The Impending Ordeal
`Be Ye Men of Valour'
In the early hours of 10 May, the
Germans invaded Holland and Belgium, and within four days they had broken
through the French defences at Sedan. On 15 May, Holland surrendered, and
Churchill flew to Paris to confer with the French leaders. It soon became clear
that French resistance would not long continue, and that the position of the
British troops on the Continent was perilous. At a meeting of the War Cabinet
on 18 May, Chamberlain urged the Prime Minister to broadcast to the nation, to
indicate 'that we were in a tight fix, and that no personal considerations must
be allowed to stand in the way of the measures necessary for victory.'
On the following day, after only
three hours in which to compose it, Churchill broadcast this speech live, his
first as Prime Minister. He held out the hope that France might continue to
resist, warned his listeners that a German assault on Britain might be
imminent, and made plain his resolve 'to call forth from our people the last
ounce and the last inch of effort of which they are capable.'
It seems clear that this
broadcast caught the nation's imagination. Anthony Eden told Churchill he had
never 'done anything as good or as great.' 'The Evening Standard thought it a
speech 'of imperishable resolve.' Even Lord Halifax considered it 'worth a
lot.' Churchill's war of words had begun in earnest.
The Speech
BBC, London, 19 May 1940
I speak to you for the first time
as Prime Minister in a solemn hour for the life of our country, of our Empire,
of our Allies, and, above all, of the cause of Freedom. A tremendous battle is
raging in France and Flanders. The Germans, by a remarkable combination of air
bombing and heavily armoured tanks, have broken through the French defences
north of the Maginot Line, and strong columns of their armoured vehicles are
ravaging the open country, which for the first day or two was without
defenders. They have penetrated deeply and spread alarm and confusion in their
track. Behind them there are now appearing infantry in lorries, and behind
them, again, the large masses are moving forward. The regroupment of the French
armies to make head against, and also to strike at, this intruding wedge has
been proceeding for several days, largely assisted by the magnificent efforts
of the Royal Air Force.
We must not allow ourselves to be
intimidated by the presence of these armoured vehicles in unexpected places
behind our lines. If they are behind our Front, the French are also at many
points fighting actively behind theirs. Both sides are therefore in an
extremely dangerous position. And if the French Army, and our own Army, are
well handled, as I believe they will be; if the French retain that genius for
recovery and counter-attack for which they have so long been famous; and if the
British Army shows the dogged endurance and solid fighting power of which there
have been so many examples in the past then a sudden transformation of the
scene might spring into being.
It would be foolish, however, to
disguise the gravity of the hour. It would be still more foolish to lose heart
and courage or to suppose that well-trained, well-equipped armies numbering
three or four millions of men can be overcome in the space of a few weeks, or
even months, by a scoop, or raid of mechanized vehicles, however formidable. We
may look with confidence to the stabilization of the Front in France, and to
the general engagement of the masses, which will enable the qualities of the
French and British soldiers to be matched squarely against those of their
adversaries. For myself, I have invincible confidence in the French Army and
its leaders. Only a very small part of that splendid army has yet been heavily
engaged; and only a very small part of France has yet been invaded. There is
good evidence to show that practically the whole of the specialized and
mechanized forces of the enemy have been already thrown into the battle; and we
know that very heavy losses have been inflicted upon them. No officer or man,
no brigade or division, which grapples at close quarters with the enemy,
wherever encountered, can fail to make a worthy contribution to the general
result. The Armies must cast away the idea of resisting behind concrete lines
or natural obstacles, and must realize that mastery can only be regained by
furious and unrelenting assault. And this spirit must not only animate the High
Command, but must inspire every fighting man.
In the air often at serious
odds often at odds hitherto thought overwhelming we have been clawing down
three or four to one of our enemies; and the relative balance of the British
and German Air Forces is now considerably more favourable to us than at the
beginning of the battle. In cutting down the German bombers, we are fighting
our own battle as well as that of France. My confidence in our ability to fight
it out to the finish with the German Air Force has been strengthened by the
fierce encounters which have taken place and are taking place. At the same
time, our heavy bombers are striking nightly at the taproot of German
mechanized power, and have already inflicted serious damage upon the oil
refineries on which the Nazi effort to dominate the world directly depends.
We must expect that as soon as
stability is reached on the Western Front, the bulk of that hideous apparatus
of aggression which gashed Holland into ruin and slavery in a few days, will be
turned upon us. I am sure I speak for all when I say we are ready to face it;
to endure it; and to retaliate against it to any extent that the unwritten
laws of war permit. There will be many men, and many women, in this island who
when the ordeal comes upon them, as come it will, will feel comfort, and even a
pride that they are sharing the perils of our lads at the Front soldiers,
sailors and airmen, God bless them and are drawing away from them a part at
least of the onslaught they have to bear. Is not this the appointed time for
all to make the utmost exertions in their power? If the battle is to be won, we
must provide our men with ever-increasing quantities of the weapons and
ammunition they need. We must have, and have quickly, more aeroplanes, more
tanks, more shells, more guns. There is imperious need for these vital
munitions. They increase our strength against the powerfully armed enemy. They
replace the wastage of the obstinate struggle; and the knowledge that wastage
will speedily be replaced enables us to draw more readily upon our reserves and
throw them in now that everything counts so much.
Our task is not only to win the
battle but to win the War. After this battle in France abates its force,
there will come the battle for our island for all that Britain is, and all
that Britain means. That will be the struggle. In that supreme emergency we
shall not hesitate to take every step, even the most drastic, to call forth
from our people the last ounce and the last inch of effort of which they are
capable. The interests of property, the hours of labour, are nothing compared
with the struggle for life and honour, for right and freedom, to which we have
vowed ourselves.
I have received from the Chiefs
of the French Republic, and in particular from its indomitable Prime Minister,
M. Reynaud, the most sacred pledges that whatever happens they will fight to
the end, be it bitter or be it glorious. Nay, if we fight to the end, it can
only be glorious.
Having received His Majesty's
commission, I have found an administration of men and women of every party and
of almost every point of view. We have differed and quarrelled in the past; but
now one bond unites us all to wage war until victory is won, and never to surrender
ourselves to servitude and shame, whatever the cost and the agony may be. This
is one of the most awe-striking periods in the long history of France and
Britain. It is also beyond doubt the most sublime. Side by side, unaided except
by their kith and kin in the great Dominions and by the wide Empires which rest
beneath their shield side by side, the British and French peoples have
advanced to rescue not only Europe but mankind from the foulest and most
soul-destroying tyranny which has ever darkened and stained the pages of
history. Behind them behind us behind the armies and fleets of Britain and
France gather a group of shattered States and bludgeoned races: the Czechs,
the Poles, the Norwegians, the Danes, the Dutch, the Belgians upon all of
whom the long night of barbarism will descend, unbroken even by a star of hope,
unless we conquer, as conquer we must; as conquer we shall.
Today is Trinity Sunday.
Centuries ago words were written to be a call and a spur to the faithful
servants of Truth and Justice: `Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour, and be
in readiness for the conflict; for it is better for us to perish in battle than
to look upon the outrage of our nation and our altar. As the Will of God is in
Heaven, even so let it be.' (1608 words)
©Winston Churchill 1989
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