We shall go on to the end…

“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 on the streets, we shall fight in the hills, we shall never surrender.”

—Winston Churchill

This is one of the most famous war quotes in history. Allied forces had been routed in France in 1940 and the British were forced to evacuate from Dunkirk. It would only be a matter of days until the German forces overran Paris and forced the French government to capitulate. Defeat appeared inevitable for the British, but Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered this speech to the British parliament, and it was sent to British citizens all over the UK. Churchill’s message of defiance resonated with the British citizens and government so much that the country refused to surrender and fought on against the Axis despite being heavily outnumbered. It would be three years until the war slanted in favor of the Allies, but had the British not held strong alone it’s likely the Axis would have won the war.