Sir Winston Churchill achieved many things across the world in his ninety years. Though he was born into a life of privilege, he dedicated himself to public service. His legacy is a complicated one, filled with dazzling successes and devastating disasters, yet for many people in Great Britain and elsewhere, Winston Churchill is simply a hero. Known primarily in the United States for his work in World War II, Churchill’s actions in the first World War are often overlooked. Churchill’s many losses and victories, as well as his perseverance and vision impacted World War I in a multitude of ways.
In both World Wars, the Belgian city of Antwerp was sought after. It’s extensive dock and port facilities, the largest in Europe, had great strategic
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Despite the fact that the Belgian troops outnumbered the German forces, the Belgians were no match for the heavy artillery used to relentlessly pound the city and surrounding forts. With lacking leadership, morale, and experience, Belgium sent out a plea to Paris and London for help. Britain failed to send to help, saying that the situation in Antwerp was ‘exaggerated’ and therefore the urgent request for artillery and aircrafts went unanswered (D’Este 288). Winston Churchill took it upon himself to aid Belgium, an action that infuriated some of his superiors. He offered to resign his position as Home Secretary, in exchange for for the “...necessary military military rank and authority, and full powers of commander of a detached force in [Antwerp],” a request that was denied by the Prime Minister H. H. Asquith (Holmes 108). Churchill went anyways, but it was not his job to be there and offer to surrender control over the largest military force available to Britain at the time in order to take command of a certainly doomed defense. Militarily, it was worth making a relatively small commitment in sending those troops to