Page 46 - DIVA_2_2015
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It is fifty years siniç the death of
















            1874-1965



                   hurchill was no angel  power to all those who were suc-   After the military debacle of Dun-
                   - displays of supreme  cessful and dismiss all those who  kirk in the spring of 1940, it see-
                   wisdom were intersper-  were not. Nothing was too large  med certain that Hitler would in-
         C sed with outbursts of  or too small for his attention. He  vade England, but first the German
         childish petulance, nasty remarks,  would stimulate all aspects of his  Luftwaffe had to gain mastery of the
         overbearing manners, tempestuous  civilian and military administration  skies. At the height of "The Battle of
         moods and unsocial working hours.  with explosive energy in a series  Britain", the Luftwaffe was targe-
         However, bad news brought out the  of penetrating memoranda which  ting airfields and aircraft factories
         best in him - disasters inspired him  were known as "little prayers" -  in an attempt to destroy the Royal
         to greatness.                     "Pray tell me ... action this day"  Air Force (RAF). Fortunately for
                                           - dictated to a secretary from his  the British, Goering, the comman-
         During the Second World War,  four-poster bed with its flowery  der of the Luftwaffe, kept switching
         Churchill guided the United  chintz hangings, while chewing  his main attack while his aircraft
         Kingdom with a few simple prin-    on a cigar and sipping a glass of  were suffering unsustainable losses.
         ciples: the entire nation would pro-  whisky and soda. He would inter-  After a German bomber acciden-
         secute the war as one body; anyone  rogate his service chiefs in depth  tally dropped its bombs on London,
         who would share the burden was  about their intentions, but never go  Churchill ordered the RAF to drop
         an ally - even the communists. He  against their collective judgement.  bombs on Berlin. In retaliation,
          also knew that there was no way the  He enjoyed sweeping power, while  Goering now told the Luftwaffe to
         British would survive without the  holding himself responsible to  abandon the British airfields and
          support of the United States of  Parliament, whose support became  turn its attention to large cities.
          America. Churchill would delegate  a further source of strength.    The urban centres of the United



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