a)
Aka operation dynamo
26 May – 3 Jun 1940
Led by Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsey
Churchill in WWII Aimed to evacuate 40 000 troops under attack.
Dunkirk Privately owned ships (known as ‘little ships’)
a) Details [6] helped evacuate soldiers.
Estimated a max of 45 000 troops would be saved.
b) Results [3] b)
338 000 troops saved – 7x the estimate
Civilian contribution led to the term ‘Dunkirk spirit’
Massive success & boosted morale
½ mill Germans died (vs 50 500 GB civilians dead from German bombing).
May 1943 Operation Chastise was arguably a success - 2 hydroelectric power
stations were destroyed, which reduced German production capabilities.
Took Luftwaffe planes from the Russian front
GB Bombing Survey 1945 report - GB bombing did become effective in the
final phase of the war when raids concentrated on transport &
communications networks.
Churchill in WWII o E.g. Hamburg 1943 (large industrial centre w shipyards, U-boat
Allied Bombing of Germany pens, & oil refineries) & Ruhr 1943 (centre of German industry w
coke plants, steelwork, & armaments factories.
Evidence that it WAS justified During the war, a scientific advisor had advised the Gov that through bombing
1/3 of the German pop could be turned out of house and home', which would
break morale.
[11] Was used as the alternative to a 2nd front to assist the Russians.
It was the most practical way for GB to strike Germany itself.
Reducing German military capacity would lessen GB casualties in any
operations.
Was a way to display western allied power to the USSR to maintain
dominance.
Supported D-Day landings.
RAF Bomber Command losses were heavy – 55 000 killed in
action.
Heavy losses in 1943 Operation Chastise meant ppl were
unwilling to support another similar campaign.
Churchill in WWII The GB Bombing Survey 1945 report - GB bombing in cities
hadn’t decisively weakened German armaments
Allied Bombing of Germany production.
De-housing (Arthur Harris’ idea – head of bomber
Evidence that it was NOT justified command) didn’t reduce morale, despite killing ½ mill
[6] Germans – unsurprising since the 1940-41 Blitz didn’t
reduce morale either
Morally ambiguous – policy of total war meant millions of
civilians died – criticised by the Church.
Bombing for revenge is morally ambiguous.
Churchill had executive power to fire anyone who he
disliked (dictator like) – e.g. sacked Dowding despite
achievements @ the Battle of Britain b/c he lacked
character.
Churchill kept an inner circle of trusted experts.
Churchill During WWII Churchill was in charge of the war, not the generals.
Churchill’s Style of Leadership The war cabinet initially only had 5 ppl (smaller than
Structure of government under Churchill normal)
Churchill created a Defence Committee w himself as the
[6] Minister of Defence. This made Churchill the middleman
between the war cabinet & the DC.
Churchill was generally more concerned abt aristocratic
blood, bravery, & character in his generals than actual
skill & expertise.
, By 1943 (after German defeats @ El Alaein) the Med &
Suez canal was secure
o N Africa, Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, & Sicily were
in Allied hands
o Italy had been weakened by defeats & was no
Churchill During WWII longer a threat.
Mediterranean Strategy After German defeats @ Stalingrad (Feb 43), the
Evidence that it was NOT justified Germans were in retreat & were unlikely to join w Japan.
Tied down 12 Allied forces.
[8] Dill suggested that even Singapore should have been a
higher priority than Egypt.
Gave Germany abt 1yr to prep defences (Rommel’s
Atlantic Wall)
Ended up being a long & drawn-out war.
a)
Biggest amphibious invasion of WWII
156,000 troops, 7000 ships, 11600 aircraft
US, GB, & Canadian troops.
1800 casualties on 1st day (6 Jun 44) – seemed to confirm Churchill’s fears
Churchill During WWII b)
10,000 casualties overall – not a lot compared to other operations (e.g.
D-Day / Operation Overlord Somme)
Convinced German High Command that defeat was inevitable
a) Details [4] Defeated many of Germany’s strongest strongholds
b) Evidence that it was a success [4]
c)
Gave GB a firm foothold ashore in Europe & liberated France
c) Reasons it was a success [5] German High Command felt the need to refer decisions back to Hitler –
slowed them down considerably
Allied had >1yr to plan (thanks in part to the delay)
Allied air superiority & bombing
Superiority in war material & tech (thanks in part to Churchill)
Avoided the heavily fortified Atlantic Wall
a)
Visited bomb sites during the Blitz
Used speeches to boost the morale of Parliament & ppl.
Churchill During WWII Blood, toil, tears, & sweat (13 May 40) – 1 st speech in the Commons
made clear his intention to wage war.
Churchill’s Style of Leadership We shall fight on the beaches (4 Jun 40) – most famous despite only
being given to MPs.
Evidence that Churchill was b)
1 Jul 40 – ordered the bombing of the French fleet @ Oran
a) Inspirational [4] c)
b) Ruthless [1] Micromanaged matters from all departments – required that any matter
be summed up on 1 A4 sheet.
c) Demanding [2]
d)
Wrote that working hours were “between 7am & 3am”.
d) Brave/reckless [2] Aften travelled (flew to France 5x, sailed to Roosevelt, etc), despite the
risk of being shot down/sunk, etc.
1944 – it took a direct order from the King to stop Churchill joining the D-
Day invasion.
Drew 12 German divisions away from Russia.
A Balkan front could incr GB influence in South-East Europe
By 1942, Germany had driven Russian forces v South. If they broke
into Egypt, Germany could link w its forces in Russia & secure the oil
fields in the Middle East.
Churchill During WWII One of Churchill’s main aims was to preserve the Empire – the Suez
Canal was the gateway to the GB Empire, esp to India.
Mediterranean Strategy Preventing the Germans from getting oil impacted their ability to
wage war & arguably helped shorten the war.
Evidence that it WAS justified Stopped Germany & Japan uniting in the Middle East, which could
threaten the empire.
[9] Gave the Allies abt 1yr to prep & build up their forces for an offensive
on France (2nd front).
Italy had been weakened by defeats & so would be easy to defeat (a
fast campaign was expected) – this would force Germany to fight 3
fronts.
Was one of the only feasible alternatives to the 2nd front.
Aka operation dynamo
26 May – 3 Jun 1940
Led by Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsey
Churchill in WWII Aimed to evacuate 40 000 troops under attack.
Dunkirk Privately owned ships (known as ‘little ships’)
a) Details [6] helped evacuate soldiers.
Estimated a max of 45 000 troops would be saved.
b) Results [3] b)
338 000 troops saved – 7x the estimate
Civilian contribution led to the term ‘Dunkirk spirit’
Massive success & boosted morale
½ mill Germans died (vs 50 500 GB civilians dead from German bombing).
May 1943 Operation Chastise was arguably a success - 2 hydroelectric power
stations were destroyed, which reduced German production capabilities.
Took Luftwaffe planes from the Russian front
GB Bombing Survey 1945 report - GB bombing did become effective in the
final phase of the war when raids concentrated on transport &
communications networks.
Churchill in WWII o E.g. Hamburg 1943 (large industrial centre w shipyards, U-boat
Allied Bombing of Germany pens, & oil refineries) & Ruhr 1943 (centre of German industry w
coke plants, steelwork, & armaments factories.
Evidence that it WAS justified During the war, a scientific advisor had advised the Gov that through bombing
1/3 of the German pop could be turned out of house and home', which would
break morale.
[11] Was used as the alternative to a 2nd front to assist the Russians.
It was the most practical way for GB to strike Germany itself.
Reducing German military capacity would lessen GB casualties in any
operations.
Was a way to display western allied power to the USSR to maintain
dominance.
Supported D-Day landings.
RAF Bomber Command losses were heavy – 55 000 killed in
action.
Heavy losses in 1943 Operation Chastise meant ppl were
unwilling to support another similar campaign.
Churchill in WWII The GB Bombing Survey 1945 report - GB bombing in cities
hadn’t decisively weakened German armaments
Allied Bombing of Germany production.
De-housing (Arthur Harris’ idea – head of bomber
Evidence that it was NOT justified command) didn’t reduce morale, despite killing ½ mill
[6] Germans – unsurprising since the 1940-41 Blitz didn’t
reduce morale either
Morally ambiguous – policy of total war meant millions of
civilians died – criticised by the Church.
Bombing for revenge is morally ambiguous.
Churchill had executive power to fire anyone who he
disliked (dictator like) – e.g. sacked Dowding despite
achievements @ the Battle of Britain b/c he lacked
character.
Churchill kept an inner circle of trusted experts.
Churchill During WWII Churchill was in charge of the war, not the generals.
Churchill’s Style of Leadership The war cabinet initially only had 5 ppl (smaller than
Structure of government under Churchill normal)
Churchill created a Defence Committee w himself as the
[6] Minister of Defence. This made Churchill the middleman
between the war cabinet & the DC.
Churchill was generally more concerned abt aristocratic
blood, bravery, & character in his generals than actual
skill & expertise.
, By 1943 (after German defeats @ El Alaein) the Med &
Suez canal was secure
o N Africa, Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, & Sicily were
in Allied hands
o Italy had been weakened by defeats & was no
Churchill During WWII longer a threat.
Mediterranean Strategy After German defeats @ Stalingrad (Feb 43), the
Evidence that it was NOT justified Germans were in retreat & were unlikely to join w Japan.
Tied down 12 Allied forces.
[8] Dill suggested that even Singapore should have been a
higher priority than Egypt.
Gave Germany abt 1yr to prep defences (Rommel’s
Atlantic Wall)
Ended up being a long & drawn-out war.
a)
Biggest amphibious invasion of WWII
156,000 troops, 7000 ships, 11600 aircraft
US, GB, & Canadian troops.
1800 casualties on 1st day (6 Jun 44) – seemed to confirm Churchill’s fears
Churchill During WWII b)
10,000 casualties overall – not a lot compared to other operations (e.g.
D-Day / Operation Overlord Somme)
Convinced German High Command that defeat was inevitable
a) Details [4] Defeated many of Germany’s strongest strongholds
b) Evidence that it was a success [4]
c)
Gave GB a firm foothold ashore in Europe & liberated France
c) Reasons it was a success [5] German High Command felt the need to refer decisions back to Hitler –
slowed them down considerably
Allied had >1yr to plan (thanks in part to the delay)
Allied air superiority & bombing
Superiority in war material & tech (thanks in part to Churchill)
Avoided the heavily fortified Atlantic Wall
a)
Visited bomb sites during the Blitz
Used speeches to boost the morale of Parliament & ppl.
Churchill During WWII Blood, toil, tears, & sweat (13 May 40) – 1 st speech in the Commons
made clear his intention to wage war.
Churchill’s Style of Leadership We shall fight on the beaches (4 Jun 40) – most famous despite only
being given to MPs.
Evidence that Churchill was b)
1 Jul 40 – ordered the bombing of the French fleet @ Oran
a) Inspirational [4] c)
b) Ruthless [1] Micromanaged matters from all departments – required that any matter
be summed up on 1 A4 sheet.
c) Demanding [2]
d)
Wrote that working hours were “between 7am & 3am”.
d) Brave/reckless [2] Aften travelled (flew to France 5x, sailed to Roosevelt, etc), despite the
risk of being shot down/sunk, etc.
1944 – it took a direct order from the King to stop Churchill joining the D-
Day invasion.
Drew 12 German divisions away from Russia.
A Balkan front could incr GB influence in South-East Europe
By 1942, Germany had driven Russian forces v South. If they broke
into Egypt, Germany could link w its forces in Russia & secure the oil
fields in the Middle East.
Churchill During WWII One of Churchill’s main aims was to preserve the Empire – the Suez
Canal was the gateway to the GB Empire, esp to India.
Mediterranean Strategy Preventing the Germans from getting oil impacted their ability to
wage war & arguably helped shorten the war.
Evidence that it WAS justified Stopped Germany & Japan uniting in the Middle East, which could
threaten the empire.
[9] Gave the Allies abt 1yr to prep & build up their forces for an offensive
on France (2nd front).
Italy had been weakened by defeats & so would be easy to defeat (a
fast campaign was expected) – this would force Germany to fight 3
fronts.
Was one of the only feasible alternatives to the 2nd front.
