The Battle of Britain Five Months That Changed History, May—October 1940 by James Holland (z-lib.org).epub

needed to prepare themselves for that. Nonetheless, an invasion would be
an immensely difficult thing for the Germans to carry out. There was no
point, he added, thinking Britain would get better terms from Germany if
they tried to make peace rather than if they fought it out. Hitler would
demand their fleet, naval bases and much else besides. A puppet
government would be no doubt set up under someone like Mosley. On the
other hand they had plenty of reserves, a strong navy, air defences that were
easier to manage from home, and waters amply mined. ‘We shall go on and
we shall fight it out,’ he told them, ‘here or elsewhere, and if at last the long
story is to end, it were better it should end, not through surrender, but only
when we are rolling senseless on the ground.’ There was a murmur of
approval, and not one expression of dissent.
Churchill now had the support of his wider Cabinet, and, crucially, of
Chamberlain. When the War Cabinet reconvened, Churchill recounted what
had just happened and stressed the response. ‘I cannot recall having ever
before heard a gathering of persons occupying high places in political life,’
he told them, ‘express themselves so emphatically.’ At this, Halifax
mentioned Reynaud’s proposed appeal to President Roosevelt and whether
it should be a joint message; he said nothing more of an appeal to
Mussolini. Churchill now dismissed even an American appeal out of hand.
And that was that – no more was ever said on the matter.
Churchill had scored a great personal victory and in so doing had
greatly increased his previously fragile authority. Britain was still in great
peril but at least she now had a chance to fight on, to pit herself against the
best that Germany could throw at her. The battle might have been lost in
France, but the war was not over yet. In Britain, one major crisis, at least,
had been averted.