![]() ![]() Many, surveying the cataclysmic scene arrayed before the new Churchill government, might well wonder whether the old man-he was 65 years old-was irrational in his determination to fight on against the odds, even against the facts. The Third Reich would unleash cruel bombardment on English population centers, followed by an invasion. Soon enough, France would be transformed from ally against Hitler to a launching point for the Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht. Kennedy, had the temerity to convey what many others assumed: Nazi Germany was militarily invincible. The American ambassador to Great Britain, Joseph P. Churchill Without IllusionsĬhurchill harbored no illusions about the grievous challenges ahead. Shortly after 6 pm, Winston Churchill was called by a reluctant King George VI to form a new, all-party government.Įvolution of Operation Case Yellow. Hours of political maneuvering removed any lingering doubt that the premier could not unite his Conservative party, much less Labour and Liberals, into a war cabinet. The Luftwaffe hit French airfields, as well as targets in Holland and Belgium.Īmid the chaos, British prime minister Neville Chamberlain scrambled to hold together his government. Its success surprised even the German high command. The Wehrmacht moved with rapid, rehearsed precision through the Low Countries. The ruthlessly effective Blitzkrieg that had been loosed upon Poland was now on the move in the West. Adolf Hitler himself was on the scene, directing the surprise German invasion of Holland and Belgium. On Friday, May 10, 1940, at 5:35 a.m., the beautiful spring dawn of northwestern Europe was sundered by the unanticipated, unmistakable, ominous, thunderous rumble of heavy artillery fire.
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