEOPLE HELD THE FORT ALONE TILL THOSE WHO HITHERTO HAD BEEN HALF BLIND WERE HALF READY THEIR FINEST HOUR

Book I: The Fall of France Book I: The Fall of France Table of Contents

Chapter I: The National Coalition

Chapter II: The Battle of France, The First Week, Gamelin, May 10-May 16

Chapter III: The Battle of France, The Second Week, Weygand, May 17-May 24

Chapter IV: The March to the Sea, May 24-May 31

Chapter V: The Deliverance of Dunkirk, May 26-June 4

Chapter VI: The Rush for the Spoils

Chapter VII: Back to France, June 4-June 12

Chapter VIII: Home Defence, June

Chapter IX: The French Agony

Chapter X: The Bordeaux Armistice

Chapter XI: Admiral Darlan and the French Fleet, Oran

Chapter XII: The Apparatus of Counter-Attack, 1940

Chapter XIII: At Bay, July 1940

Chapter XIV: The Invasion Problem

Chapter XV: Operation "Sea Lion"

Book II: Alone

Chapter XVI: The Battle of Britain

Chapter XVII: The Blitz

Chapter XVIII: "London Can Take It"

Chapter XIX: The Wizard War

Chapter XX: United States Destroyers and West Indian Bases

Chapter XXI: Egypt and the Middle East, 1940 June-July-August

Chapter XXII: The Mediterranean Passage

Chapter XXIII: September Tensions

Chapter XXIV: Dakar

Chapter XXV: Mr. Eden's Mission, October 1940

Chapter XXVI: Relations with Vichy and Spain

Chapter XXVII: Mussolini Attacks Greece, October-November 1940

Chapter XXVIII: Lend-Lease

Chapter XXIX: Germany and Russia

Chapter XXX: Ocean Peril

Chapter XXXI: Desert Victory

Appendices

Appendix A: Prime Minister's Personal Minutes and Telegrams, May-December 1940

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E: List of operational code names

Appendix F: List of abbreviations

Table of Contents

IN WAR: RESOLUTION

IN DEFEAT: DEFIANCE

IN VICTORY: MAGNANIMITY

IN PEACE: GOODWILL

Table of Contents

I must again acknowledge the assistance of those who helped me with the previous volume, namely, Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Pownall, Commodore G. R. G. Allen, Colonel F. W. Deakin, Sir Edward Marsh, Mr. Denis Kelly, and Mr. C. C. Wood. I have also to thank the very large number of others who have kindly read these pages and commented upon them. Lord Ismay has continued to give me his aid, as have my other friends.

I again record my obligation to His Majesty’s Government for permission to reproduce the text of certain official documents of which the Crown Copyright is legally vested in the Controller of His Majesty’s Stationery Office. At the request of His Majesty’s Government, on security grounds, I have paraphrased some of the telegrams published in this volume. These changes have not altered in any way the sense or substance of the telegrams.

Table of Contents

During the period covered by this volume I bore a heavy burden of responsibility. I was Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister of Defence, and Leader of the House of Commons. After the first forty days we were alone, with victorious Germany and Italy engaged in mortal attack upon us, with Soviet Russia a hostile neutral actively aiding Hitler, and Japan an unknowable menace. However, the British War Cabinet, conducting His Majesty’s affairs with vigilance and fidelity, supported by Parliament and sustained by the Governments and peoples of the British Commonwealth and Empire, enabled all tasks to be accomplished and overcame all our foes.

WINSTON SPENCER CHURCHILL

Chartwell,

Westerham,

Kent

January 1, 1949

Table of Contents

A reprint having been called for, the opportunity has been taken to correct a few errors in detail. I am indebted to various correspondents who have drawn attention to these. As in the case of the first volume, I have to express my appreciation of the generous reception given to the work, and I extend my cordial thanks to the many persons who have written to me concerning it.

WINSTON S. CHURCHILL

Chartwell

January 10, 1950

Table of Contents

HOW THE BRITISH PEOPLE

HELD THE FORT

ALONE

TILL THOSE WHO HITHERTO HAD

BEEN HALF BLIND WERE

HALF READY

THEIR FINEST HOUR

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

The Beginning and the End—The Magnitude of Britain’s Work for the Common Cause Divisions in Contact with the Enemy throughout the War—The Roll of Honour—The Share of the Royal Navy—British and American Discharge of Air-bombs—American Aid in Munitions Magnifies Our War Effort—Formation of the New Cabinet—Conservative Loyalty to Mr.