Chapter 2: Churchill as wartime Prime Minister Flashcards
What happened on 13/5/40?
Churchill spoke to the Commons and said our aim is “victory at all costs”
What happened on 10/5/40 and what was the problem?
France was invaded
If France was to be defeated Britain would be isolated
What was the situation by 13 May?
The army was intact
The French had large forces
Italy had not joined Germany
The British were fighting on one front
Churchill had put together a cabinet of some of his supporters
There was little enthusiasm from Roosevelt for his appointment and many in parliament still admired Chamberlain
What was the situation by 28 May in Europe?
British army had cut off from French troops with a low possibility of rescuing
300,000 troops from Dunkirk
Danger of Italian entry into the war which would threaten Egypt and the Suez Canal and make British colonies in the Far East difficult to defend against Japan
What was the situation by 28 May in Britain?
Gold reserves were running out - unsure if Britain could afford to keep fighting
Halifax was making discrete approaches to discover what German terms for peace with Britain could be which Churchill opposed
There was a fear of large-scale bombing of Britain
What made Britain look like it was weakening and what did Churchill respond with ‘rot’ to?
The French proposal to approach Mussolini to find out what Hitler’s peace terms were
The Australian High Commissioner’s appeal to Roosevelt for a peace conference
What was the situation by 4 June?
Evacuation of 225,000 troops and 112,000 allies from Dunkirk
Cabinet had resisted French demands for more aircraft
An air defence was possible
What did Churchill say to the Commons and why?
That “we shall fight on the beaches”
As a direct appeal to the U.S. to enter the war and to keep morale high
What happened on 3 July?
Churchill sunk the French fleet (Operation Catapult) to prevent it from falling into German hands
1,297 servicemen killed
What bold strategic decision did Churchill make?
Sent most of Britain’s tanks to Egypt which helped to achieve victories later on in the war (El Alamein)
What mistake did Goering make in August 1940?
Diverted atention from the RAF to bombing civillians but had the unintended effect of allowing the RAF to recover
What was Dowding’s strategy but what happened to him?
Mobilising small groups of fighters and preserving the strength of the RAF by not pursuing German bombers over the channel
He wasn’t backed by Churchill and was removed from office in November 1940
What was Churchill fascinated by?
Modern and impractical ideas such as germ warfare
What did Churchill write in his memoir and what did this suggest?
That he expected his staff to set an example of ‘steadiness and resolution’
He demanded high levels of dedication and energy
What did Churchill emphasise and what was he?
Personal diplomacy with his allies
A talented orator and was daring and ruthless
What did he do regarding warfare?
Revolutionalised methods: poison gas, spies, French fleet
What did Churchill blame Britain’s heavy losses in WW1 on?
Politicians letting military commanders, such as Haig, oversee their costly plans without supervision
What did General Gort do and why?
Ignored Churchill’s order that the port of Calais should be defended till the last man in 1940 and to join French forces in a counter-attack
It was pointless in military terms and would have lost valuable men
Allowed the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk possible
What happened regarding Sir John Dill and Churchill?
They argued about whether to send another British force to France
Dill won, resulting in Churchill sacking him
What was Churchill’s relationship with Sir Alan Brooke like?
Annoyed by Churchill coming up with military ideas: frustrated with political interference
Conscious of the need to deploy British forces carefully and avoid heavy casualties
Fewer disagreements when it came to major decisions
Supported Churchill’s plan to send troops and supplies to the Middle East and North Africa to deal with the Italian threat in 1940
What was Churchill’s relationship with Wavell like?
Churchill personally disliked him and gave him no credit for rapid victories in North Africa
Took away his forces when Italy invaded Greece in 1940 and the cabinet decided to open up a new Balkans campaign in 1940-41; not given time to be properly prepared and his troops were taken off to a deeply flawed campaign that failed when German forces invaded and had to be evacuated from Crete
Didn’t have forces to match Romnel’s -> demoted
What was Churchill’s relationship with Auchinleck like?
Insisted on delaying attacks on German forces until he was prepared, much to Churchill’s annoyance
Effective defence against Germany but was sacked for delays and for not being daring or aggressive enough
What was Churchill’s relationship with Montgomery like?
Insisted on thorough preparations including accumulating twice the men that Romnel had before attacking El Alamein in October 1942
Gave credit to “Monty” despite Auchinleck being deserving of most of the credit for making efficient preparations
Slow in his follow-up after the victory at El Alamein, allowing Germany to retreat to Tunisia
What did the drawn-out process in Italy result in?
Distracted the allies from the task of defeating Germany
It kept more allied troops occupied than it did German troops
What did Brooke think about an invasion of France?
That it might lead to heavy casualties as America wouldn’t be able to train troops or produce a large amount of goods
