Replies

I'm reading a three volume history of Churchill (by William Manchester) now and almost finished with the last volume. The part detailing the appeasing of Hitler five years before the war is especially dispirting. Churchill had started noticing the Nazis in the late twenties and stepped up his anti-Nazi orations when Hitler took power. He was proved right on every prediction about Hitler's moves including persecution of the Jews.

He was resolutely ignored by Chamberlain who intensely disliked Churchill. Even after Hitler attacked Poland, Chamberlain naively thought he could make a deal with Hitler. He only realized his foolishness shortly before he gave up party leadership and the P.M. to Churchill.

After the May 1940 debacle when Hitler's armies crushed the Allied forces in France, Hitler was sure England was finished. After France gave in he was absolutely sure Britain would sue for peace. He didn't know Churchill. Churchill would rather have died with a smoking pistol in his hand rather than surrender. And Churchill did carry a revolver around.

Shortly before he committed suicide Hitler told one of his flunkies that while he still liked the English people in general, Churchill was the only one didn't like.