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longship

(40,416 posts)
111. There was no way that Hitler invades Great Britain.
Wed Aug 13, 2014, 02:16 PM
Aug 2014

And Churchill knew that from day one.

In his great speech upon the rescue at Dunkirk, he addressed this directly.

Nevertheless, our thankfulness at the escape of our Army and so many men, whose loved ones have passed through an agonizing week, must not blind us to the fact that what has happened in France and Belgium is a colossal military disaster. The French Army has been weakened, the Belgian Army has been lost, a large part of those fortified lines upon which so much faith had been reposed is gone, many valuable mining districts and factories have passed into the enemy's possession, the whole of the Channel ports are in his hands, with all the tragic consequences that follow from that, and we must expect another blow to be struck almost immediately at us or at France. We are told that Herr Hitler has a plan for invading the British Isles. This has often been thought of before. When Napoleon lay at Boulogne for a year with his flat-bottomed boats and his Grand Army, he was told by someone. "There are bitter weeds in England." There are certainly a great many more of them since the British Expeditionary Force returned.


Of course, he later finishes the speech with a typical and iconic flourish.
Turning once again, and this time more generally, to the question of invasion, I would observe that there has never been a period in all these long centuries of which we boast when an absolute guarantee against invasion, still less against serious raids, could have been given to our people. In the days of Napoleon the same wind which would have carried his transports across the Channel might have driven away the blockading fleet. There was always the chance, and it is that chance which has excited and befooled the imaginations of many Continental tyrants. Many are the tales that are told. We are assured that novel methods will be adopted, and when we see the originality of malice, the ingenuity of aggression, which our enemy displays, we may certainly prepare ourselves for every kind of novel stratagem and every kind of brutal and treacherous maneuver. I think that no idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered and viewed with a searching, but at the same time, I hope, with a steady eye. We must never forget the solid assurances of sea power and those which belong to air power if it can be locally exercised.

I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty's Government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation. The British Empire and the French Republic, linked together in their cause and in their need, will defend to the death their native soil, aiding each other like good comrades to the utmost of their strength. Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.


Arguably Churchill's greatest wartime speech. You can read and/or listen to the whole thing here

Churchill knew that a German invasion was a fool's errand. The Brits certainly prepared for the eventuality of such a thing, but those high up in Britain's government knew it was not likely to happen. Germany just did not have the facilities to accomplish such a task, and Hitler himself wanted to ally with Britain, not conquer it. Churchill knew that, too.
did the us build the nukes with help from paperclip scientists? leftyohiolib Aug 2014 #1
No. Octafish Aug 2014 #95
God let's hope not yeoman6987 Aug 2014 #2
Hard to say but Nazism wouldn't have been able leave the Communists alone forever. el_bryanto Aug 2014 #3
Depends what "win" means, but there's a pretty good chance he would have. DanTex Aug 2014 #4
I never understood why he attacked Britain to begin with. former9thward Aug 2014 #12
Not as much of a headache as you might think BlindTiresias Aug 2014 #14
Absolute rubbish. longship Aug 2014 #39
There were collaborators in every state the nazis invaded BlindTiresias Aug 2014 #108
There was no way that Hitler invades Great Britain. longship Aug 2014 #111
Fair enough BlindTiresias Aug 2014 #114
Yup! It sure was an interesting time, though. longship Aug 2014 #115
Nonsense AgingAmerican Aug 2014 #94
harsh treatment yes BlindTiresias Aug 2014 #106
Very true AgingAmerican Aug 2014 #109
for their bank and the location.He got the bank control very first thing of every country he invaded Sunlei Aug 2014 #33
France and England had already declared war Deny and Shred Aug 2014 #53
Yes, but Britain was in no condition to carry on the war by itself. former9thward Aug 2014 #58
Agreed. Deny and Shred Aug 2014 #88
From the accounts I've seen, going after Russia was louis-t Aug 2014 #5
That's what I've read also. Nt newfie11 Aug 2014 #20
If Hitler had not decided to become his own field marshal and general staff, amandabeech Aug 2014 #79
I don't know if he could have avoided war with the Soviet Union aint_no_life_nowhere Aug 2014 #6
the war with the soviets was the main event from the start RedRocco Aug 2014 #44
That's right - the war in the east was what Hitler was mainly about aint_no_life_nowhere Aug 2014 #50
He could have sent more resources to Africa and taken the Suez Capt. Obvious Aug 2014 #7
Easily BlindTiresias Aug 2014 #8
He would have done better to finish with the English first. bemildred Aug 2014 #9
After May, 1940 there was no way Germany was going to finish Great Britain. longship Aug 2014 #82
All the more reason not to take on Russia, I would say. nt bemildred Aug 2014 #84
in all probability, yes. hifiguy Aug 2014 #10
I think it quite possible BainsBane Aug 2014 #11
Many things that could have allowed Hitler to win JPZenger Aug 2014 #13
Hitler's Luftwaffe under Goering made a fatal mistake regarding England aint_no_life_nowhere Aug 2014 #21
There were a lot of Nazi sympathizers in the Ukraine aint_no_life_nowhere Aug 2014 #32
"In many ways, Hitler was his own worst enemy." Va Lefty Aug 2014 #74
Would Russia have left Germany alone? joeybee12 Aug 2014 #15
Unlikely BlindTiresias Aug 2014 #16
Stalin and Hitler might have had conflict over border nations, but no Soviet invasion JPZenger Aug 2014 #19
yeah I agree BlindTiresias Aug 2014 #22
Yup. Stalin's massive purges of the Soviet military hifiguy Aug 2014 #30
Stalin did go into a three day drunk after Operation Barbarossa DemocratSinceBirth Aug 2014 #59
The three great monsters of the 20th Century hifiguy Aug 2014 #60
Stalin was crazy... DemocratSinceBirth Aug 2014 #63
Not only did Stalin refuse to believe intelligence reports brentspeak Aug 2014 #107
Stalin would not have attacked Germany brentspeak Aug 2014 #102
My personal thought has always been in the other direction intaglio Aug 2014 #17
Good question. If Hitler had invaded Russia rather than France in the spring of 1940, pampango Aug 2014 #49
An interesting "what if" I read once ballabosh Aug 2014 #72
I agree. Hitler could have gone from Poland to Stalingrad easily. DontTreadOnMe Aug 2014 #78
It might have made it difficult to later go after England and France aint_no_life_nowhere Aug 2014 #81
Hitler's goal was never to "leave Russia alone" Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #18
b Sounds like one of my favorite tactics for Axis and Allies whenever I play Japan TheMightyFavog Aug 2014 #46
Wargame strategy is about the only practical application of this discussion Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #69
It's hard not to take out the Pearl Harbor fleet Capt. Obvious Aug 2014 #75
Any invasion of the English island would have resulted in chemical warfare. MohRokTah Aug 2014 #66
Yes, indeed. Algernon Moncrieff Aug 2014 #68
Assuming America joined the war? Cali_Democrat Aug 2014 #23
Interesting question. PoutrageFatigue Aug 2014 #24
Perhaps. Perhaps also if had listened to his Generals at and after Stalingrad... GusBob Aug 2014 #25
Short answer: no Bad Thoughts Aug 2014 #26
a) if he'd not invaded the Soviet Union, b) if he hadn't declared war on the USA. Spider Jerusalem Aug 2014 #27
I think if he had been able to make some treaty with Stalin, the USA couldn't have stopped him. DanTex Aug 2014 #28
What if the US dropped nukes on Germany? Cali_Democrat Aug 2014 #35
I guess it probably would have been, yes. DanTex Aug 2014 #37
The Germans also had an atomic bomb in the works aint_no_life_nowhere Aug 2014 #38
It would have been a race to see who could develop them first on a massive industrial scale Cali_Democrat Aug 2014 #43
there were no nukes to drop on Germany.. abakan Aug 2014 #62
Well.... Cali_Democrat Aug 2014 #70
The german scientist came to White Sands in 46. abakan Aug 2014 #71
The first nuclear bombs were developed and dropped in 1945.... Cali_Democrat Aug 2014 #73
According to what I have heard working at White Sands for 10 years. abakan Aug 2014 #76
I think we're talking about two different things Cali_Democrat Aug 2014 #77
Signs point to yes rock Aug 2014 #29
Many historians and military experts think so. Cleita Aug 2014 #31
He would have steam rolled over Russia if the weather was better for his (loyal) troops. Sunlei Aug 2014 #34
Also the strategicly monumental blunder of delaying Barbarossa for 6 weeks SQUEE Aug 2014 #48
Hitler also had the chance to take Moscow in the Summer of 1941 but instead he neverforget Aug 2014 #85
millions died in Ukraine. A few brave people hid in caves there, underground for years. Sunlei Aug 2014 #105
Hitler made two huge mistakes. One was invading the Soviet Union. The other was declaring war on the TeamPooka Aug 2014 #36
As long as he never allied himself with the Japanese, most likely. MohRokTah Aug 2014 #40
He might have won if he had listened to his generals during the Russian invasion. StevieM Aug 2014 #41
We still developed the A bomb first Motown_Johnny Aug 2014 #42
If Germany had beaten Britain, the A-Bomb wouldn't have mattered. Xithras Aug 2014 #47
The B-29, which dropped nukes on Japan, had a range of thousands of miles Cali_Democrat Aug 2014 #51
It would have never got through. Xithras Aug 2014 #87
LOL! This is some of the craziest conjecture I've ever seen! Cali_Democrat Aug 2014 #90
Not conjecture. Xithras Aug 2014 #93
If the Germans were so good at shooting down enemy planes Cali_Democrat Aug 2014 #98
The B 29 could have penetrated German airspace sarisataka Aug 2014 #100
night missions Motown_Johnny Aug 2014 #92
It could have (and probably would have) been used Motown_Johnny Aug 2014 #56
The payload was too big and a B-29 would never have gotten airborne... MohRokTah Aug 2014 #67
You could modify a B-24 Motown_Johnny Aug 2014 #91
Considering that 75-80% of German military deaths were on the East Front... Tierra_y_Libertad Aug 2014 #45
Marshall was admitting that US and UK were using Russia as a sinkhole Bad Thoughts Aug 2014 #83
He might have won WWII, but he'd lose WWIII against the Soviets shortly afterwards WatermelonRat Aug 2014 #52
If he had left Britain and Russia alone. Yes I think so. LiberalArkie Aug 2014 #54
Unlikely Warpy Aug 2014 #55
It was an absolutely mind-breakingly bad move, from a military strategy perspective. Warren DeMontague Aug 2014 #57
Only if he had gotten nukes first. quaker bill Aug 2014 #61
Two big questions gyroscope Aug 2014 #64
It might have made the war go longer, leading to even more death, but, no. HuckleB Aug 2014 #65
Even if Hitler left Russia alone NobodyHere Aug 2014 #80
Hitler was a megalomaniac. roamer65 Aug 2014 #86
Overall the question is too simplistic sarisataka Aug 2014 #89
Hitler's mistake was to delay the advance on Dunkirk aint_no_life_nowhere Aug 2014 #99
Very possibly. Octafish Aug 2014 #96
He would have run out of oil alcibiades_mystery Aug 2014 #97
Bingo rickford66 Aug 2014 #101
Hitler's ultimate goal was always to invade the Soviet Union brentspeak Aug 2014 #103
Hatred for Communism was the very reason Hitler entered politics at all. DetlefK Aug 2014 #104
This NT. Ex Lurker Aug 2014 #112
The fascists and the communists hated each other. moondust Aug 2014 #110
He wasn't going to leave the east alone, this was clear from The Second Stone Aug 2014 #113
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