Without a single man, Great Briton could not have persevered for as long as it did during the
Second World War. When the war began in September, 1939, Neville Chamberlin, the acting
Prime minister of Great Briton, was stunned. He had attempted to appease Germany, by allowing them to do almost whatever they wanted, such as invading Czechoslovakia. However,
England’s defensive treaty with Poland demanded that they go to war. But Neville Chamberlin did not want to lead a nation at war, and, within a year of war being declared, had stepped down from his office (Kieser). The First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, was elected to the post. By early 1940, France was defeated, and Germany was setting its sights on Great
Briton.
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If he had hope of a successful defense, he would first have to convince them that they could win. He did this mainly through speeches, but also through anti-
Nazi propaganda, such as posters and films. But other than simply raising confidence, the
Prime Minister also had to ensure that England was well equipped to make a physical, and not just a mental, fight. Churchill increased coastal defenses along southern England, along with increasing the size of the British Air Corps, the RAF. But before the defenses were made satisfactory, the Germans had arrived, and bean the bombing of Briton. During the first weeks of fighting in the skies, England had every advantage: Anti-Aircraft support, more and better planes, and could know where the Germans were with Radar (Hastings). But as the struggle continued, the RAF was slowly chiseled down, and was vulnerable to the German fighter escorts. The British needed a break, but none was in sight. After months of relentless fighting in the skies over England, even the Prime Minister was wondering how they could survive. “Luckily” for the British, a lapse in the German Air Force
(the Luftwaffe) allowed a British maneuver, which would have been considered barbaric