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

line, but there were many thousands more who contributed to Britain’s
victory.
Neville Chamberlain died on 9 November, after losing his fight with cancer.
He had finally resigned from the Cabinet a month earlier, accepting he was
too ill to be of any further use to Churchill. History has been too unkind to
Chamberlain. Thanks to him, the RAF received the funding it needed in the
1930s when he was still Chancellor of the Exchequer, while no matter how
distasteful the Munich agreement may have been, the postponement of war
certainly gave Britain the chance to fight back in 1940. Nor, after Munich,
did Chamberlain appease any more. He was not the right Prime Minister for
war, however, yet once forced from office he proved an invaluable
colleague to Churchill and, at the end of May, helped ensure that Britain
fought on. At his funeral at Westminster Abbey, Churchill delivered a
eulogy that even today can still bring a lump to the throat. ‘The only guide
to a man is his conscience,’ he said, ‘the only shield to his memory is the
rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through
life without this shield, because we are so often mocked by the failure of
our hopes and the upsetting of our calculations; but with this shield,
however the fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honour.’
Chamberlain, he said, never failed to act with anything other than perfect
sincerity and with the very best of ideals. ‘Herr Hitler,’ the Prime Minister
concluded, ‘protests with frantic words and gestures that he has only
desired peace. What do these ravings and outpourings count before the
silence of Neville Chamberlain’s tomb?’
It was oratory like this that helped Churchill win over the nation and
stem the panic wrought by Germany’s incredible victory in France. From
the moment he became Prime Minister, Churchill’s leadership was superb.
He alone had the vision, drive and energy to deliver Britain from the mire
of France and Dunkirk. While Hitler dithered, Churchill showed steely
resolve. It is hard to think of another man who could have given Britain the
will to carry on during those dark days of May and June. He was a great
man, but never more so than during the summer of 1940, Britain’s darkest
and finest hour.
In 1940, Britain won the Battle of Britain, but she had not yet won the
war. There was still a very long way to go. Although Roosevelt had gained
his third term, it was another thirteen months before the United States