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
When did Churchill plan the invasion of France?
The summer of 1944
What happened in August 1943 regarding today?
Eisenhower was put in charge of the D-Day landings rather than Brooke who was disappointed
What did General Morgan not recieve from Churchill?
Appreciation for the planning of D-Day
What was Montgomery’s Operation Market Garden (blank) and what was the result?
Airborne landings to capture the bridges in Holland
Failed in planning, execution, and aim
1944
What was the result of Britain’s slowness in taking Caen on D-Day?
Stalled the entire allied operation, leading to heavy casualties
What did minor military action in North Africa demonstrate but what did it provide?
A loss of confidence in military commanders
Constant energy and determination
What were leaders intensely concerned about and why?
The Mediterranean and the danger that Italy might pose if it allied with Germany against Britain in a war
Italy had troops in Libya which bordered Egypt and there was a danger that Franco might threaten Britain’s control of the entrance of the Mediterranean at Gibraltar
What was there a fear of?
That if Germany was successful in North Africa and broke through into the Middle East they would control the vital oilfields of southern Russia and the Middle East and have a gateway to the empire
What did General Romnel do?
Stopped the British counter-attack against Italian advances in Libya
What had Churchill wanted to do and why?
Open up a front in Greece, Turkey, and Yugoslavia to draw up German resources and increase British influence in south-east Europe
What happened to Romnel at the Battle of El Alamein?
Romnel was forced back as he didn’t have enough soldiers or supplies
What did the U.S. favour and what did they want to to do and why?
The U.S. favoured establishing a front in Northern France
The U.S. wanted to take pressure off of Russia (the success of the war depended on the survival of Russia) as Atlantic fortifications had not been built until 1942 and the Med was a distraction and of limited strategic importance
What did Britain and the U.S. do, why, and what was the outcome?
Poured considerable resources into an invasion of Sicily in 1943
Italy was the soft underbelly of Europe
It was unsuccessful and failed to prevent the Germans from retreating to the mainland
Why was the drawn-out campaign in Italy not needed?
Germany wouldn’t fall without the invasion of France and Germany
Why was D-Day delayed until June 1944?
High casualties were expected - the more Russia weakened Germany the fewer casualties
The long struggle in Italy was not anticipated - the Allies’ failure to use operational thinking led to a poorly planned and executed operation in the landings at Anzio in 1944
What did Britain aim to do in bombing?
Destroy morale and Germany’s war capacity
What did a 1942 report of the bombing conclude?
That it was not effective or precise enough to substantially damage production as only 1 in 5 bombs landed within 5 miles of their target
What was the effect on absenteeism?
Bombing was only responsible for 4% of it
What were the criticisms of the bombing?
The Blitz had not broken Britain’s morale and economic potential had only been reduced by 5%
There were objections to killing large numbers of civilians
What happened in February 1945 and how many Germans were killed overall?
The bombing of Dresden killed 40,000 people
Between 400,000 and 600,000
What was the impact of the bombing on the Eastern Front?
It damaged Wehrmacht’s morale
Had to withdraw fighter squadrons
Took away Luftwaffe reconnaissance
What was the impact of the bombing of the Ruhr?
Delayed the production of the Panther tank and therefore the Kursk offensive which gave the Red Army a chance to dig in and prepare for the German offensive
Why can Churchill’s opinions on the bombing be described as hypocritical?
He congratulated Sir Arthur Harris in 1942 but expressed concerns about ‘mere acts of terror and wanton destruction’ to RAF commanders in 1945
How and why did Britain’s role in war decline in 1944-45?
Dominated by the rich and powerful U.S.
Conscious of the immense sacrifice of the USSR
Lost freedom of action
Sidelined in meetings
Unsure why war was being fought
Imperial overstretch
What changes were made to help industry?
1940 Factory Acts improved welfare for 6 million workers and improved conditions of work for younger workers
In 1942 British railways united and nationalised the rail network
What changes were made to help the emergency services?
In 1941 8/10 hospitals were brought under a national scheme
Over 1500 fire services were brought together
What changes were made to help people?
Rest centres and meal service centres were set up to help those who had suffered in air raids
Committee for the homeless meant 1 million homes were made habitable
Prefabricated homes were created due to a housing shortage
Diptheria immunisations were introduced
Free milk to school children and an extension of free school meals
Old means test abolished in 1941
What did the Beveridge Report of 1942 propose and what did it form?
A far-reaching series of changes designed to achieve ‘freedom from want’: benefits were to be paid to people who were sick, widowed, retired, and unemployed
The basis of the post-war welfare state
What did Churchill remark in February 1943 but later say in March 1943 about Bev report?
That Beveridge was an ‘awful windbag and a dreamer’
That there ‘is a broadening field for state ownership and enterprise’
What was Labour’s position on the report?
Thought that it didn’t go far enough
What were the Conservative party against and what did Churchill remark that demonstrated this?
State interference
‘control for control’s sake is senseless’
What did Churchill do on 4/6/45?
Made associations between the Labour Party and the Gestapo, remarking that their policies ‘need some form of a Gestapo’
What did the wartime reports offer and how did this lead to Churchill losing office?
Much better prospects for the working class
It was generally thought that Labour would be most likely to implement it
What were the Conservatives blamed for and how did this lead to Churchill losing office?
The ‘hungry decade’ of the 1930s and also for appeasement
Labour was seen as proponents of collective security
What did the achievements of the USSR do?
Pointed the way to greater economic control and social reform by the state
What had the war produced and how did this lead to Churchill losing office?
Social mobility as women were able to work and men of ability were promoted to the forces
The vote for Labour was a vote for more social change. a less class-ridden Britain, and an opportunity for ordinary people
What percentage of the vote did Attlee win, what percentage did Churchill win, and what did this reflect?
47.7%
36.2%
The campaign effectively targeted marginal seats and Attlee not being radical
What did Churchill’s private secretary write?
That ‘Labour’s propaganda is better and it links to the popular mood’ and that his speech ‘aroused widespread criticism’
