I speak to you as Prime Minister for the first time. A terrible war is waging in France. The Germans are using a combination of air bombing and heavily armoured tanks to penetrate the French line of defense and are ravaging the open territory. You will ask what’s our policy. Our policy is to wage war. War at all costs. War with all the strengths and mights that God can give us. You will ask what thy aim is. I will answer in one word. Victory; victory at all costs; victory despite all terror; victory no matter how long or hard the road is for without victory there can be no survival. We have resolved to destroy Hitler and every vestage of the Nazi regime. We will not parlay, we will not negotiate with Hitler and the grizzly gang that works his wicked will. We shall fight him by sea; we shall fight him by land; we shall fight him in the air until, with God’s help, we have rid the world of his shadow.
This speech was made when Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. At that time, France was about to surrender to the Nazis. Churchill had expected to have his country to be invaded. He prepared for war. |