It's surprising -- or it should be -- how often quotes are mangled by the time they're implanted in the public consciousness. Mae West never said, "Why doncha come up and see me some time." Humphry Bogart never said, "Play it again, Sam." And Churchill never said, "blood, sweat, and tears." What he offered the British during its darkest days at the beginning of World War II was "blood, toil, tears, and sweat." And they were indeed dark days, calling for a sacrifice that would last through the end of the war and beyond. Hitler had conquered or controlled all of Western Europe and Britain stood alone and unprepared. A German invasion of the island seemed immanent.
As this unusually candid program points out, Churchill was partly to blame. He failed to appreciate the rapid development of tanks and tank tactics. He considered the French Army the most powerful military force in Europe. As First Lord of the Admiralty, his priorities were the Navy and the RAF. The Army was of little interest to him. During the battle of France, he sent infantry troops against panzers, essentially fighting the war of 1914 over again, although the tactics were long outmoded. It wasn't a paucity of troops that caused the fall of France. The Germans were outnumbered. It's that they had modern technology and novel tactics. With the capitulation of France, Churchill sent battleships to destroy the French fleet at Oran, killing 1300 French sailors and alienating the French people.
America at the time was dominated by isolationism. No more "pulling Britain's chestnuts out of the fire." President Roosevelt, however, did sign a lend-lease arrangement with Britain that supplied her with 50 aging destroyers and massive amount of other military aid. History usually hails this as an altruistic act on the part of America, and so it was. It was also a business deal. Britain paid for everything she got, and gave 99-year leases to military bases in the Caribbean, breaking up the British empire and its economy bit by bit.
World War II eased his becoming PM, especially after Neville Chamberlain made the greatest mistake of his life. Not coming to an agreement with Hitler, that Hitler would occupy the German speaking part of Czechoslovakia and forgo any other territorial expansion. Not that. His greatest mistake was standing in front of the rolling newsreel camera and microphones, waving that white piece of paper, and declaring "peace in our time." The agreement didn't stop Hitler, of course. He invaded Poland and Chamberlain declared war on Germany. But Chamberlain had jumped the shark and was labeled an "appeaser." The affair still affects us. Anytime someone calls for negotiations instead of military intervention we hear cries of "appeasement." Didn't mean to get too editorial there. Strangely, the program on Churchill that I was watching was on YouTube and it was declared "Private Video" before I was able to finish watching it. So we'll just have to wonder how Churchill made out in World War II and afterward.
As this unusually candid program points out, Churchill was partly to blame. He failed to appreciate the rapid development of tanks and tank tactics. He considered the French Army the most powerful military force in Europe. As First Lord of the Admiralty, his priorities were the Navy and the RAF. The Army was of little interest to him. During the battle of France, he sent infantry troops against panzers, essentially fighting the war of 1914 over again, although the tactics were long outmoded. It wasn't a paucity of troops that caused the fall of France. The Germans were outnumbered. It's that they had modern technology and novel tactics. With the capitulation of France, Churchill sent battleships to destroy the French fleet at Oran, killing 1300 French sailors and alienating the French people.
America at the time was dominated by isolationism. No more "pulling Britain's chestnuts out of the fire." President Roosevelt, however, did sign a lend-lease arrangement with Britain that supplied her with 50 aging destroyers and massive amount of other military aid. History usually hails this as an altruistic act on the part of America, and so it was. It was also a business deal. Britain paid for everything she got, and gave 99-year leases to military bases in the Caribbean, breaking up the British empire and its economy bit by bit.
World War II eased his becoming PM, especially after Neville Chamberlain made the greatest mistake of his life. Not coming to an agreement with Hitler, that Hitler would occupy the German speaking part of Czechoslovakia and forgo any other territorial expansion. Not that. His greatest mistake was standing in front of the rolling newsreel camera and microphones, waving that white piece of paper, and declaring "peace in our time." The agreement didn't stop Hitler, of course. He invaded Poland and Chamberlain declared war on Germany. But Chamberlain had jumped the shark and was labeled an "appeaser." The affair still affects us. Anytime someone calls for negotiations instead of military intervention we hear cries of "appeasement." Didn't mean to get too editorial there. Strangely, the program on Churchill that I was watching was on YouTube and it was declared "Private Video" before I was able to finish watching it. So we'll just have to wonder how Churchill made out in World War II and afterward.
