THEIR FINEST HOUR WINSTON CHURCHILL Copyright Their Finest Hour Copyright © 1949 by Winston Churchill Cover art and eForeword to the electronic edition copyright © 2002 by RosettaBooks, LLC All rights reserved No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews For information address Editor@RosettaBooks.com First electronic edition published 2002 by RosettaBooks LLC, New York ISBN 0-7953-0640-7 Contents eForeword Preface Acknowledgement Book One The Fall of France The National Coalition The Battle of France The First Week Gamelin The Battle of France The Second Week Weygand The March to the Sea The Deliverance of Dunkirk The Rush for the Spoils Back to France Home Defence June The French Agony 10 The Bordeaux Armistice 11 Admiral Darlan and the French Fleet Oran 12 The Apparatus of Counter-Attack 1940 13 At Bay 14 The Invasion Problem 15 Operation Sea Lion Book Two Alone The Battle of Britain The Blitz “London Can Take It” The Wizard War United States Destroyers and West Indian Bases Egypt and the Middle East 1940 The Mediterranean Passage September Tensions Dakar 10 Mr Eden’s Mission 11 Relations with Vichy and Spain 12 Mussolini Attacks Greece 13 Lend-Lease 14 Germany and Russia 15 Ocean Peril 16 Desert Victory Publisher’s Note Appendices Notes About the Author About this Title Changes in text, received too late for inclusion in the first edition, are listed under the heading, Publisher’s Note Maps and Diagrams The Forward Movements, Starting May 10 The Opposing Forces, May 13 Germany Advances, May 13–17, 1940 Situation Evening, May 18 Situation Evening, May 22 Battle of Arras, May 21–22 Situation at Nightfall, May 25 Situation, May 28 Diagram of Dunkirk Perimeter, May 29 and 30 Diagram of Dunkirk Perimeter, May 31 and June Areas of Operations, May, 1940 The Opposing Forces on the Western Flank, June 5, 1940 The German Advance, June 5–9 The Last Stand of the French Army, June, 1940 General Map: Western France (Cherbourg–Brest) State of Readiness, Infantry Divisions, July 13, 1940 State of Readiness, Infantry Divisions, September 7, 1940 Sketch Map of German Invasion Plan General Map of Northwest France and Belgium Battle of Britain Disposition of Main Fleets in Mediterranean, June 14, 1940 Desert Victory, December, 1940, to January, 1941 Translated Chapter 12 A trench-cutting machine for attacking fortified lines Chapter 13 Ciano, Diplomatic Papers, page 378 Ciano, Diplomatic Papers, page 381 Ciano, Diaries, pages 277–78 This was an old device which I had used for the Marine Brigade of the Royal Naval Division when we landed on the French coast in September, 1914 We took fifty of them from the London streets, and the Admiralty carried them across in a night His brother Victor was a subaltern in the 9th Lancers when I joined the 4th Hussars, and I formed a warm friendship with him in 1895 and 1896 His horse reared up and fell over backwards, breaking his pelvis, and he was sorely stricken for the rest of his life However, he continued to be able to serve and ride, and perished gloriously from sheer exhaustion whilst acting as liaison officer with the French Cavalry Corps in the retreat from Mons in 1914 General Brooke had another brother, Ronnie He was older than Victor and several years older than I In the years 1895-1898 he was thought to be a rising star in the British Army Not only did he serve with distinction in all the campaigns which occurred, but he shone at the Staff College among his contemporaries In the Boer War he was Adjutant of the South African Light Horse, and I for some months during the relief of Ladysmith was Assistant Adjutant, the regiment having six squadrons Together we went through the fighting at Spion Kop, Vaal Krantz, and the Tugela I learned much about tactics from him Together we galloped into Ladysmith on the night of its liberation Later on in 1903, although I was only a youthful Member of Parliament, I was able to help him to the Somaliland campaign, in which he added to his high reputation He was stricken down by arthritis at an early age, and could only command a reserve brigade at home during the First World War Our friendship continued till his premature death in 1925 H.M.S Erebus was a monitor of the First World War mounting two fifteen-inch guns After being refitted, she went to Scapa for target practice in August Delay arose in her working up practices through defects and bad weather and she did not reach Dover until late in September It was therefore not until the night of September 29/30 that she carried out a bombardment of Calais Chapter 14 l Actually the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau which had been at Trondheim had both been torpedoed and were out of action Here I omitted to mention the twenty thousand which might come from the distant Biscay ports; but, as will be seen, my proposed disposition of our forces guarded against this potential, but, as we now know, non-existent, danger That is, their approaches from the rear These are, of course, proportions, not divisional formations Book Two Chapter I was coming in one night to the Annexe when there was a lot of noise and something cracked off not far away, and saw in the obscurity seven or eight men of the Home Guard gathered about the doorway on some patrol or duty We exchanged greetings, and a big man said from among them: “It’s a grand life, if we don’t weaken.” Trepanning consisted of making a hole in the bomb casing in order to deal with the explosive contents It seems incongruous to record a joke in such sombre scenes But in war the soldier’s harsh laugh is often a measure of inward compressed emotions The party were digging out a bomb, and their prize man had gone down the pit to perform the delicate act of disconnection Suddenly he shouted to be drawn up Forward went his mates and pulled him out They seized him by the shoulders and, dragging him along, all rushed off together for the fifty or sixty yards which were supposed to give a chance They flung themselves on the ground But nothing happened The prize man was seriously upset He was blanched and breathless They looked at him inquiringly “My God,” he said, “there was a bloody great rat!” The reply was reassuring These were the official categories: “Yellow” civil servants were those performing less essential tasks and who could therefore be evacuated earlier than “black” ones The latter would remain in London as long as conditions made it possible to carry on Chapter See the table at the end of chapter Chapter l Used by President Wilson in 1917 Also a Wilsonian word Chapter To render undrinkable This was the wretched word used at this time for “undrinkable.” I am sorry Chapter 1The subject is discussed in Volume I, Book II, Chapter IV Chapter lDefenceless 1Ciano, from air attack, as at Namsos Diaries, page 281 Chapter September 17, 1940; received at 11.55 A.M Received by the Admiralty at 7.56 A.M on September 18, 1940 See Appendix D for my correspondence with Mr Menzies Chapter 11 From October 17 to 19 (inclusive), thirty-three ships, twenty-two of them British, were sunk by U-boats in the northwestern approaches These figures include twenty ships out of one convoy Mr Yencken was killed in an air accident in 1944 Quoted by Lord Templewood in his memoirs, Ambassador on Special Mission Ciano, L’Europa verso la Catastrofe, page 604 Du Moulin de la Barthète Le Temps des Illusions, pages 43-44 Chapter 12 Hitler and Mussolini, Letters and Documents, page 61 2Commander-in-Chief 3Author’s Air Forces, Middle East italics Chapter 13 1Stettinius, 2Ibid., page 60 3Actually 4See Lend-Lease they were nearer 45,000 tons Appendix B Chapter 14 See Nazi-Soviet Relations, p 218 ff Signed between Germany, Italy and Japan on September 27, 1940 It is worth noting that though in Berlin the main emphasis of Hitler and Ribbentrop was on snaring British territory, in the draft agreement the British Empire is not mentioned by name, while the colonial possessions of France, Holland, and Belgium are obviously included in the areas to be shared under the secret protocol Both at Berlin and in the negotiations in Moscow, the British Empire, though offering the most conspicuous and valuable booty, was not the only intended victim of Hitler He was seeking an even wider redistribution of the colonial possessions in Africa and Asia of all the countries with which he was or had been at war Author’s italics throughout the text of this document Nazi-Soviet Relations, p 260 ff Chapter 15 1I have only heard since the war that these initials which I used so often were an Admiralty term signifying “Winston’s specials.” 2E-boat: 3Sir the German equivalent of British “light coastal craft.” John Reith He became Lord Reith and Minister of Works and Buildings on October 1940 4The modern equivalent of “Q” ships, which had been effectively used in the 1914–18 war to lure the U-boats to their destruction They were less successful in the changed conditions of this war Chapter 16 lRifle Brigade and King’s Royal Rifles 2“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall he opened unto you.” 3“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Light, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning!” 4Ciano’s Diary, 1989 18, edited by Malcolm Muggeridge, pp 315-17 5Ciano’s Diary, p 321 6Prime Minister to General Ismay, for C.O.S Committee 1.XII.40 General de Gaulle told me that he had in mind an attempt to recover Jibouti – hereinafter to be called “Marie” in all papers and telegrams connected with the operation He would send three French battalions from Equatorial Africa to Egypt, where General Le Gentilhomme would meet them These battalions would be for the defence of Egypt, or possibly ostensibly as a symbolic contribution to the defence of Greece There would be no secret about this On the contrary, prominence would be given to their arrival However, when the moment was opportune, these battalions would go to Jibouti, being carried and escorted thither by the British Navy No further assistance would be asked from the British General de Gaulle believes, and certainly the attached paper favours the idea, that Le Gentilhomme could make himself master of the place, bring over the garrison and rally it, and immediately engage the Italians This would be a very agreeable development, and is much the best thing de Gaulle could at the present time It should be studied attentively, and in conjunction with him The importance of secrecy, and of never mentioning the name of the place, should be inculcated on all, remembering Dakar I suppose it would take at least two months for the French battalions to arrive in Egypt Kindly let me have a full report 7Sheffield had been very heavily bombed Appendix A Mr Josiah Wedgwood, M.P On the Royal Marine Operation, see Volume I Labour for defence works My former Minute, dated 25.VI.40, is recorded in Book I, Chapter VIII, page 170 This was the photo-electric fuze, and, although not very successful, was the forerunner of the later proximity fuze This refers to the Government sponsored scheme for the evacuation of children to Canada and the U.S.A The scheme was abandoned after the sinking of the “City of Benares” by a U-boat on September 17, 1940 The Hermione was a small Greek steamer which was intercepted by our cruisers in the Aegean on July 28, 1940, while carrying a military cargo for Italy Our ships were attacked by aircraft when making the interception The Hermione was therefore sunk, and her crew left in boats near the land The letters stand for “Parachute and Cable.” The P.A.C rocket was one form of the U.P weapon A description is given in a Minute dated January 13, 1940 See Volume I, Book II, Appendix, Part II See note under my Minute of 7.IX.40, Book II, Chapter VII, and also my Minutes of 15.IX.40 and 26.XII.40, below 10 A radar set for anti-aircraft-gun control 11 United States Ambassador to Britain 12 On the naval aspect of our policy towards the Vichy Government 13 A French merchant ship 14 General Hobart, at this time a corporal in the Home Guard, was accordingly appointed to command an armoured division, and in that capacity rendered distinguished service to the very end of the war I had a pleasant talk with him on the day we first crossed the Rhine in 1945 His work was then highly esteemed by General Montgomery, 15 It was decided to provide the increased amount 16 See Book II, Chapter IX 17 The Air Ministry began making proposals for greater protecton of Chequers by sending Bofors guns 18 Figures of aircraft strength proposed to he used by Lord Beaverbrook in a broadcast 19 See Book II, Chapter IV, page 388 20 Plan D: Provision of all possible naval and military aid in the European field to the exclusion of any other interest This would involve the adoption of a strictly defensive plan in the Pacific and abandonment of any attempt seriously to reinforce the Far East, with accepted consequences On the other hand, by full-scale concentration in the European area, the defeat of Germany was ensured with certainty, and if subsequently it was in the American interest to deal with Japan, requisite steps would be possible 21 Capture of Pantellaria 22 Operations against Dodecanese 23 Table from Lord Beaverbrook giving comparison of actual output of aircraft, with programme 24 Paragraph in Lord Beaverbrook’s Minute of 14.12.40 to the effect that it is sometimes said that the output of the Ministry of Aircraft Production would have been equalled by the Air Ministry if there had not been any change in May, 1940 25 See also my Minute of I5.IX.40 26 The figures were reassuring 27 Occupation of Jibuti Appendix B See Book II, Chapter XIII, pages 560–640 Appendix C 1See Book II, Chapter I, Appendix D Book II, Chapter IX About the Author One of the most significant leaders of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill was born in 1874 He served as a war correspondent during the Boer War and after his capture and release became a national hero in England He parlayed his celebrity into a political career, getting elected to the Conservative Party just ten months after his return Churchill joined the Liberal Party in 1904 After serving as Home Secretary under David Lloyd George, he became Lord of the Admiralty, but a military setback suffered in World War I forced him to resign Churchill’s political career suffered many ups and downs during the 1920’s and 30’s owing, in part, to his support of King Edward VIII during his abdication But when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939, Churchill was reappointed Lord of the Admiralty In 1940, Churchill succeeded Chamberlain as Prime Minister and remained in office until 1945 During that time, he successfully guided the nation through World War II, inspiring and mobilizing the British people and forging crucial ties with American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt Despite his success in the war, Churchill’s government was voted out in 1945, owing in part to the nation’s lack of confidence in his domestic policies He remained in Parliament and was reelected in 1951, ultimately resigning in 1955 at the age of 80 After retirement from public life, Churchill spent his time writing, publishing The History of the English Speaking People That work, along with his six-volume history of World War II and The World Crisis, his history of World War I, earned Churchill the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 In 1963 Churchill was made an honorary U.S citizen Winston Churchill died in 1965 at the age of 90 About this Title RosettaBooks is the leading publisher dedicated exclusively to electronic editions of great works of fiction and non-fiction that reflect our world RosettaBooks strives to improve the quality of its electronic books We welcome your comments and suggestions Please write to Editor@RosettaBooks.com We hope you enjoyed Their Finest Hour If you are interested in learning more about the book and Winston Churchill, we suggest you visit the RosettaBooks Connection at: www.RosettaBooks.com/TheirFinestHour Copyright Their Finest Hour Copyright © 1949 by Winston Churchill Cover art and eForeword to the electronic edition copyright © 2002 by RosettaBooks, LLC All rights reserved No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews For information address Editor@RosettaBooks.com First electronic edition published 2002 by RosettaBooks LLC, New York ISBN 0-7953-0640-7 Contents eForeword Preface Acknowledgement Book One The Fall of France The National Coalition The Battle of France The First Week Gamelin The Battle of France The Second Week Weygand The March to the Sea The Deliverance of Dunkirk The Rush for the Spoils Back to France Home Defence June The French Agony 10 The Bordeaux Armistice 11 Admiral Darlan and the French Fleet Oran 12 The Apparatus of Counter-Attack 1940 13 At Bay 14 The Invasion Problem 15 Operation Sea Lion Book Two Alone The Battle of Britain The Blitz “London Can Take It” The Wizard War United States Destroyers and West Indian Bases Egypt and the Middle East 1940 The Mediterranean Passage September Tensions Dakar 10 Mr Eden’s Mission 11 Relations with Vichy and Spain 12 Mussolini Attacks Greece 13 Lend-Lease 14 Germany and Russia 15 Ocean Peril 16 Desert Victory Publisher’s Note Appendices Notes About the Author About this Title Changes in text, received too late for inclusion in the first edition, are listed under the heading, Publisher’s Note .. .THEIR FINEST HOUR WINSTON CHURCHILL Copyright Their Finest Hour Copyright © 1949 by Winston Churchill Cover art and eForeword to the electronic... full resources of the Web To experience The RosettaBooks Connection for Their Finest Hour: www.RosettaBooks.com/TheirFinestHour Preface DURING THE PERIOD covered by this volume I bore a heavy burden... knowledge and an awareness that the fate of the world hangs in the balance In Their Finest Hour, the second volume of this work, Churchill describes the German invasion of France and the growing sense